Friday Roundup: Wolverines rebound after 10-day layoff, net season-high 78 points in home triumph over And/Whi; C-R provides home sweep of Houghton Academy

BOLIVAR — 10 days. It has been 10 long days since the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines were last in action, in a game against Wellsville over the road that they certainly hoped to leave in the rearview mirror.

Instead, the team was sidelined due to COVID protocol. And for 10 long days, the Wolverines had awaited their chance to provide a bounce back to get what is brewing to be a tremendous season, back on track.

On Friday, they returned to their home floor and to a packed crowd inside the gym to take on Andover/Whitesville. Just how excited were the Wolverines to get back to the grind?

They used every bit of the opening quarter.

The Wolverines were absolutely relentless all night long against Andover/Whitesville, providing an absolutely stellar first eight minutes of play in their return to action like no other this season, compiling a game-high 27 points to charge up a big run, putting it towards a season best performance in what was a 78-53 home win.

“It was a well-played, well-distributed game,” said Wolverines coach Jeff Margeson. “Those three Seniors really led us right from the get-go. There were a lot of transition points in that first quarter, and Landon (Danaher) had the bulk of them. There was a lot of pressure to set the stage as well, and I was really happy with our intensity there. We’ve had the sour taste in our mouths for the last 10 days after Wellsville, because of COVID. I was a little worried with how we were going to come out, but we really worked our offense in practice. The speed, effort, intensity, it was really nice to get back out there and seeing those Seniors do what they do best.”

Those three Seniors being dynamic duo Landon Danaher and Cam MacDonell, as well as the team’s defensive stalwart in the middle, Wyatt Karnuth.

The three Wolverines (8-2) all recorded at least 10 points to fuel up an offense that got off to as good of a start as they had all season long, making their presence immediately known with a 27-6 run in the first eight minutes that ultimately set the tone for good, capitalizing off of their defensive press and some quick fast-break transitions down the court.

Andover/Whitesville (5-7), despite it, would shake it off and make sure they had a strong first half finish themselves, as they provided their best showing of offense along the way with a 22-13 jaunt to close the gap to 12 at the break.

Within reach, the visitors would attempt to continue stacking the momentum against Bolivar-Richburg. But the Wolverines would not allow it, as they insurmountably extended their lead with another massive 20-point quarter, outscoring Andover/Whitesville by a 24-15 count to officially pull away.

Danaher led all scorers on the floor between both squads by garnering a game-high 29 points to pair with seven assists, six rebounds and five steals — one of his best performances of the season.

In addition, Cam MacDonell recorded 14 points, while Karnuth added in 11 of his own to round off the Senior trio for the Wolverines.

For Andover/Whitesville, CJ Estep provided a team-high 13 points. Luke Erdmann caught fire from outside, nailing three of the team’s four three-pointers to put toward an 11-point effort. Spencer Mattison had eight points.

“Jeff Margeson is probably the biggest class act that I’ve ever coached up against in my 18 years of coaching,” said Andover/Whitesville coach John Dougherty. “He does such an incredibly job with his kids, and he has one heck of a team that plays really well. They came out with that stifling press, and we could not handle it well at all. All the credit goes to them.”

Both teams are back in action Monday night with 6 p.m. contests, with Andover/Whitesville heading back home to take on Arkport/Canaseraga in Andover.

For the Wolverines, it’s a matchup they had circled since their last meeting at the beginning of the year — a visit to Canisteo-Greenwood to take on the Redskins.

“Monday night’s a big one. It’s a game that we’ve circled for a while now. I was watching Cal-Mum and Avon last night, and Cal-Mum is going to be the team to beat,” said Margeson. “They play just like Canisteo does, and looking back on it, we weren’t rebounding well in the last game. They’re going to get their shots and their shooters are really talented. You have to keep them to one shot, and get the rebounds under our control. If we played with the intensity that we played with tonight, we have a great chance.”

