Wednesday Sectionals: Lions scoop up third County title in four seasons with sweep of Ark/Can; top-seeded Fillmore upset by No. 5 Eugenio Maria

WELLSVILLE — The biggest reward of the season sat at the top of Allegany County’s mountain when the final game of the shortened boys volleyball season took the floor in Wellsville on Wednesday.

The Allegany County Championship was up for grabs for the Lions, who have dominated much of the season having lost only one game all season. Their aim was to find the win column one last time to end their season of the highest of notes against their opposition — Arkport/Canaseraga.

The Wolves gave the top team a run for their money in the first two sets of play, including an extension after tying the Lions at 24 to force extra action in the second set. But in the end, Wellsville found a way to prevail, as they brought out the brooms for the final time in 2021 with a straight-set victory to win their third Allegany County Championship in the last four seasons with a straight-set win over Arkport/Canaseraga (25-19, 26-24, 25-17).

“The team this year made up of five seniors and three juniors, we ended the regular season 7-1,” Lions coach Adam Kellogg said. “Even though I had to take time off due to COVID, and if it wasn’t for the outstanding parents and the great attitude from the players, the season would not have happened. To the seniors, I thank them for a great season, and they all did a fantastic job. To the returners, I hope we can get some more people out for next season and do it again.”

Walker Waldon provided another heavy night on offense, garnering 12 kills to go with his two blocks, one assist and one ace to lead the Lions. Riley Allen added in four kills, three digs and three aces. Mason Parks continued the offensive flow with four more kills, two digs and one ace. On defense, Jake Schrlau provided eight digs along with one kill. Setter Matt Bittel dished out 25 assists to go with his 18 service points and two aces.

The season is over, as Wellsville walks away as County Champions with a record of 9-1.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Class D1 Semifinals

No. 5 Eugenio Maria 60, No. 1 Fillmore 40

FILLMORE — The fifth-seeded Hornets of the Eugenio Maria Charter School made their first ever appearance in Section V tournament play last season, when they gave then-Class D1 Finalist Genesee Valley a run for their money in their first Sectional game, forcing the Jaguars into overtime where they ultimately fell.

Now in year two, they were one step away from reaching the Class D1 Finals. Just top-seeded Fillmore was the remaining obstacle in their way, and for much the first half, the Eagles fell behind to the Hornets. But they were able to come back and turn the pressure up later in the second half.

But in the end, it was not enough to get over the hump, as Eugenio Maria found a way toward victory, as they will mark their first ever Class D1 Finals appearance after shutting off Fillmore in the last eight minutes of play with a huge 17-3 fourth quarter run to pull away toward a 60-40 upset victory over the road inside The Rock on Wednesday.

“I’m really proud of my guys, they battled all night against a much bigger opponent,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “We made a run to get within six in the fourth, but we just couldn’t get over the hump. Our game plan defensively going in to tonight, was to try and make someone other than (Antoine) McFadden dictate play for them. Dylan (Valentine) really did a great job on him defensively. We dared others to step up and make plays, and (Julier) Ruiz and (Jeremiah) Bermudez made some big shots when they needed them. Unfortunately, we gave up too many offensive rebounds and too many easy points off of them. We just never figured out how to finish against their size, and we struggled to get any kind of rhythm.”

The Eagles were able to stay within range of Eugenio Maria for much of the first quarter, with Isaiah Voss and Dylan Valentine combining to make up eight of the team’s 12 first quarter points to trail the Hornets by three. But the five-seeds sought an opportunity to break away toward halftime with a double-digit lead, recording a 15-6 run of the top seeds to go up by a 30-18 count.

Fillmore was able to regroup in the third quarter with their best showing of offense of the night, coming in the form of a 19-point frame to cut their deficit down to six going into the last eight minute period. But the Hornets were able to remain one step ahead of the Eagles, garnering their largest jaunt by a 17-3 count to keep a lead that they never gave up, in tact until the end.

Hayden Rust led all scorers for the Eagles with a team-high nine points. Voss followed up with eight points in all, while Valentine and Will Roeske followed up with seven, and six points respectively.

Top-seeded Fillmore’s shortened 2021 season has come to a close, as they finish as Allegany County Division I co-Champions alongside Bolivar-Richburg, wrapping up with a record of 8-4.

Crouch says that despite the circumstances that COVID-19 has brought, he has enjoyed every moment with his team this season.

“At the end of the day, it’s disappointing to lose, but I’m really thankful that I got to share a season with these guys this year, when even that wasn’t a certainty a couple of months ago,” he said. "“I am so proud of the six seniors that have left their mark on what Fillmore basketball is supposed to be. It wasn’t  the result we wanted, but it’s a season we can be thankful for, proud of, and build on.”

