Wednesday Roundup: After 1st half buzzer-beating lay-in by Clement, Rebels fuel offensive fire to stride past Fillmore behind massive 3rd quarter run

Written By Chris Brooks

CUBA — All seven seniors that have put on the blue and maroon Cuba-Rushford uniform over the past few years, did so for the very last time in regular season play, as the Rebels looked to finish up the campaign strong by getting back to the .500 mark with Sectionals quickly approaching after the mid-winter break.

They would look to do it against a Fillmore Eagles squad that aimed for a top three spot in their Class D1 field of competition. In their last meeting back in Fillmore toward the beginning of the season, a big run by the Eagles was the turning point that saw them take the lead away for good in a 73-51 victory in The Rock.

But this time in the Wighthouse, it was Cuba-Rushford’s turn to make their presence known. After a back-and-forth first half between both squads saw a momentum-gaining basket hit by the Rebels before the buzzer, that newly acquired factor remained in their favor upon their return for the second half, as they used every bit of it to hold Fillmore to just five points in the midst of their 18-5 third quarter run to scoot away toward victory by a 72-53 count on Wednesday.

“Andrew’s basket gave us a little bit of life going into the half,” Rebels coach Bryce Ryan said. “I was really happy with the way my boys handled the full-court pressure, and I think we did well finding open cutters right off double teams. I have the utmost respect for Coach (Randy) Crouch and his program in Fillmore. With their pressure and ability to hit the three-ball, you can never really feel comfortable in any game you play against them.”

That was known right from the start, as the Eagles put their three-point game to good use all throughout the first half of play with Hayden Rust gaining the early upper hand with one of his own to start the game after the opening tip. With Dan Emerson landing one in return on the very next possession for the Rebels, a back-and-forth dealing ensued between both squads.

It resulted in Fillmore gaining a 10-9 first quarter lead coming down the stretch, but at the same time, allowed Cuba-Rushford to wrap up the quarter on eight consecutive points to take a seven point lead with Trent Chamberlain collecting a pair of runaway baskets off two Eagles turnovers deep in the defensive zone to give the Rebels a 17-10 lead to work with heading into the second.

In the second, the Eagles three-point game flared up with Isaiah Voss and Colby Wolfer each netting one in Fillmore’s next three possessions on offense to close up the gap, only for it to be extended back out with quick responses coming from the opposite end of the floor by the Rebels. Fillmore would get as close as four with nearly three minutes left on four straight points from Will Valentine, including a missed three-point play that would have narrowed the deficit to three.

But the visitors in black and green would find their way to a deadlock of Cuba-Rushford behind a deep Levi Webb two, but only briefly, as the Rebels finished the first half with four consecutive points from Clement, with his first basket coming on a breakaway lay-in, and the next on a basket off an offensive rebound near the first half buzzer to earn the 33-29 lead at the break.

That basket proved to be the spark that the Rebels needed to succeed from the third quarter forward, as they went on toward their biggest defensive stand of the night, as well assembling a game-changing run on the opposite side of the spectrum, coasting toward an 18-5 run of the Eagles to remain in the driver’s seat for good.

As for Ryan, it was exactly what he needed to see out of his team for the second half.

“I think it was important for us to come out in the third quarter and set the tone early,” he said. “We were trying to play too fast on occasions in the first half. We played with so much more poise, and we passed the ball more efficiently in the second half to get better looks. We talk about patience on offense a lot with our guys, and I think we played with the most patience that we’ve had in a while.”

On the offensive side, four different scorers recorded double figures for the Rebels, with Clement leading the charge with a team-high 17 points. Trent Chamberlain, Grady McCumiskey and Dan Emerson all had 16 points to chip in, while Ethan Brooks followed with five.

After the game, Ryan offered his thoughts on all seven of his seniors on their dedicated night.