Margeson added on the community’s presence during their comeback game against Andover/Whitesville, saying that “Everyone is coming out to watch us play night in, and night out, and that’s a testament to how hard our boys work, and everything they’re putting in. It’s really nice to see the community really start to come together for them. It’s been a long time since something like this happened. These are some exciting times.”

Andover/Whitesville 6 22 15 10 – 53

Bolivar-Richburg 27 13 24 14 – 78

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Cormac Brown 1 1-2 4, Jack Belmont 1 0-0 2, CJ Estep 5 3-5 13, Brody Carlin 1 0-0 2, Justin Waters 1 0-0 2, Luke Erdmann 4 0-0 11, Dylan Acor 3 1-1 7, Tom Brown 1 0-0 2, Spencer Mattison 4 0-2 8, Kohler Niedermaier 0 2-2 2. Totals: 21 7-12 53.
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 4 0-1 9, Landon Danaher 12 1-2 29, Wyatt Karnuth 5 1-2 11, Parker Worth 0 1-2 1, Ian Unfus 3 0-0 9, Jacopo Canepa 1 0-0 3, Reiss Gaines 1 0-0 2, Cam MacDonell 6 2-2 14. Totals: 32 5-9 78.
3-point goals: A/W 4 (Erdmann 3, Brown), B-R 9 (Danaher 4, Unfus 3, Sisson, Canepa).
Total Fouls: A/W 10, B-R 14. Fouled out: Baldwin (B-R).

Fillmore 58, Friendship/Scio 34

FILLMORE — It was a show headlined by a player on each side between Friendship/Scio and Fillmore, Friday night. For a portion of the first half, it was Brenden Loucks that showcased his physicality and toughness to throw the Eagles off-kilter, despite falling into an early hole.

But later on, the hosts had a card of their own to play — Zach Sisson, perhaps Fillmore’s version of the Swiss Army Knife. The Eagle sophomore can do it all, ranging from offense to defense, and even special teams. Sisson would put everything in his wheelhouse on full display to help charge up an effort for the Eagles that became insurmountable in the second half, as they coasted toward a 58-34 win in The Rock.

“We got off to another slow start tonight. Loucks really took it to us early, and we took a while to adapt,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “The good news is, we are playing through it and getting contributions from seven, eight guys every game. Mitch played his usual solid game with great defense, and Carter (Sisson) led us in rebounds in spite of early foul trouble. With teams really focusing on taking Will (Roeske) away inside, Zach has really stepped up. He dictated our offense, and he was a stopper tonight on defense holding their best player to four points. We need to keep improving to be where we want to be at the end of the season, especially with some big games looming over the next couple of weeks.”

Three different scorers — Sisson, Mitch Ward and Luke Colombo, all helped Fillmore (8-3) start up a slow, but rewarding first quarter on both ends of the floor, holding Friendship/Scio to just six points in the frame while capitalizing upon a 16-6 run that would soon grow further before the first half ended.

In the second quarter, Sisson then took complete control of the offense, netting nine of his game-high 18 points within the frame to help branch the team’s lead out to as much as 15 when the buzzer sounded. It would give the team a burst of momentum to carry forward into the second half, where they would leave Friendship/Scio (6-7) at a standstill with a massive 16-4 run to pull away towards victory in the end.

Finishing behind Sisson, who also had five rebounds and three assists, was Ward, who had 12 points of his own, eight of them coming in the first quarter, to pair with five assists. Will Roeske finished with seven points, while Carter Sisson had six to go with eight boards.

Friendship/Scio was led by Loucks, who recorded a team-high 14 points. Ethan Davenport added in seven points, while Lazar Bulajic had four.

The Eagles are back on their home floor Wednesday night with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off slated against Ellicottville, while Friendship/Scio heads back home next Friday night to welcome in Houghton Academy for a 7:30 p.m. contest of their own in Friendship.