Eugenio Maria 15 15 13 17 – 60

Fillmore 12 6 19 3 – 40

EUGENIO MARIA: Jeremiah Bermundez 5 0-0 11, Darnell Smith 2 0-0 4, Jamuel Guzman 3 0-0 6, Julier Ruiz 8 1-3 18, Antoine McFadden 4 5-6 13, David Thomas 1 0-2 2, Frankley DeJesus 2 2-2 6. Totals: 25 8-13 60.
FILLMORE: Isaiah Voss 3 0-0 8, Hayden Rust 3 3-3 9, Carter Sisson 1 0-0 3, Zach Sisson 1 0-0 3, Dylan Valentine 1 4-6 7, Matt Majoros 0 2-4 2, Mitch Ward 1 0-2 2, Will Roeske 3 0-0 6. Totals:

3-point goals: Eugenio Maria 2 (Bermundez, Ruiz), Fillmore 5 (Voss 2, C. Sisson, Z. Sisson, Valentine).
Total Fouls: Eugenio Maria 14, Fillmore 15. Fouled out: None.

Class D2 Semifinals

No. 6 Notre Dame-Batavia 67, No. 2 Belfast 39

BELFAST — The tone was set right in the first half of play on Wednesday in Belfast. But it was not by the Bulldogs, it was by No. 6 Notre Dame-Batavia, as the Irish saw the tag team of Mark Sanders and Jimmy Fanara make some noise for the team in the first half, setting up shop for what came to be a Finals berth-clinching victory over the second seeds by a 67-39 upset count.

Notre Dame-Batavia acted quick and started fast from the start, as they entrenched Belfast early on in the first half with a pair of 17-9 runs to take a 34-18 lead entering the break. Although the Bulldogs were able to put together their best quarter of the night coming back out in the third quarter, the Irish had their biggest run come in the fourth, when they pulled away toward the win with an 18-9 doubling up in the last eight minutes.

Sanders and Fanara combined to record 42 of Notre Dame-Batavia’s 67 points on offense in the victory.

Tony Logue was the leading scorer for the hosts in white and red, netting three of the team’s seven three-pointers to record a team-high 13 point evening. Matt Weaver provided seven points before being fouled out, while Stephen Struckmann and Max Miller each had five points to add in.

Belfast’s shortened 2021 season has reached its conclusion, as the Bulldogs finish with a record of 12-2 and their second Allegany County Division II title in four years under head coach Joe Hennessy.

Notre Dame-Batavia 17 17 15 18 – 67

Belfast 9 9 12 9 – 39

NOTRE DAME-BATAVIA: Ryan Fitzpatrick 2 3-4 8, Jordan Welker 3 0-0 7, Mark Sanders 9 3-4 24, George Woodruff 0 0-1 0, Jimmy Fanara 7 0-2 18, Jaden Sherwood 1 0-0 3, Colin McCulley 3 0-1 7. Totals: 25 6-12 67.
BELFAST: Jason Drozdowski 1 0-0 3, Max Miller 2 0-0 5, Chris Fuller 1 0-1 2, Tony Logue 4 2-2 13, Devin Harriger 1 0-0 3, Matt Weaver 3 0-1 7, Conner Stork 0 1-2 1, Stephen Struckmann 1 3-4 5. Totals: 13 6-10 39.

3-point goals: ND-B 11 (Fanara 4, Sanders 3, Fitzpatrick, Welker, Sherwood, McCulley), Belfast 7 (Logue 3, Drozdowski, Miller, Harriger, Weaver).
Total Fouls: ND-B 11, Belfast 17. Fouled out: Weaver (BEL).

No. 1 Avoca/Prattsburgh 86, No. 4 Scio 52

AVOCA — The top-seeded Avoca/Prattsburgh Vikings ran wild all over the court, Wednesday night, as they cruised their way into the Class D2 Finals after five different scorers recorded at least 10 points for the top seeds in the tournament, coming away with an 86-52 victory to eliminate visiting No. 4 Scio.

“We were up by one after the first quarter, and then their pressure really started to take over the game,” said Tigers coach Dillon McFall. “We were down by 18 at the half, and they kept building on it. They’re quick, and by far, the quickest team we’ve seen all season long. They’ve got a great squad over there. Even with the loss, Cam (Loucks) had a big night to close out his amazing career, and Avoca/Prattsburgh guarded him like nobody guarded him all season.”

The Tigers were able to get off to that one-point lead after the opening eight minute period, but the tide was turned almost immediately in the second quarter, as Avoca/Prattsburgh accounted for three straight 20-point quarters, including a massive 27-9 run of the four seeds to successfully run the table toward victory.

Despite the loss, Cam Loucks had another enormous night for Scio, finishing with a game-high 39 points, which will also conclude his magnificent high school career seven points shy of 2,100 - ending with 2,093 career points. Loucks would add a season-high 22 rebounds to complete his very last double-double.

