Thursday Basketball: Fri/Scio boys establish strong start and finish to set music in 43-30 winning edge at Houghton; Fillmore girls clinch County title, GV/Belfast boys downed by C.G. Finney

HOUGHTON — The first half saw both Friendship/Scio and Houghton Academy harness the power of the spotlight on the attack, with a fast start by Friendship/Scio being chomped away by a hot start from the Panthers through the second quarter to help go into the locker room on a strong note and with the momentum in hand.

Friendship/Scio continued to hold the advantage in their possession, it all came down to the last 16 minutes of play. After scoring was limited to commence the second half, the action intensified even further when the fourth quarter made its arrival. With the degree of separation between the two squads standing at six points, something had to give way.

That big nudge was ushered in by both Jerimiah Brown down low and a red hot hand from Connor Blouvet outside, as the two Friendship/Scio shooters combined to put up 10 of the team’s 13 fourth quarter points to aid in igniting a victorious sprint to the finish line against Houghton Academy to sweep their season series with a 43-30 road victory on Thursday.

Friendship/Scio (8-11) ran wild out of the gate with a mix of strong defense and balanced offense to keep Houghton Academy on pins and needles to begin, as they posted 10 of the game’s first 12 points, on their way towards a strong 17-5 lead was propelled by the efforts of Jerome Harmon inside and a trio of combined triples from Blouvet and Jerimiah Brown.

Despite falling into an early hole, Houghton Academy (5-14) dug their way back within range of their opposition, holding Friendship/Scio scoreless through the first three minutes while posting seven of the frame’s first nine points. The advantage for the visitors shrunk to as little as four at one point behind the efforts of four different scorers for the Panthers, but ultimately was branched back out to six when the break was reached.

After the scoring in the third quarter saw each team scrounge a handful of points, Friendship/Scio raised the bar one more time in the last eight minutes to close out the night, as they used all the angles on the floor to produce a massive 13-point finish to pull away from the Panthers and score the victory.

Blouvet led all scorers on the hardwood with his game-high 16 points for the visitors in black and gold. Jerimiah Brown finished with 12 points, while Jerome Harmon had five. For the Panthers, Jack Prentice concluded with 12 team-high points. Gavin Martino had 10 points.

Both teams will finish off their regular season on Wednesday, with Houghton Academy welcoming in Hinsdale for a 6 p.m. contest, while Friendship/Scio hits the road for a 7:30 p.m. visit to Andover, as they face host Andover/Whitesville.

Friendship/Scio 17 8 5 13 – 43

Houghton Academy 5 14 5 6 – 30

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jerome Harmon 2 1-6 5, Connor Blouvet 6 0-0 16, Aiden Golden 2 0-0 4, Jerimiah Brown 4 3-6 12, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 2, Deacon Brown 2 0-0 4. Totals: 17 4-12 43.

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: John Nguyen 1 0-0 3, Jack Prentice 3 4-6 12, Gavin Martino 5 0-0 10, Hoang Phung 2 1-2 5. Totals: 11 5-8 30.

3-point goals: F/S 5 (Blouvet 4, J. Brown), HA 3 (Prentice 2, Nguyen).
Total Fouls: F/S 14, HA 11. Fouled out: Wang (HA).

C.G. Finney 65, Genesee Valley/Belfast 56

BELFAST — In the midst of what is a regular season-ending five-game homestand for the Genesee Valley/Belfast boys, the competition has begun to flare up even more. Across a span of three days this week, the team goes toe-to-toe with two Section V stalwarts on their home floor — C.G. Finney and Honeoye, beginning with a visit to the Paul Vienna Memorial Gym in Belfast from the Falcons on Thursday.

Each team took an opportunity at grasping the reins through the first half, with Genesee Valley/Belfast hanging onto an early lead over the Falcons. In the second half however, the temperature began to rise even more. With the visitors in green and yellow speeding right behind them every step of the way, it was only a matter of time before they made their move.

