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Pavilion beats archrival York to stay alive in postseason

By Howard B. Owens

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Pavilion and York have become quite the area rivalry, especially in girls basketball.

On Monday night in Letchworth, it was on full display as fans filled the house and kept the noise level at maximum volume through nearly all 32 minutes of hoops to see which Class C champion will move forward in the postseason.

Last year it was York that prevented Pavilion from winning a second consecutive Section V title (Pavilion, the C2 champs this year now have two trophies from the past three seasons) after Pavilion beat York twice in the regular season.  This year, York prevailed in regular season play but on Monday, when it mattered most, the Gophers were golden, coming out on top 40-28.

They next play East Rochester to see which Class C team will represent Section V against Section VI in the Far West Regional championship game.  The game will be played Wednesday at Rush-Henrietta.

Tonight, Lauren Kingsley was dominant scoring 16 points.  Kylie Conway scored 10 points and Karlee Zinievich scored even.

Pavilion holds lead in fourth to reclaim Class C2 sectional title

By Steve Ognibene

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The Lady Gophers reclaimed the sectional title from two years ago with a 46-42 victory over Gananda yesterday afternoon at Rush Henrietta High School. 

Shea Amberger lead the way with 17 points and Laura Kingsley came up big in the fourth scoring at some key moments when the Gophers needed it most.

“Being down by seven in the first quarter was not the opening game plan, we were happy to be going in to the half up two”, said head coach Ben Schwenebraten. Our defensive effort in the second quarter was very good, which allowed us to regain the lead."

At the half Pavilion had a two-point lead 21-19.

Karlee Zinkievich scored two three-pointers on the night of which one in the third help give Pavilion a narrow lead going into the fourth.

“Each timeout in the fourth, we reemphasized their defensive effort and to play with confidence on offense. It was important to take care of the ball against the press so that we could get a good look at the basket.”

The Panthers Kaylee Marah scored eight in the fourth and 15 points in the game but was not enough to come close at the end.  Also, scoring was Nadia Martznick with 14 points.

This is the Gophers' second title in the last three seasons.

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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Alexander's sectional dreams broken by #1 seed, East Rochester

By Philip Casper

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The Alexander Lady Trojans season ended with a tough 61-37 loss against the #1 seeded East Rochester Bombers in the Section V Class C1 finals, finishing with a 14-10 record.  

Alexander’s standouts include Natalie Whitmore sinking 8 out of 10 free throws, leading the team with 16 points, and Alyssa Kramer following up scoring 8 points.  

East Rochester’s Broker scored 34 points alone and was a thorn in the side of Alexander’s defense the entire game.  

Alyssa Kramer Kramer and Whitmore were honored after the game, being selected to the C1 all-tournament team.

Top photo: Melanie Pohl breaking through the Bomber’s defense

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Natalie Whitmore​ reaching for a rebound 

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Alyssa Kramer after a breakaway, completing a lay-up

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Natalie Whitmore

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Riley Powell putting defensive pressure on East Rochester

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The Town of Alexander came to show their support for their team and Coach Hirsch

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Natalie Whitmore and Alyssa Kramer, Section V, Class C1 All-Stars

Fighting Irish give Mike Rapone a pair of bookend Section V titles

By Howard B. Owens
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Mike Rapone is going out as he came in, the coach of a team that won a Section V title.

He coached the 1981 champions and today, in the final Section V championship game of his career, the Fighting Irish seized the block again, this time keeping it away from cross-county rivals Elba with a 59-46 win.

The title is the 10th sectional title of Rapone's legendary career, a Section V record. It is win number 728 for Rapone, also a Section V record.

Leading the way for the champions was Colin McCulley, who scored 19 points. Jordan Welker scored 13, Ryan Fitzpatrick scored eight, Jimmy Fanara, seven, and Cody Henry, five.

For Elba, CJ Gottler scored 15 points, Zack Marsceill, 12, Scott Connor, six, and Jake Walczak and Mike Long, five each.

 

The Hornets overpower Lyons for 55-29 sectional win in Class C2

By Howard B. Owens

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The Oakfield-Alabama Hornets had little trouble with Lyons at Victor Hight School on Friday on their way to a Section V Class C2 championship.

Final score: O-A 55, Lyons 29.