McFall said Loucks has been an incredible piece of the puzzle since his move up to the Varsity level four seasons ago.

“He obviously had a monster year, and probably one of the better years that someone has had in our area in quite a long time, statistically,” he said. “His evolution as a player has been fun to watch over the years. If you told me he was going to score 2,000 when he came up in eighth grade, I would have thought you were crazy. But he did, and he's been a part of a lot of wins for this program since I've been here.”

Behind Loucks in the Scio stat sheet was Brendan Loucks, who added in seven points. Ayden Faulkner and Ty Nickerson had four, and two points respectively to round off the scoring.

Scio will wrap up their shortened 2021 season on the hardwood with a record of 9-4.

“We got some great experience for the young core behind Cam and Cory (Bolzan). This game was really helpful, and it would have been easy to let this one down, but we battled for 32 minutes. We were far from a pushover. It's another Semifinal year for us, we won a Sectional game. There's a lot of positives to take from this.” said McFall.

Scio 10 9 16 17 – 52

Avoca/Prattsburgh 9 27 29 21 – 86

SCIO: Brendan Loucks 1 5-6 7, Ayden Faulkner 2 0-0 4, Cam Loucks 14 9-14 39, Ty Nickerson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 14-20 52.
AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH: Kris Johnson 9 3-3 21, Macoy Putnam 5 3-4 13, Sawyer DeYoe 7 0-0 16, Tucker Gerych 1 0-0 2, Caleb Johnson 1 0-0 2, Ethan Covert 4 1-1 11, Pacey Hopkins 3 0-0 6, James Crowder 5 0-0 11, Henry DeYoe 2 0-2 4. Totals: 37 7-10 86.

3-point goals: Scio 2 (C. Loucks), A/P 5 (S. DeYoe 2, Covert 2, Crowder).
Total Fouls: Scio 10, A/P 19. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Class C2 Semifinals

No. 1 Pavilion 53, No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg 28

PAVILION — After squeezing by Clyde-Savannah to open up their Sectional journey, the climb to the top of the hill got harder with their last obstacle to get past for their chance at the Class C2 Finals — the unbeaten and defending Class D1 Champion Pavilion Lady Golden Gophers, who made the move up to the C’s this season.

And right away, the Lady Golden Gophers showed why they were the defending champions. Despite the fourth-seeded Lady Wolverines hanging around in the first eight minutes, the top seeds ran off toward halftime on a huge sprint, shutting down Bolivar-Richburg with a 14-0 second quarter run that ultimately set the tone for the remainder of the game, as Pavilion delivered the knockout blow by a 53-28 final count, Wednesday night.

“Basically they were a solid team. As Dennis Green would say, they are who we thought they were,” Lady Wolverines coach Justin Thomas said. “Without Aliyah (Cole), their inside presence was too tough to handle, but our girls definitely battled. It would have been nice to have that extra post player to help the inside. They didn’t call the dogs off, but we still battled with them. They did enough in the beginning to get that jump out on us. I’m really proud for them not giving up, and fighting until the very end.”

The Lady Wolverines were able to put together their best quarter in the last eight minutes of play, as they outscored Pavilion by a 15-11 count, but the tone set early on was the difference maker for the Lady Golden Gophers to move on to the Class C2 Finals, sending Bolivar-Richburg home packing for the season.

Kelsey Pacer led all Lady Wolverines with a team-high 12 points. Jianna Nix added in seven points of her own, while Kayli Giardini had four.

Bolivar-Richburg’s bounce back season is over, as they come up with a second straight winning season for Thomas, and their first with an outright Allegany County Division I title for the first time since the 2016-17 season, concluding the shortened 2021 season with an 8-3 record.

“My message to the girls was to not let this game with Pavilion get to them, and to not let it take away from an overall great season. They have done quite a few things that haven’t been done in quite a few years. I am so proud of the girls for all they have done this year.” said Thomas.

Bolivar-Richburg 6 0 7 15 – 28

Pavilion 14 14 14 11 – 53

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: McKinlee Harris 0 0-2 0, Madigan Harris 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Pacer 4 4-9 12, Kayli Giardini 2 0-0 4, Jianna Nix 3 0-0 7, Jessica Majot 1 1-2 3. Totals: 11 5-13 28.
PAVILION: Karlee Zinkievich 5 1-1 13, Paige Landers 1 0-0 2, Shea Amberger 4 0-0 8, Emily Kingsley 5 1-1 11, Lauren Kingsley 9 1-2 19. Totals: 24 3-4 53.

3-point goals: B-R 1 (Nix), Pavilion 2 (Zinkievich).
Total Fouls: B-R 7, Pavilion 12. Fouled out: None.