After ending the third quarter on a dominant note, the Falcons slammed down on the gas and zoomed straight past their opposition in the last eight minutes, taking what was a two-point advantage down the stretch and branching it out in insurmountable fashion with a game-ending scoreless run of Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they marched towards victory by a 65-56 count.

Before C.G. Finney put the pedal to the metal late in the second half, they would have to overcome some early adversity shelled out by Genesee Valley/Belfast (9-9), as the hosts in white caught fire behind an early 10-3 run of the Falcons — a jaunt that helped set up shop for what formulated into an 18-8 first quarter lead.

The Falcons reversed the momentum in their favor for much of the second quarter, closing their double digit gap down to a single point at a particular juncture in time by using a 14-5 run of their own right to continue chipping away at Genesee Valley/Belfast, who managed to stay ahead at the halftime recess off a clutch Lannden Tilton basket next to the rim to help clinch a 27-24 advantage.

In the third quarter, both teams used their three-point game to their utmost advantage. Combined between the two teams, five total three-pointers across the frame’s first seven drives were collected, with Genesee Valley/Belfast bucketing three of them — two of them from the hand of Ian McKenzie, who granted the team a 43-34 advantage, their largest of the second half over the Falcons, approaching midway.

But the Falcons tilted the momentum back in their favor to close out the third quarter, as they stole the show behind a 13-2 frame-ending jaunt to claim their first lead of the game. To wrap up the evening on the hardwood, a back-and-forth exchange ensued between the two clubs for much of the stanza, with C.G. Finney continuing their lead.

After Genesee Valley/Belfast pulled to within a pair of points right behind them, the Falcons found one final groove to travel upon down the stretch, as the team in green and yellow scavenged the last seven points in consecutive fashion to pull away for good with less than three minutes remaining.

McKenzie led all scorers for the hosts with a team-high 20 points. Kenton Shultz chipped in with 14 points, while Cal Tallman and Lannden Tilton each had 11 to add into the mix.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will stand pat in Belfast for the weekend, as they now prepare to host Class C3’s current top seed — the Honeoye Bulldogs, in a 1 p.m. afternoon matinee on Saturday.

C.G. Finney 8 16 23 18 — 65

Genesee Valley/Belfast 18 9 18 11 — 56

C.G. FINNEY: Pablo Molleja 2 0-0 6, Olin Pickens 1 0-0 3, Ethan Krog 10 1-3 24, Ethan Snavely 4 1-5 9, Braelen Broome 6 4-4 18, Eli Drake 2 0-0 5. Totals: 25 6-12 65.

GV/BELFAST: Cal Tallman 5 0-0 11, Ian McKenzie 7 2-2 20, Lannden Tilton 4 0-0 11, Kenton Shultz 6 0-2 14. Totals: 22 2-4 56.

3-point goals: Finney 9 (Krog 3, Molleja 2, Broome 2, Pickens, Drake), GVB 10 (McKenzie 4, Tilton 3, Shultz 2, Tallman).
Total Fouls: Finney 4, GVB 9. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 78, Hinsdale 31

HINSDALE — Four different scorers for the Andover/Whitesville boys all eclipsed double figures on the offensive end of the spectrum, all paying contributions towards a mountainous first half start that permitted them in setting the tone against the host Bobcats of Hinsdale on Thursday, rolling towards a 78-31 victory.

“The score was not indicative of our overall effort tonight. Other than a couple guys, we simply did not play well,” Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce said. “What really stuck out to me was that we had too many missed buckets down low and not enough effort on the boards. We will take the win, but we need to learn from our mistakes quickly around the corner from Sectionals. Congratulations to Hinsdale’s seniors, as they were honored tonight for Senior Night. Chris (Blocher) also deserves credit for getting his boys ready to play night in and night out.”

Andover/Whitesville (13-6) received the best of both worlds on each end of the floor to jumpstart a big first half lead that they never relinquished, as they held Hinsdale to under 10 points in each of the first two quarters to capitalize on a 31-12 halftime lead that included a giant 18-8 start to their game in the opening eight minute sequence.