“I am excited for our boys that we were able to close out Senior Night with a win,” the Rebels coach said. “All the seniors have important roles for us, and I am really happy and proud of them for coming together when we were 3-5 earlier in the season, and to finish this regular season up strong. These guys have put in a lot of hard work, and I’m glad it’s finally coming to fruition. I wish I could have them all back for another year.”

Will Valentine led all Fillmore scorers with a game-high 26 points. Levi Webb netted 13 points of his own, while Isaiah Voss sank two of the team’s 10 triples from outside, for six points.

Both regular seasons are now over for each team, as they now play the waiting game for Sectional seedings. Cuba-Rushford reaches the .500 mark heading into the second season with a record of 9-9, while Fillmore likely receives the No. 4 seed in the Class D1 bracket with a 15-4 record.

Fillmore                 10 19  5 19 – 53

Cuba-Rushford      17 16 18 21 – 72

FILLMORE: Levi Webb 4 2-2 13, Isaiah Voss 2 0-0 6, Hayden Rust 1 0-0 3, Tobias Webb 1 0-0 2, Colby Wolfer 1 0-0 3, Will Valentine 9 5-11 26. Totals: 18 7-13 53.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Ethan Brooks 2 1-1 5, Joey Jablonski 1 0-0 2, Trent Chamberlain 5 6-10 16, Andrew Clement 7 2-3 17, Nate Burdick 0 0-2 0, Grady McCumiskey 8 0-1 16, Dan Emerson 6 3-7 16. Totals: 29 12-24 72.

3-point goals: Fillmore 10 (Webb 3, Valentine 3, Voss 2, Rust, Wolfer), C-R 2 (Clement, Emerson).
Total Fouls: Fillmore 18, C-R 15. Fouled out: T. Webb (FIL), Valentine (FIL).

Allegany-Limestone 45, Wellsville 42

ALLEGANY — Both Wellsville and Allegany-Limestone brought in down to the game’s final play in front a packed crowd on Wednesday. The Lions had control of the game’s final possession, trailing by three to the Gators. With the defense surrounding Max Jusianiec outside for the inbound, a pass was made inside the arc. A shot was put up, but it did not go down, as the hosts came away with a big block at the buzzer to seal a 45-42 win.

“it was what it was supposed to be,” Lions coach Raymie Auman said. “It was a clash of two great teams that ultimately came down to the last few possessions of the game. They just made a few more plays down the stretch than we did. What really killed us in the end was the turnovers. We can’t give a team like Allegany-Limestone 10 extra possessions to work with, because they will make you pay for it. On most occasions, they did just that.”

The Lions gained control of the game’s first lead after the opening eight minute frame, as they put together a one-point lead to work with going into the second. But the script was flipped upside down as Wellsville found themselves trailing at the break, thanks to a big 20-12 outscoring by the Gators to pull ahead with a seven-point advantage.

It would set up a close second half battle that would wind up coming down to the last few possessions in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Wellsville would gain control of the ball for one last possession in attempt to tie the game at 45. But the Gators defense down low would prevent the big shot from falling, as they came away with an enormous block down low to keep their lead in tact when the final buzzer sounded.

Jusianiec would take charge of the Wellsville offense behind a team-high 18 point performance. On the outside, Liam McKinley fired up his three-point game by hitting four of the squad’s six total from downtown to put toward a 14 point game. Eli Schmidt and Logan Dunbar each had four points, while Tyler Sands rounded off with a pair of shots at the stripe.

The Lions will await Sectional seeding in Class B2 coming up this weekend, as they wrap up regular season play with a record of 10-10.

Wellsville                     12 12  7 11 – 42

Allegany-Limestone    11 20  8 17 – 45

WELLSVILLE: Tyler Sands 0 2-4 2, Max Jusianiec 6 5-5 18, Eli Schmidt 2 0-0 4, Liam McKinley 4 2-2 14, Logan Dunbar 1 1-2 4. Totals: 13 10-13 42.
ALLEGANY-LIMESTONE: Ben Giardini 2 0-0 5, Tyler Curran 0 3-4 3, Gus Napoleon 7 4-5 23, Chad Carlson 0 1-2 1, Casey Curran 2 5-8 9, Michael Wolfgang 2 0-0 4. Totals: 13 13-19 45.

