Tuesday Roundup: Lady Rebels strike fast, use sublime 2nd half defense to keep Wellsville at bay in 1-0 blank; B-R, Fillmore girls each collect 4-0 shutouts

Written By Chris Brooks

WELLSVILLE — With games like the back-and-forth duel against Fillmore, their solid victory over Canisteo-Greenwood, and a close 3-2 defeat to the hands of Andover/Whitesville back on Friday, there’s one thing the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford have done — battled tough across the board.

Up next on their schedule were the Lady Lions of Wellsville. And throughout the contest in the Lion’s Den on Tuesday, Lady Rebels head coach Aaron Wight kept rewinding the tape from within his memory from last year when the two squads last clashed. That ended up resulting in a last-second goal by the Lady Lions to force a 1-1 tie after holding a lead all game.

He had hoped it was something that wouldn’t happen again.

“I kept having flashbacks from last year when we last played Wellsville, and they scored with a second left,” Wight said. “We’re young. One day, we go out and play a team like Fillmore and hang right with them, or we play a great 70 minute game against Andover/Whitesville, and then we struggle a little bit toward the end. We only start two seniors, and I feel like it’s something that we grow with every single day.”

The same scenario from last season’s matchup at Cuba-Rushford began to unravel with the Lady Rebels holding a lead for the majority of the contest. Only this time, it was left alone.

After the visitors in white and blue broke the ice in the early stages of the opening session, it was the defense that began to take control, as the Lady Rebels successfully pinned Wellsville deep in their defensive zone for the remainder of the game. From sending balls deep to providing chances on goal, Cuba-Rushford did what it took to keep the Lady Lions shut down to secure the 1-0 blank.

“That’s something for the first time this season, we’ve really done a great job with all year,” Wight said of his defense. “This win should be a big confidence booster for the girls, and I hope it has a big effect with these next couple of League games coming up on the schedule. Genesee Valley/Belfast and Bolivar are going to be tough, so to get this win here, I hope it becomes a big driver for them.”

Within the first 10 minutes, the Lady Rebels delivered the first strike on a ball delivered up field by Christy Childs. It was soon picked up by Sofia Riquelme, who knocked it home past Makenna Dunbar in the Wellsville cage to account for the contest’s lone goal that kept them buckled in the driver’s seat permanently.

“It was a really nice goal Sofia scored on off a really great pass from Christy in the back,” Wight said. “Sofia was in the right place at the right time to finish it off, and from there on out, it was basically a defensive job. I thought we did well there, and we held them down.”

Although they had the lead, the Lady Rebels (4-3) did manage to collect a bundle of chances along the way, especially in the second half, when perhaps their best to add onto the lead came on a quick sequence that began with a ball squirting through the hands of Dunbar and to the open side of the Lady Lions cage.

The ball was able to be cleared by the hosts in black and orange, but was put right back into the offensive zone by the Lady Rebels, where Taylor Searle was able to gain possession and plaster a shot that rung off the top of the crossbar, sending the ricochet out of play soon after to end the threat.

Searle then provided another chance a few rushes later after receiving another fine pass from the foot of Childs at midfield, breaking free from the Wellsville (2-5) defense on the far sideline, but after attempting to pick up even more momentum on her way in, Dunbar successfully won the challenge out of goal to cover up the chance from the Lady Rebels.

Despite the chances, Cuba-Rushford was able to maintain their defensive discipline from start to finish to secure their one-goal victory in redeeming quality from last season’s meeting on their home turf.

Both the Lady Rebels and Lady Lions were dead even in the shot department, each garnering nine shots. Tara Duvall would pick up the victory behind five stops, while Dunbar secured eight for the Lady Lions.

Thursday night, both teams will hit the road for their next contests, as the Lady Rebels head to Belmont to take on host Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 5 p.m. contest, while the Lady Lions head to the Cohocton Sports Complex to battle Wayland-Cohocton in a 7 p.m. first kick of their own.

Bolivar-Richburg 4, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

BOLIVAR — If there was one word to describe Bolivar-Richburg’s performance Tuesday night ever so perfectly, the word of choice would be “efficient”.