Brody Vance played a big role behind those offensive efforts for the visitors, as he assembled another dynamic performance that consisted of 27 game-high points. Colton Calladine delivered a massive performance of his own along the way, bucketing 23 more points. James Miller-Young had 11 points, while Jon Vallieres had 10.

The Bobcats (2-15) saw Tyler Richards take the lead with his team-high 17 points. Jeff Wright had five points to add. Hinsdale will host Mount Morris on Monday at 7 p.m.

Andover/Whitesville will close out their regular season on Wednesday back home in Andover, as they welcome in Friendship/Scio for a 7:30 p.m. visit.

Andover/Whitesville 18 13 25 23 – 78

Hinsdale 8 4 10 9 – 31

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: James Miller-Young 5 1-1 11, Vinny Joyce 1 0-0 2, Brody Vance 10 5-6 27, Jon Vallieres 4 2-2 10, Colton Calladine 11 1-3 23, Gavin Frungillo 1 2-2 5. Totals: 32 11-14 78.
HINSDALE: Dustyn See 1 0-0 2, Cody Hand 0 0-2 0, Chris Forney 1 0-0 2, Sean Forney 2 0-0 4, Jeff Wright 2 0-0 5, Aiden Baird 0 1-1 1, Tyler Richards 7 0-0 17. Totals: 13 1-3 31.

3-point goals: A/W 3 (Vance 2, Frungillo), Hinsdale 4 (Richards 3, Wright).
Total Fouls: A/W 9, Hinsdale 12. Fouled out: Wright (HIN).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 51, Friendship/Scio 21

FILLMORE — The boys team held up their end of the bargain not too long ago. Now on Thursday, it was the Lady Eagles’ turn to counter with one of their own.

At the top of the County, Fillmore reigns supreme across the hardwood, as the girls basketball program officially put their stamp on a second straight Allegany County Championship — their third in the last four years, in front of their home fans in The Rock, taking down visiting Friendship/Scio in a 51-21 final tally.

“The girls had a good showing tonight, once again getting a lot of different contributors involved. Honestly, winning our league may not have been something that was on our radar prior to the season after graduating our starting five, but we always had the belief that this team could compete and be successful,” Lady Eagles coach Tom Parks said. “The thing about this group is they just come out and compete every night. When the effort and focus is there, you give yourself a chance to be in every ball game. That’s allowed us to work through some growing pains and fortunately, have had some bounces go our way to get to this point.”

The Lady Eagles (17-1) used every bit of the opening eight minutes to set up the offense, as they made a ton of noise in the midst of a 22-7 run of Friendship/Scio to grant an advantage they never proceeded to lose. The offense also saw every single Lady Eagle register at least a point into the scorebook along the way, with a dynamite night from Emalyn Mucher leading the charge with a game-high 21 points.

Right behind was Morghyn Ross and her 10 points. Mylee Miller chipped in seven points of her own, while Mattie McCumiskey had five.

“We definitely don’t take a League title for granted. They’re hard to win and we have a number of quality teams in our League this year. We have two tough matchups left starting the next day against Andover/Whitesville. So we’ll enjoy this one tonight and then try to regroup quickly for tomorrow.” said Parks.

For Friendship/Scio (3-15), Emily Lamberson paved the way forward for the attack with a team-high 10 points. The team will return to action on Tuesday with a regular-season ending road trip to Lima Christian, with tip-off set for a 6 p.m. start.

Fillmore will hit the road for Andover to battle toe-to-toe with Andover/Whitesville tonight, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Friendship/Scio 7 5 2 7 – 21

Fillmore 22 8 14 7 – 51

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Emily Lamberson 4 0-0 10, Kaydence Sadler 1 1-2 3, Huntar Hint 1 0-0 2, Avery Lamberson 1 0-0 2, Alexiss Herring 1 0-0 2, Courtney Button 1 0-0 2. Totals: 9 1-2 21.

FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 3 1-4 7, Lily Sisson 2 0-0 4, Morghyn Ross 3 2-2 10, Emalyn Mucher 9 1-2 21, Mattie McCumiskey 2 1-1 5, Ella Decker 1 0-0 2, Kelsie Songster 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 5-9 51.