Friendship/Scio 6 13 4 11 – 34

Fillmore 16 17 16 9 – 58

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Jacob Golden 0 1-2 1, Brenden Loucks 6 2-6 14, Ethan Davenport 3 0-0 7, Nate Ford 1 0-1 3, Lazar Bulajic 2 0-1 4, Gabin Benhassine 1 0-0 2, Cooper Greenman 1 0-0 2, Connor Otero 0 1-2 1. Totals: 14 4-14 34.
FILLMORE: Carter Sisson 2 2-3 6, Eben Schilke 1 0-0 3, Layton Sanasith 0 1-2 1, Damon Wood 1 0-0 2, Brent Zubikowski 2 0-0 4, Luke Colombo 2 0-0 5, Mitch Ward 6 0-0 12, Zach Sisson 7 1-2 18, Will Roeske 2 3-4 7. Totals: 23 7-12 58.

3-point goals: F/S 2 (Davenport, Ford), Fillmore 5 (Z. Sisson 3, Schilke, Colombo).
Total Fouls: F/S 10, Fillmore 13. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 34, Houghton Academy 24

CUBA — A chance to bring it back after falling to the hands of Fillmore back on Wednesday, came when they returned home Friday night.

In the midst of a doubleheader against Houghton Academy, the Rebels were presented an opportunity to sweep the night’s action after the Lady Rebels squeezed their way toward victory to begin. After a slow back-and-forth battle in the opening eight minutes, the second quarter became the difference maker for the hosts, creating a buffer zone that would find them in the lead for good to take a 34-24 victory.

“I thought we came out a little sluggish, but our pressure created some opportunities,” Rebels coach Bryce Ryan said. “I thought the difference for us was being locked in defensively, and taking away their best options. The boys were very attentive to the game plan. We rebounded really well too, we limited them to one shot and got several on multiple occasions. The boys were battling, even though we weren’t making shots.”

A near-even exchange of points in the first quarter saw Cuba-Rushford (5-5) take the lead over Houghton Academy, momentum was gained in the form of special teams to end the half for the Rebels, as the team would record a 15-for-23 outing at the line.

When it mattered most, the shots came down at the charity stripe in a 13-6 second quarter run, as the Rebels went 7-for-9 to end the half. It would remain as the difference maker for the remainder of the game, as both teams provided two more near-even exchanges to end the game.

Jack Frank went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line during the second quarter to put towards his game-high 15 points. Hunter Scott added in eight points, while Austin Clement and Luke Brooks had seven, and four to pitch in respectively.

Houghton Academy (2-8) was led by Hugo Huang, who drained three of the team’s five three pointers on his way toward nine team-high points. Jack Prentice had the remaining pair of treys, for six points.

Both teams are back on the floor Wednesday night in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, as Cuba-Rushford remains pat at home to welcome in Belfast, while Houghton Academy continues their road swing further down I-86 with a visit to Hinsdale.

Houghton Academy 5 6 7 6 – 24

Cuba-Rushford 6 13 7 8 – 34

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Hugo Huang 3 0-0 9, Chris Habecker 2 1-2 5, Malachi DeGolyer 1 1-4 3, James Adenuga 0 1-2 1, Jack Prentice 2 0-0 6. Totals: 8 3-8 24.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Jack Frank 3 9-11 15, Hunter Scott 3 1-3 8, Austin Clement 2 3-5 7, Luke Brooks 1 2-4 4. Totals: 9 15-23 34.

3-point goals: HA 5 (Huang 3, Prentice 2), C-R 1 (Scott).
Total Fouls: HA 19, C-R 15. Fouled out: DeGolyer (HA), Scott (C-R).

Archbishop Walsh 56, Belfast 36

OLEAN — Right in the beginning, the Bulldogs of Belfast hung alongside with host Archbishop Walsh. They would garner a lead in the first quarter, but it would not last long.

The Eagles and their three-point game would kick into gear, and fast, taking away the lead from their opposition after the first quarter that they would go on and never lose, coming away with two half-ending runs to pull away from Belfast’s grasp to split their season series with a 56-36 victory on Friday.

The combination of Luca Quinn and Russell Maine proved to be lethal from three-point range for Archbishop Walsh, as the two sharpshooters combined to sink all 11 of the team’s shots from downtown, fueling an offense that would extend their first half lead with an 11-5 run of Belfast (9-3) to go into the locker room with a 27-15 lead.