Kam Cusmano scored 18 points for the Hornets, with Gaige Armbrewster scoring 13 and Kaden Cusmano scoring 10.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

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Six teams chase Section V titles; tickets for boys games must be bought in advance online

By Howard B. Owens

There are six Genesee County basketball teams competing for a coveted Section V trophy in five boys and girls basketball games this Friday and Saturday.

Here is the schedule:

Friday:

  • Notre Dame (#2) vs. Filmore (#1), 8 p.m., at Letchworth, Girls Class D1
  • Oakfield-Alabama (#2) vs. Lyons (#1), 7 p.m., at Victor, Boys Class C2

Saturday:

  • Alexander (#7) vs. East Rochester (#1), 3 p.m., at Rush Henrietta, Girls Class C1
  • Pavilion (#1) vs. Gananda (#6), 1 pm., at Rush-Henrietta, Girls Class C2
  • Notre Dame (#1) vs. Elba (#2), 11 a.m., at Letchworth, Boys Class D2

Section V officials are expected sellouts at the boys games and tickets for the boys games must be bought in advance online.

Announcement from Section V:

 “Based on input from our membership, Section V will be utilizing digital ticketing exclusively for our boys’ basketball FINALS and the games played to determine who will represent Section V at regionals in Section VI.  Our championship games will be held at high school facilities which have limited seating capacity. There will be NO on-site tickets to purchase, and all digital tickets will be pre-sale only.  Section V will ensure that each program involved in the championship games have first priority for pre-sale tickets. About 24 hours prior to any championship game, any unsold tickets will be made available to the general public to purchase digital tickets. We look forward to providing our student athletes the opportunity to play for a championship in the presence of all their friends, families, and communities. All championship games will be live streamed and available to all for viewing at no cost.”

To purchase tickets, follow this link: https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAV

Pavilion snags comeback win in girls C2 semifinal

By Howard B. Owens

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Pavilion's girls basketball team will get a third straight shot at a Section V title on Saturday after a come-from-behind win against Kendall on Wednesday.

Kendall made it tough on the Golden Gophers in the first half of the Class C2 semifinal at Honeoye Falls/Lima. 

Pavilion jumped out to an early 6-0 lead but Kendall's aggressive defense along with Pavilion's cold shooting held the team down to only five points scored over more than a 10-minute span, giving Kendall a 19-9 lead at the half.

But the Gophers came out of the locker room ready to take charge in the second half.

In the end, Pavilion came out on top 44-40.

Karlee Zinkievich scored 21 points for Pavilion. Lauren Kingsley, 14, and four blocked shots. Shea Amberger, three points along with six assists and seven rebounds. Paige Landers, five points and six rebounds.

Elizabeth Snyder led Kendall in scoring with 17 points. She also had 12 rebounds.

Le Roy drops B2 sectional to Myderse

By Howard B. Owens

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The Oatkan Knights season came to a disappointing end on Wednesday with a 52-48 loss to Myderse Academy in the Class B2 sectional semifinal in boys basketball.

Merritt Holly, Jr., scored 22 points for Le Roy, and Fin Shelby scored 15.

Le Roy came into the game as the #2 seed and Myderse is the #3 seed.

Photos by Ed Henry.

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Buzzer-beater lifts Alexander over Addison in C1 semifinal

By Philip Casper

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The Alexander Trojans Girls Varsity Team beat the Addison Knights with a buzzer-beater finish to secure a one-point victory, 51-50, and advance to Saturday’s sectional finals.

The Trojans took the first-half lead 25-21 but began to slip scoring only eight points to the Knights 11 points while still maintaining a 1 point lead.  

Both teams rallied in the fourth quarter with the lead changing 4 times, ultimately ending with a shot with 1.1 seconds left on the clock by Natalie Whitmore, scoring 2 points to bring Alexander the win.  

Alyssa Kramer lead the team with 21 points, four two-pointers, three three-pointers, and four free throws made.  Melanie Pow and Natalie Whitmore scored nine, and seven points respectively.

Next up for Alexander, the #7 seed in the C1 bracket, the #1 seed, East Rochester Bombers at Rush Henrietta High School, Saturday at 3 p.m.

Top photo: Alyssa Kramer (5) with a lay-up

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Coach Hirsch lays out the gameplay for the Trojans

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Melanie Pow (32) reaching for a shot from the corner of the backboard

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Natalie Whitmore (32) drives with her eyes on the basket past an Addison defender

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Alexander fans celebrating an incredible win after making the 60-mile journey to Canandaigua High School

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Post-season run for Blue Devils comes to an end in semifinals

By Howard B. Owens

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The Batavia Blue Devils' post-season surge came to an end Wednesday night with a 55-46 loss to Palmyra-Macedon.