3-point goals: F/S 2 (E. Lamberson), Fillmore 4 (Ross 2, Mucher 2).
Total Fouls: F/S 8, Fillmore 6. Fouled out: None.

West Valley 24, Hinsdale 19

HINSDALE — It was a neck-and-neck battle down to the wire, but West Valley made sure a season series-sweep was out of the realm of possibility for host Hinsdale, as they survived the night victorious to split their two-game set with the Lady Bobcats, claiming the 24-19 road edge.

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

Hinsdale (1-16) will return to their home floor on Saturday, hosting the Lima Christian Lady Saints in a 12:30 p.m. tip-off.

Steuben County Tournament

Avoca-Prattsburgh 34, Canisteo-Greenwood 29

CAMPBELL — It was another fight to the finish between Canisteo-Greenwood and Avoca-Prattsburgh, this time in the opening round of the Steuben County Tournament at Campbell-Savona on Thursday.

With the Lady Titans gaining the upper hand right away in the first quarter, the Lady Chargers had to gnaw their way back over the course of the night. They ultimately turned on the afterburners in the late stages of the fourth quarter to try and turn the tide, closing the gap behind their opposition to as little as a single possession.

But in the end, Avoca-Prattsburgh kept their advantage glued together long enough to survive and stave off the Lady Chargers in the final seconds to claim their first victory of the annual regular season-ending tournament, as they squeezed by with a 34-29 victory.

The red hot start for the Lady Titans occupied much of the first quarter, as they pushed through an early back-and-forth tussle with Canisteo-Greenwood (9-10) to score the frame’s last nine points in consecutive fashion with 4:30 left on the clock to claim a 14-4 advantage.

The tide was slightly turned to the favor of the Lady Chargers in the second quarter, as they regained traction and applied pressure of their own with the help of Anna Mitchell, who had eight of the team’s nine points — six of them off a pair of threes, to close the gap down to a single possession entering the break.

After both teams traded a basket to help open the second half, the Lady Titans re-assumed command of their post going all the way down to the end of the frame, as they bucketed nine straight points — eight of them off an inside presence provided by Breanna Jorritsma and Evelyn Travis, to push their advantage into double digit territory entering the last eight minutes with a 27-18 lead.

Canisteo-Greenwood received one final opportunity to claw their way back, as they put the pressure on with less than 30 seconds remaining off a humongous McKenna Ferris shot on the run to cut the deficit to a trio of points. But not long after the shot, the Lady Titans countered with two shots at the stripe from Jorritsma, who went a perfect 4-for-4 in the quarter alone, to push their lead out to five where it would remain until the final buzzer sounded off.

Travis and Jorritsma both led the Lady Titans on the attack, combining for 23 of the team’s 34 total points, with Travis netting 13 and Jorritsma adding 10 of her own. D’Mariannah Hinson-Pike had seven more points to chip in.

Mitchell’s hot hand from outside helped captain the efforts for Canisteo-Greenwood on the attack, as she finished with a team-high 11 points to pair with seven rebounds. Bailey Mullen had 10 points to add into the mix. Paris May had four points.

The Lady Chargers will now face either Addison or Campbell-Savona after the weekend, Tuesday night.

Canisteo-Greenwood 4 9 5 11 – 29

Avoca-Prattsburgh 14 2 11 7 – 34

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 1 0-1 2, Bailey Mullen 4 1-2 10, MacKenna Mullen 0 0-2 0, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 2, Paris May 2 0-2 4, Anna Mitchell 4 0-0 11. Totals: 12 1-7 29.

AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: D'Mariannah Hinson-Pike 3 0-0 7, Meyah Putnam 0 1-2 1, Breanna Jorritsma 3 4-4 10, Evelyn Travis 6 0-2 13, Alydia McIntyre 1 1-1 3. Totals: 13 6-9 34.

3-point goals: C-G 4 (Mitchell 3, B. Mullen), A-P 2 (Hinson-Pike, Travis).
Total Fouls: C-G 13, A-P 11. Fouled out: None.