The Bulldogs would attempt to chip away at their deficit in the second half, getting as close as seven to the Eagles’ grasp, but one more run was collected down the homestretch by the hosts, allowing them to keep their lead in tact for good with a 13-5 fourth quarter jaunt.

Despite the loss, Belfast saw Matt Weaver string together his best night on the court, tallying a team-high 19 points. Anthony Logue added in 11 points, while Justin Hill and Matt Cater rounded off with three points each.

The Bulldogs are back on the road Monday night with a 7:30 p.m. visit to Genesee Valley.

Belfast 10 5 16 5 – 36

Archbishop Walsh 16 11 16 13 – 56

BELFAST: Justin Hill 1 0-0 3, Matt Cater 1 1-2 3, Anthony Logue 4 0-0 11, Matt Weaver 7 2-3 19. Totals: 13 3-5 36.
WALSH: Kellen Brady 4 2-2 10, Luca Quinn 7 0-0 20, Russell Maine 7 1-1 20, Kai Przybyla 3 0-0 6. Totals: 21 3-3 56.

3-point goals: Belfast 6 (Logue 3, Weaver 3), Walsh 11 (Quinn 6, Maine 5).

Total Fouls: Belfast 5, Walsh 9. Fouled out: None.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Cuba-Rushford 41, Houghton Academy 30

CUBA — After surviving a back-and-forth tussle through the first eight minutes of the night, the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford sought an opening to pull ahead further after grabbing the first quarter lead.

They would go on to do just that, and a lot more, making use of all eight minutes before the end of the opening half, holding Houghton Academy to just a single basket’s worth of points while they sped ahead, en route toward a 41-30 home win on Friday.

The Lady Rebels (5-8) were neck-and-neck alongside the Lady Panthers through the first quarter, as each team provided a balanced effort on offense. Then, the hosts in white and blue found an opening.

In the second quarter, Cuba-Rushford would go on to turn the tide in their favor, and ultimately for good, cashing in on every opportunity they could to come away with a 14-2 run of Houghton Academy (5-5) to end the first half with a 26-12 lead in hand.

Taylor Searle was a big reason behind it, as she continues to put together a strong season for the Lady Rebels with a game-high 22 points. Gabby Kranock chipped in with six points, while Lillian Forward had four.

The Lady Panthers were paced by a 14-point effort from Jessica Prentice. Maddy Paschalis added in six points. Jessica Adenuga and Anna Huizenga rounded off with five each.

Cuba-Rushford is back on the road Wednesday night with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off slated against Genesee Valley/Belfast, in Belmont. As for Houghton Academy, they head back home to host Bolivar-Richburg at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Houghton Academy 10 2 7 11 – 30

Cuba-Rushford 12 14 4 11 – 41

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jessica Prentice 7 0-0 14, Maddy Paschalis 3 0-0 6, Paulina Haensel 0 0-2 0, Jessica Adenuga 1 3-5 5, Anna Huizenga 2 1-2 5. Totals: 13 4-9 30.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Lillian Forward 1 2-4 4, Cloey Larabee 1 0-0 3, Shae Maples 1 0-0 2, Brynn Lavery 1 1-2 3, Gabby Kranock 3 0-0 6, Aleah Demick 0 1-2 1, Taylor Searle 7 6-8 22. Totals: 14 10-16 41.

3-point goals: C-R 2 (Larabee, Searle).
Total Fouls: HA 13, C-R 6. Fouled out: None.

Andover/Whitesville 52, Hinsdale 14

HINSDALE — Vanessa Hall put together another solid performance for Andover/Whitesville on Friday, as she assisted in beginning a first quarter lead that saw them put the hammer down immediately against host Hinsdale, recording a game-high 28 points within the team’s 52-14 victory over the road to collect their seventh win in nine games.

Andover/Whitesville (9-2) went on to hold the Lady Bobcats to single digits across all four quarters, including the opener where they came out swinging with full force with a 15-6 lead that was never lost.