Just how efficient? Despite being heavily outshot by visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast at Dunsmore-Latimer Field, the host Lady Wolverines remained vigilant by upping the ante, scoring four goals. — On five shots.

Three of those goals were scored in the first half, two of which came from the foot of Madigan Harris, who helped set the tone for the Lady Wolverines by taking a big lead at the break and never letting go of it to jump back into the win column once more with a 4-0 shutout.

Harris would score her first two goals consecutively for Bolivar-Richburg (4-2) after battling with Genesee Valley/Belfast across midfield for over half of the opening period, as she managed to break the ice on a long dribble in on goal to ultimately score her first of the game.

Five minutes later, she connected with her second tally and third of the season off a pass from behind by Malayna Ayers to branch the team’s lead to a pair. The Lady Wolverines continued to mount the pressure on Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-3) offensively, as Braelin Bentley recorded her first of the season just 90 seconds after Harris’ second, as McKinlee Harris provided the feed that saw her connect with the final goal of the half.

McKinlee Harris would add a goal of her own down the homestretch, scoring Bolivar-Richburg’s final tally right before crossing the finish line with 6:50 to go on a feed across from Teegan Sibble, beating out Genesee Valley/Belfast keeper Ashley Burrows and her challenge for the ball to put away the fourth and final goal of the night.

Genesee Valley/Belfast, despite the loss, remained productive on offense by outshooting the Lady Wolverines by a 12-5 count, with Burrows making only one save. On the other side, Ayers and Madison Carney combined to make 10 saves to record the shutout.

Both teams back on their home fields with a pair of 5 p.m. contests Thursday night, with the Lady Wolverines continuing their homestand when they welcome in unbeaten Fillmore, while Genesee Valley/Belfast heads to the Jungle in Belmont to host Cuba-Rushford.

Fillmore 4, Andover/Whitesville 0

WHITESVILLE — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore were engulfed with flames across the first 40 minutes of play, as they scored all four goals within that span to complete a 14-shot outpouring on offense to set the tone on their road trip to Whitesville, returning home with seven straight wins under their belt after a 4-0 shutout over host Andover/Whitesville on Tuesday.

“I thought tonight we came out and put together a first half as well as we have had all year long,” Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley said. “When we can move the ball and create depth around the field, it makes the game easier on our end. I thought Andover/Whitesville outside back, the (Olivia) Hanks girl, did a great job in the second half on our right side to keep us on our feet.”

Of the four goals, Hope Russell had two of them beginning after she assisted Grace Russell with the game’s icebreaker near the midway point of the session, dishing off the pass to give the Lady Eagles (7-0) the lead. Hope Russell then found the back of the net herself later on off a pass from Sophia Templeton with nearly 16 minutes left on the clock to create cushioning on their advantage.

Towards the end of the half, the scoring was finished off by both Templeton and Hope Russell, as the pair of Lady Eagles scored the team’s third and fourth goals in a span of 1:33 to close out the first half on the strongest of notes, using their defense in the second half to keep Andover/Whitesville (4-4) at bay. Grace Russell and Lizzy Nugent recorded assists on the final goals, respectively.

Fillmore outshot Andover/Whitesville by a 14-5 count with Preslee Miller and Alex Thur combining to make four stops to preserve the shutout for the visitors in white and green. On the other side, Brynn Scholl stopped 10 shots for the hosts in blue and white, who now head over the hill to Andover to host Alfred-Almond in a 4:30 p.m. first kick on Saturday.

The Lady Eagles will now go for seven straight wins when they return to action Thursday night back on the road, as they visit Dunsmore-Latimer Field for a 5 p.m. battle with the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Wellsville 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

WELLSVILLE — A display of dominance was put up by the Lady Lions of Wellsville right from the beginning, coasting toward victory to begin the night in the first set, which would ultimately set up shop for what came to be a straight-set victory back on their home floor, as they rolled past visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast with a 25-8, 25-16, 25-17 triumph on Tuesday.

Leading the offense, Brooklyn Stisser posted a team-high seven kills to go with three aces for the Lady Lions (3-0). From the service line, Jaelyn Knapp scored five aces, while Kaylee Coleman led the defensive front behind eight digs to go with her three aces. Setter Maddy Parks dished out eight assists to go along with her five additional aces.