3-point goals: Wellsville 6 (McKinley 4, Jusianiec, Dunbar), A-L 6 (Napoleon 5, Giardini).
Total Fouls: Wellsville 19, A-L 15. Fouled out: Hart (WLSV).

Genesee Valley 70, Bolivar-Richburg 53

BOLIVAR — Ever since defeating the Prattsburgh Vikings at the Barkley Showcase last month at Alfred State, the Genesee Valley Jaguars have hit all strides, despite a minor hiccup along the way at Cuba-Rushford. But despite that, they’ve shown no signs of slowing down. That continued Wednesday night at Bolivar-Richburg, as they dominated down low to account for a big first half in their 70-53 season finale win over the host Wolverines.

“Lintz (Bliven) did a real nice job packing it in, and they jumped right on us in a clinic-like style,” said Wolverines coach Jeff Margeson. “They were very happy letting us shoot the ball, but we just struggled mightily with the rebounding down low. We don’t have the horses to keep up with them, and they do. I was proud of the kids for showing their tenacity, and I told them at halftime that those guys were dialed in. They were making all the right plays, and they were a nice basketball squad to go up against.”

Jumping out quickly turned out to be an understatement for the Jaguars. In the first quarter, they would do just that by controlling every single facet of production on the floor with a 23-9 lead in an eight minute timespan. The lead grew larger in the next eight minutes with another 20-point offensive quarter, holding down the Wolverines with another double digit run to end the half solidly with a 44-20 advantage, creating their buffer zone to remain in the driver’s seat for good.

Genesee Valley’s three-headed monster paid big dividends to help the team conclude a hot second half of the season strong, as Cody Schneider led the offensive efforts with a team-high 23 points. Evan Windus followed behind with 18 points of his own doing, while Brock Ellsessor was not far away himself, netting 17 points.

Despite the loss, Landon Danaher put together another big offensive night for Bolivar-Richburg, leading all scorers on the floor with a game-high 25 points. Riley Danaher stirred in 11 points, while Brayden Ellis had six. The game also marked Senior Night for the Wolverines, with the program honoring their two lone seniors in Riley Danaher and Isaac Scott prior to the game.

“Both of those guys are spark plugs for this team,” Margeson said. “They do most of the talking in the locker room, and when we do need that extra shot of adrenaline, they provide that. Riley works so hard, and he has so much passion. That’s what I want this sophomore-laden group to see. He’s one of the best defenders out there in the County. They love this game so much, and it’s going to be tough not seeing these guys on the floor next season.”

The regular season is now in the books for both squads, as the Jaguars wrap up a hot second half of basketball with a record of 16-4, with wins in six of their last seven games to go with their third straight Allegany County Division I title, two of them coming in an outright fashion, while the Wolverines finish up with a record of 6-14 to head into Sectionals.

Genesee Valley         23 21 18   8 – 70

Bolivar-Richburg 9 11 18 15 – 53

GENESEE VALLEY: Jon Rizzo 0 2-2 2, Trevor Clark 1 0-0 3, Evan Windus 6 4-4 18, Brock Ellsessor 8 1-2 17, Riley Gordon 2 0-0 5, Cody Schneider 9 5-8 23, Cody Platt 1 0-0 2. Totals: 27 12-16 70.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Riley Danaher 4 0-2 11, Landon Danaher 9 5-7 25, Wyatt Karnuth 1 2-2 4, Brayden Ellis 2 0-0 6, Jason Greeson 1 0-0 3, Camdyn MacDonell 2 0-0 4. Totals: 19 7-11 53.

3-point goals: GV 4 (Windus 2, Clark, Gordon), B-R 8 (R. Danaher 3, L. Danaher 2, Ellis 2, Greeson).
Total Fouls: GV 12, B-R 10. Fouled out: R. Danaher (B-R).