Finishing behind Hall was Maria Riloba, who recorded nine points. Gabbi Hall chipped in with six points of her own.

Leading Hinsdale (0-9) was Sarah Tuttle, who tallied a team-high eight points.

Both teams are back on the hardwood Tuesday night in a pair of 6 p.m. contests, as Andover/Whitesville returns home to welcome in Alfred-Almond to Andover, while Hinsdale hits the road to visit the undefeated Fillmore Lady Eagles.

Andover/Whitesville 15 14 10 13 – 52

Hinsdale 6 4 2 2 – 14

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Maria Riloba 4 0-0 9, Rachel Jackson 1 0-0 2, Serena Ainsworth 1 0-0 3, Vanessa Hall 11 3-3 28, Gabbi Hall 3 0-0 6, Brynn Scholl 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 3-3 52.

HINSDALE: Hannah Sutton 1 2-4 4, Jaylee Jimerson 1 0-0 2, Sarah Tuttle 4 0-0 8. Totals: 6 2-4 14.

3-point goals: A/W 5 (Hall 3, Riloba, Ainsworth).
Total Fouls: A/W 8, Hinsdale 3. Fouled out: None.

Canisteo-Greenwood 63, Alfred-Almond 10

CANISTEO — After posting one of her best performances in her career earlier this week in Hammondsport, Lillian Mullen followed it up with another phenomenal effort for the Lady Redskins of Canisteo-Greenwood, accumulating a game-high 27 points to power up the team’s 63-10 home victory over Alfred-Almond, Friday night.

Mullen would help Canisteo-Greenwood (12-4) engage in a fast lead through the opening eight minutes, posting a 13-2 lead that saw them maintain their position in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the game, holding Alfred-Almond in check along the way.

Mullen would added in eight steals to further her cause on special teams. On offense, Brooke Byrd chipped in with 12 points to couple alongside with seven rebounds and a trio of blocks. Bailey Mullen chipped in with nine points, while Kennedy Richardson and Triniti Tigner had seven, and four points respectively.

The Lady Redskins will conclude their regular season over the road Thursday night with a 7:15 p.m. tip-off against Arkport/Canaseraga.

Alfred-Almond 2 1 1 6 – 10

Canisteo-Greenwood 13 12 17 21 – 63

ALFRED-ALMOND: Angela Smith 1 0-1 3, Chloe Bracken 1 0-0 2, Ryann Donlon 1 0-0 2, Isabel Badeau 0 3-10 3, Jessica McMahon 0 0-2 0. Totals: 3 3-13 10.

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Bailey Mullen 3 3-4 9, Kennedy Richardson 3 0-0 7, Triniti Tigner 2 0-0 4, Lillian Mullen 12 1-2 27, Peyton Peters 1 0-2 2, Brooke Byrd 6 0-0 12, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 2. Totals: 30 4-6 63.

3-point goals: A-A 1 (Smith), C-G 5 (L. Mullen 2, Peters 2, Richardson).
Total Fouls: A-A 12, C-G 14. Fouled out: None.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Fillmore 3, Scio 1

SCIO — Despite a third-set comeback from host Scio, the Eagles of Fillmore pushed their opposition to the brink heading into the fourth set, where they managed to survive the closest battle of the night, edging past the Tigers to end their regular season road slate in the win column with a four-set, 25-12, 25-13, 17-25, 25-23 decision on Friday.

The effort was propelled by a fantastic night of service from both Haley Hall and Emma Hopkins for the Eagles (3-9), as they combined to record 25 service points, with Hall leading the way with a team-high 15. On offense, Aiden Wagner led the way at the front with three kills.

On the other side for the Tigers (3-7), Corey Field collected 17 service points to go with six aces and four assists. Ben Weimer added in 15 service points of his own to go with four aces, while Max Morris led the offense with five kills. Scio will play host to Bolivar-Richburg, Monday night at 6 p.m.

On the same evening, Fillmore will officially close out their regular season back home with a 6 p.m. battle against Genesee Valley/Belfast.