On the other side of the net, Genesee Valley/Belfast (2-3) was led by Kaitlin Sadler on offense, who recorded six kills to go with four digs, three blocks and one ace. Madison McKenzie chipped in with a solid defensive effort, providing seven digs along with a pair of kills. Setter Addy Herring passed out six helpers to go with two kills and one more ace.

Both teams are back in action Thursday night, as Wellsville travels to Fillmore and a visit with the Lady Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. first serve, while Genesee Valley/Belfast heads back home to the Jungle to host Houghton Academy in a 6 p.m. contest of their own.

SWIMMING

Lady Lions swim past Dansville to remain undefeated

DANSVILLE — The Lady Sea Lions of Wellsville continue to be at the top of their game in the water. On Tuesday, they returned to the water for the first time in a week, and picked up right where they left off from their last road trip to Livonia, as they visited Dansville and returned home with four straight wins behind a 60-27 victory over the Lady Mustangs.

“We got a good road win tonight in Dansville,” said Lady Sea Lions coach Steve Hand. “They’re going through a rebuilding stage and they have a smaller team but with some good swimmers. I knew we’d be able to get a few good races, and we got some faster times because of it. Hayden (Waldon) had a couple nice swims, Tiernee (Brandes) had a great 500, Kaylee (Oswald) is having a good year on the board and is an excellent swimmer overall. With four dual meets down, we have five to go until we really start to see all the girls and their hard work pay off.”

The Lady Sea Lions (4-0) had another stellar showing in the water behind seven first place finishes, five of them coming from five different swimmers individually to go with two relay victories. The 200 medley relay team of Tiernee Brandes, Kaelyn Crawford, Isabelle Hart and Ellie LaBenne began the meet on a high note with the first victory for the team, scoring a 2:15.94 medaling time.

Waldon, Hart and Brandes would all add an individual victory along the way, with Waldon recording hers in the very next event, winning in the 200 freestyle (2:11.45). Before the first half of the meet closed up, Hart had her first place finish to add in within the 50 freestyle event (29.62). Later on, Brandes followed with the team’s final individual win inside the 500 freestyle (6:00.05).

The Lady Sea Lions would also gather one last relay victory to close out shop on their fourth straight win, as the team of Crawford, Hart, LaBenne and Morgan Mattison claimed victory in the 200 freestyle relay (2:01.48). Kaylee Oswald and Grace Kinnicutt had the team’s remaining individual triumphs, scoring wins in the 200 individual relay (2:54.22), and 100 freestyle (1:02.44) respectively.

Wellsville will continue their road swing on Thursday, as they take aim on a fifth straight win by battling the Hornell Lady Red Raiders in a 5 p.m. contest.

Team Score: Wellsville 60, Dansville 27.

Results

200 Medley – 1. Wellsville (Brandes, Crawford, Hart, LaBenne) 2:15.94, 2. Wellsville, 3. Dansville.

200 Free – 1. Hayden Waldon (WLSV) 2:11.45, 2. Ella Frazer (DAN), 3. Grace Kinnicutt (WLSV).

200 IMR – 1. Kaylee Oswald (WLSV) 2:54.22, 2. Jasmine Outman (WLSV).

50 Free – 1. Isabelle Hart (WLSV) 29.62, 2. Kaelyn Crawford (WLSV), 3. Paige Curtis (DAN).

100 Fly – 1. Kaitlyn Lee (DAN) 1:14.16, 2. Morgan Mattison (WLSV), 3. Kaelyn Crawford (WLSV).

100 Free – 1. Grace Kinnicutt (WLSV) 1:02.44, 2. Reegan Perkins (WLSV), 3. Cynthia Forrester (DAN).

500 Free – 1. Tiernee Brandes (WLSV) 6:00.05, 2. Ella Frazer (DAN), 3. Kennedy Ewing (WLSV).

200 Relay – 1. Wellsville (Crawford, Mattison, Hart, LaBenne) 2:01.48, 2. Wellsville.

100 Breaststroke – 1. Kaitlyn Lee (DAN) 1:29.48, 2. Abi Kendall (DAN).

400 Free – 1. Dansville (Forrester, Frazer, Kendall, Lee) 4:43.28.

Chris Brooks
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