Batavia (9-14) entered sectionals an underdog as the #8 seed in Class B1 but kept their season alive with wins over Livonia (the #9 seed) and #1 seeded Northstar.

On Wednesday, Javin McFollins, Mikey McKenzie, and Tanner Mountain each scored nine points, and Cam McClinic scored eight.

Photos by Erin Staley.

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In cross-county match, O-A beats Pembroke to head to C2 sectional finals

By Howard B. Owens

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Oakfield-Alabama turned on the jets in their Class C2 sectional semifinal, running away from cross-county rival Pembroke for a 61-31 victory.

For the Hornets:

  • Gaige Armbrewster, 18 points, five rebounds, eight assists
  • Kam Cusmano, 12 points, four rebounds, three assists
  • Kaden Cusmano, 11 points 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks
  • Kyle Porter, eight points
  • Jordan Schlagenhauf, seven points

For the Dragons, Tyson Totten scored six points and Cayden Pfalzer scored five.

The Hornets are now 21-1 on the season.

"Getting to this point in the season is something special," said O-A Head Coach Ryan Stehlar. "You have to make the most of your opportunities and I felt we did that tonight against a very good team.  Coach (Matt) Shay is a great coach and prepares his teams so well.  We had to be locked in defensively from the start.  The boys made that their main priority.  I loved the energy they brought and the focus they had on both ends of the floor.  The crowd and support at GCC was fantastic and made for an exciting game.  I can't thank our fans and community enough for their constant support.  We are going to enjoy this game tonight but will need to get back to work tomorrow for the next step."

The next step is against Lyons (21-1) at 7 p.m., Friday, at Victor HS.

Photos by Karly Smith.  For more, click here.

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Notre Dame beat Romulus to set up championship game against Elba

By Howard B. Owens
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Notre Dame forced 34 turnovers, often snatching the ball from opponent's hands mid-dribble and covering the steal into a score, leading to 72-39 win over Romulus in the Class D2 bracket.

The win sets up a dream match-up for local basketball fans with a rivalry match for the D2 boys' championship on Friday against the Elba Lancers.

"Our defense carried us tonight," said Head Coach Mike Rapone. "Offensively we missed a lot of the shots that we normally make and we didn't do well at the free-throw line either but our defense was excellent we carried us all night long got us a lot of easy shots in transition and the kids played hard and they've done it all year. They battled. They weren't having the best shooting night but they worked their way through it and I'm just proud of the approach that we had."

Colin McCulley, who recently returned to the lineup from an ACL injury, led the team with 23 points. Jimmy Fanara scored 16, Cody Henry, 10, and Jordan Welker, seven.

Saturday's championship match with Elba is at 11 a.m. at Letchworth.

 

Notre-Dame Irish Girls edge Genesee Valley by five points 31-26 to play in finals for Class D1

By Steve Ognibene

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In a close matchup two girls' semifinalist teams, #2 Notre-Dame and #3 Genesee Valley made a game of it for a chance to play this week for Class D1 championship.

Notre Dame came away with a five-point victory 31-26. 

After a slow first quarter down by 4 after the opening quarter, the Irish got some buckets from Emma Sisson who finished with a game-high nine points on the night.

Genesee Valley's Mary Hamer dropped eight points in the first half and 14 total on the night.

The two teams were tied at 12 at the half.

Notre-Dame rallied in the third with points by Avelin Tomidy, Judah Macdonald, and Lindsey Weidman to take the lead 23-16 after three-quarters of play.

Maylee Green had six points, Tomidy, MacDonald, and Weidman, five each.

The Irish kept the pace to maintain the lead and ball possession right to the end and win and advance to the finals.