Andover 68, Whitesville 50

WHITESVILLE — Spencer Cook was a force inside, while Preston Ordway was knocking down three-points left and right for the Panthers of Andover, as they saw a seven-game slide come to an end on Wednesday over the road in Whitesville behind their guidance on the floor to come away victorious in a 68-50 win over the host Blue Jays.

The Panthers went on to outscore the Blue Jays in all four quarters of play, including a narrow first eight minute period which saw them take a 13-10 lead heading into the second. From there, Andover tallied a pair of 20-point outings on offense in the middle frames to pull away from the hosts in white and blue permanently to end their season on a high note.

Cook scored a game-high 26 points to help set the tone for the Andover offense. Ordway took his talents to the outside of the arc, as he sank five of the team’s seven three-pointers from downtown to account for a 22 point performance. Chris Walker chipped in with eight points, while Grady Terhune had six.

On the flip side, Jessie Pensyl continued his break out season for the Blue Jays with a team-high 16 point effort. CJ Estep followed with 11 points, while Chris Gullett, Brendal Jackson and Colby Gaines all had six points respectively to help the cause.

The regular season is over for both teams, as the wait for Sectional seeding in Class D2 begins. Andover wraps up at 5-15 overall, while Whitesville finishes at 2-17.

Andover          13 20 20 15 – 68

Whitesville      10 13 14 13 – 50


ANDOVER: Grady Terhune 2 1-5 6, Spencer Cook 10 5-10 26, Chris Walker 3 2-6 8, Greg Reilly 1 0-0 2, Preston Ordway 8 1-1 22, Noah Greene 0 2-2 2, Gabe Halsey 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 11-24 68.
WHITESVILLE: Chris Gullett 2 0-0 6, Brendal Jackson 2 0-0 6, Jessie Pensyl 7 2-4 16, CJ Estep 4 1-2 11, Robert Whitesell 1 2-2 4, Colby Gaines 3 0-0 6, Dylan Acor 0 1-2 1. Totals: 19 5-10 50.

3-point goals: Andover 7 (Ordway 5, Terhune, Cook), Whitesville 6 (Gullett 2, Jackson 2, Estep 2).
Total Fouls: Andover 10, Whitesville 18. Fouled out: None.

Destiny Christian 68, Houghton Academy 50

HOUGHTON — The Houghton Academy offense gave Destiny Christian all they could handle in the first half, but there was a changing of the guard come the third quarter, as the visitors pulled out a humongous 32-point frame on offense to double up the host Panthers on the scoreboard, taking a seven-point halftime lead and building on it insurmountably to drive away toward a 68-50 win on Wednesday.

The Panthers hung right with Destiny Christian right from the opening tip, despite being narrowly outscored in each of the two first half quarters. But they would lose their edge when they started the second half, as the visitors compiled a huge 32-16 run in the third quarter to keep the game under their control until the final buzzer.

Gennaro Pico led the Panthers offense with a team-high 21 points, sinking three of the team’s four triples along the way. Lee Murray had the other three-pointer inside his 13 point game. Reggie Tran added eight points.

Houghton Academy will conclude their regular season with a record of 12-5 overall and an Allegany County Division II championship to their name, as they now await Sectional seeding this weekend in Class D2.

Destiny Christian          17 11 32  8 – 68 

Houghton Academy      13   8 16 13 – 50

DESTINY CHRISTIAN: Leda Marrassa 6 0-0 14, Jimmie Clark 12 2-3 27, Traver Chandler 3 0-0 6, Mark Hart 8 1-2 17, Colin Edlin 2 0-0 4. Totals: 31 3-5 68.
HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Lee Murray 5 2-2 13, Loik Makuza 2 0-0 4, Reggie Tran 4 0-0 8, Gennaro Pico 8 2-2 21, Samuel Morah 2 0-0 4. Totals: 21 4-4 50.
3-point goals: Destiny 5 (Clark 3, Marrassa 2), Houghton 4 (Pico 3, Murray).
Total Fouls: Destiny 5, Houghton 8. Fouled out: None.

Scio 64, Arkport/Canaseraga 39

CANASERAGA — Cam Loucks finished his regular season for the Tigers of Scio off with a bang, as he exploded in his best game of the season inside with a season-high 36 points, including a 14-for-22 outing at the charity stripe to get Scio rolling behind a pair of runs in the middle frames to set the bar on the road in their 64-39 road win against the Arkport/Canaseraga Wolves on Wednesday.

After the Tigers were able to formulate a 20-14 lead in the first quarter, they would go on to hold the Wolves to just 14 points in the next two quarters combined, as Loucks, along with the team’s supporting cast behind him, assisted in a pair of runs that would set themselves apart from the hosts for good.

Finishing behind Loucks in scoring was Brendan Graves, who had 15 points to pitch in. Cory Bolzan added six points, while Jake D’Arcy netted five all from the charity stripe. Tristen Woodruff had the last two points to add on an inside basket.

Scio’s regular season comes to an end, as they await Sectional seeding in the Class D2 picture with a 16-4 overall record.

Scio                               20 12 15 17 – 64

Arkport/Canaseraga      14   7   7 11 – 39

SCIO: Jake D'Arcy 0 5-6 5, Cory Bolzan 2 0-0 6, Brendan Graves 5 4-6 15, Cam Loucks 11 14-22 36, Tristen Woodruff 1 0-1 2. Totals: 19 23-35 64.
ARKPORT/CANASERAGA: Riley Shinebarger 1 0-0 3, David McIntosh 2 3-4 8, Ryan Reynolds 4 0-2 10, Justin Cull 0 2-2 2, Michael Gilbert 2 0-0 5, Nate Herman 3 3-4 9, Evan Reynolds 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 8-12 39.

3-point goals: Scio 3 (Bolzan 2, Graves), A/C 5 (R. Reynolds 2, Shinebarger, McIntosh, Gilbert).
Total Fouls: Scio 11, A/C 23. Fouled out: Herman (A/C).

Belfast 44, Friendship 27

BELFAST — The Bulldogs of Belfast assembled a solid start through the first quarter against Friendship on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles made their way into the game to put the pressure on down the stretch, but the hosts would find a way to close out the regular season on a positive note with a near shutout in the fourth quarter to pull away toward a 44-27 win.

Behind Carter Guilford and Devin Harriger’s command on offense, the Bulldogs started out with a 12-4 lead through the first eight minutes of play. But their quick lead of eight points would drop down to five after Friendship provided a narrow half-ending outscoring of the hosts in white and red to trail by five at the break.

After another exchanging of baskets upon exiting the locker room, the Bulldogs had one last card to play in the final eight minutes of their regular season, as they held the Golden Eagles to just a single basket’s worth of points in their game-ending 10-2 run to pull away toward victory to wrap up strongly.

Harriger led all scorers with a game-high 13 points, while Guilford paced the inside game with 12 points. Hunter Enders followed with seven points, including a perfect 5-for-5 outing at the stripe, while Stephen Struckmann and Nick Ellison rounded off the scorebook with six and five points respectively.

Dekota Stewart was at the top of the Friendship leaderboard with a team-high 10 points. Blake Hewitt provided seven points. Micah Hosley and Atlin Moore concluded the Golden Eagles scoring with six and five points each.

Sectional seeding in the Class D2 bracket now awaits each team over the weekend, as the Bulldogs end with a record of 8-12, while Friendship wraps up at 2-16 overall.