Notre Dame will take on #1 Filmore at 8 p.m., Friday at Letchworth.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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Sectional semifinal schedule for girls and boys basketball

By Howard B. Owens

In girls basketball:

  • Alexander (#7, 13-9) vs. Addison (#6, 14-8), at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Canandaigua HS, C1 bracket
  • Pavilion (#1, 17-2) vs. Kendall (#4, 16-5), at 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, HFL, C2 bracket
  • Notre Dame (#2, 16-5) vs. Genesee Valley (#3, 16-5), at 6 p.m., Monday, at Letchworth, D1 bracket
  • Elba (#3, 15-6) vs. Andover/Whitesville (#2, 17-3), at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Dansville, D2 bracket

In boys basketball:

  • Batavia (#8, 9-13) vs. Palmyra-Macedon (#4, 15-7), at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, at Bloomfield HS, B1 bracket
  • Le Roy (#2, 15-6) vs. Myderse Academy (#3, 13-8), at 7 p.m., Wednesday, at Marcus Whitman HS, B2 bracket
  • Oakfield-Alabama (#2, 20-1) vs. Pembroke (#3, 15-6), at 7 p.m., Monday, at Genesee Community College, C2 bracket
  • Notre Dame (#1, 18-3) vs. Romulus (#4, 12-9), at 7 p.m., Monday, at McQuaid, D2 bracket
  • Elba (#2, 14-7) vs. Jasper-Troupsburg (#6, 10-9), at 7 p.m., Monday, at Warsaw, D2 bracket

 

 

 

 

 

O-A's post season comes to an end in girls basketball with loss to Gananda

By Howard B. Owens

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Oakfield-Alabama, the #3 seed in Class C2, was upset Saturday by #6 seed Gananda, 47-45 ending the Hornets' hopes of a sectional title in 2022.

Caitlin Ryan scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds along with 5 assists. Brooke Reding scored 10 points, Emma Wray, eight, and Kelsey Schlagenhauf had seven rebounds at three assists.

Photos by Karly and Brayden Smith.

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Elba's sectional hopes alive in girls basketball after 61-49 win over Hammondsport

By Howard B. Owens

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The Elba Lancers, seeded #3 in the Section V D2 bracket, will continue their quest for another sectional title after beating Hammondsport on Saturday 61-49.

Dakota Brinkman scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Adrianna Long scored 10 points and Kennedy Augello, nine.  Haile Deville had 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Lancers (15-6)  face #2 seeded Andover/Whitesville (17-3) at 6 p.m., Tuesday in Dansville in a semifinal match.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

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Pavilion drops Warsaw to advance to semifinals in Class C2

By Howard B. Owens

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The Golden Gophers beat Warsaw on Saturday to advance .. 

Pavilion's 46-23 victory was keyed by Lauren Kingsley's16 points and 11 for Karlee Zinkievich. Shea Amberger scorednine.

Pavilion (17-2), the #1 seed in C2, will play #4 Kendall (16-5) at 7:45 p.m., March 2, at a site to be determined in the sectional semifinal.

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Blue Devils upset #1 seed in Class B1 sectionals to advance to semifinals

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia Blue Devils, who entered sectional play as the #8 seed, with a losing record (7-13), upset #1 ranked Northstar Christian in the Class B1 quarterfinal at Northstar.

Batavia won 81-71.

Carter McFollins was on fire, scoring 34 points.  Javin McFollins scored 20 points, hitting six three-pointers, and Sawyer Siverling scored 10.

The Blue Devils, now 9-13, will face #4 seed Palmyra-Macedon (15-7) on March 2 at a time and site to be determined.

Behind hot-shooting Merritt Holly, Le Roy beats Haverling 67-50

By Howard B. Owens

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Merritt Holly, Jr., dominated and Le Roy advanced Section V Class B2 bracket with a 67-50 win over Haverling.

Holly scored 31 points.  Mitchel Hockey scored 17 points.

The Oatkan Knights are ranked #2 in the bracket and are now 15-6.  They take on #3 seed Myderse Academy (13-8) on March 2 at a time and location to be determined.

Photos by Jim Burns.

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Byron-Bergen girls lost steam to scrappy Keshequa in fourth quarter, losing 46-37

By Steve Ognibene

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It was a see-saw game from the start and both #4 Byron-Bergen and #5 Keshequa entered the game with a 15-5 record in a battle for Class C3 in girls sectional game.  

The Bees lead after the first quarter by three and were down three at the half.  After the third quarter, Keshequa led by one and what appeared to be a neck-and-neck battle that could go into overtime did not.

The fourth quarter was all Keshequa, which played a scrappy defense to get the ball and score to secure for themselves for a victory and advance to the semifinals.

  • Keshequa Libby Benner scored 12 points, Julia Wilkins 11, including a pair of three-pointers and three free throws.
  • Byron-Bergen's Ava Wagoner scored 10 points. Dayanara Coballero scored eight.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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