Friendship       4 10 11    2 – 27

Belfast 12 7 15 10 – 44

FRIENDSHIP: Atlin Moore 2 0-0 4, Dekota Stewart 4 0-0 10, Blake Hewitt 3 0-0 7, Micah Hosley 3 0-0 6. Totals: 12 0-0 27.
BELFAST: Nick Ellison 2 0-0 5, Devin Harriger 3 6-10 13, Hunter Enders 2 5-5 7, Carter Guilford 5 2-6 12, Stephen Struckmann 3 0-0 6. Totals: 15 11-21 44.

3-point goals: Friendship 3 (Stewart 2, Hewitt), Belfast 2 (Ellison, Harriger).
Total Fouls: Friendship 15, Belfast 4. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Belfast 66, Genesee Valley 43

BELFAST — In game number 20 on the season for the Lady Bulldogs of Belfast, they saved their best output of offense on the floor for last, as they recorded a season-high 66 points with Kaitlin Sadler and Mary Hamer charging up the attack to help end their regular season on the right side of the scoreboard, rolling past visiting Genesee Valley with a 66-43 home win on Wednesday.

The Lady Bulldogs used a first half stretch to their advantage, consisting of an eight-point lead after the opening eight minutes. With Genesee Valley nearly deadlocking with Belfast in the second quarter, it made for another stretch for the hosts in the third quarter that saw their lead climb to double digits.

But then, the ball began to roll even faster when the last eight minute period came about, as Belfast recorded a game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to stave off the Lady Jaguars in a 24-15 run to allow themselves the breathing room they needed to lock up the victory by all means necessary.


Sadler led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 18 points for Belfast, while Hamer followed suit with 10 points of her own. Anna Drozdowski pitched in with nine points of her own, while Emma Sullivan had seven.


The Lady Jaguars were led by Adison Grusendorf, who compiled a 13 team-high points. Hailey Herring added in 10 points, while Emera Aquila and Lizzie Bentley each had five points to record.

The regular season comes to a close for both squads on the hardwood, as they now await Sectional seeding this weekend with Belfast concluding with an overall record of 6-14, while Genesee Valley finishes up at 2-18 overall.

Genesee Valley       7 13  8 15 – 43

Belfast                   15 14 13 24 – 66

GENESEE VALLEY: Adison Grusendorf 4 4-6 13, Emera Aquila 1 3-10 5, Lizzie Bentley 1 3-4 5, Hailey Herring 4 2-6 10, Sierra Burrows 2 0-0 4, Katie Bartlett 1 0-0 3, Isabelle Ordway 0 1-2 1, Kylee Lorow 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 13-28 43.
BELFAST: Kaitlin Sadler 8 2-3 18, Alicia Borden 3 0-0 6, Anna Drozdowski 3 2-4 9, Mary Hamer 4 2-4 10, Junie Shaw 3 0-0 6, Harley Proctor 3 0-0 6, Emma Sullivan 3 1-2 7, Jaiden Enders 2 0-0 4. Totals: 29 7-13 66.

3-point goals: GV 2 (Grusendorf, Bartlett), Belfast 1 (Drozdowski).
Total Fouls: GV 14, Belfast 27. Fouled out: H. Herring (GV), Hamer (BEL), Enders (BEL).

Hinsdale 54, Scio 22

SCIO — After a road loss to the hands of the Fillmore Lady Eagles just 24 hours ago, the Hinsdale Lady Bobcats made sure they finished their regular season on the right foot, as they rolled their way toward victory for the 15th time this season to take a 54-22 decision against the host Lady Tigers of Scio on Wednesday.

Lindsey Veno and Kayla Brooks took control of the Lady Bobcats for the majority of the evening, with Veno leading the way behind a season-high 20 points. Brooks followed behind with 10 points of her own. Helping the cause behind them was Kaitlynn Roberson, who added in nine points. Liz Przybyla had seven points to net.

No stats for Scio, and a box score were made available upon publication.

The regular season is now over for each team, as Hinsdale heads into Sectional play with a record of 15-5, while Scio goes in standing at 1-19 overall. Sectional seeding will begin this weekend.

Chris Brooks
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