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Genesee drops a pair in regular season finale

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men’s basketball team dropped their regular season finale on Saturday afternoon, 87-69 to Erie Community College.

The Cougars found themselves behind early after Erie started the afternoon on a 21-8 run and had a 31-14 lead 15-minutes in. Donte Meredith closed the gap after a three-point basket and a traditional three-point play later in the half to get GCC to within 13 at 33-20 with four minutes left in the opening period. The Cougars trailed 39-24 at the break.

(#11 Vaughn Boler scores two of his team-high 19 points against Erie CC on Saturday afternoon)

 

The Kats upped their lead to 17 early in the second half before the Cougars clawed back. With 14 minutes remaining in the game, E.J. Blackwell got Genesee to within ten with a layup, and then Vaughn Boler converted a free throw after a basket to trim the Erie lead to 49-42.

Seven points was as close as GCC would get, as the Kats ended the afternoon on a 30-19 run.

Boler scored a team-high 19 points and Maurice Bailey added 18 points. Terryl Coombs grabbed 11 rebounds and Blackwell dished out nine assists.

The Cougars end the regular season with a 15-15 overall record and a 6-8 record in conference play. They will move on to the Region III tournament next week, which begins on Tuesday night.

 

 

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team ended their regular season with a loss to Erie Community College on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Lady Kats 75-43.

Paige Hennings gave Genesee an early 4-2 lead with her first of two 3pt baskets of the half, but Erie responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead for good. The Lady Cougars went through a seven-minute scoring drought at the midway point of the opening period and trailed 38-16 at the break.

Erie’s lead ballooned to as many as 32 points in the second half after a 16-7 start to the final twenty-minutes and stayed there for the end result.

Dashawna Jenifer led the way for GCC with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Hennings ended the afternoon with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Genesee end the regular season with a 1-23 overall record. They will head to the Region III playoffs next week.

Bath defeats Le Roy in hard-fought Section V playoff game

By Howard B. Owens

With a key player injured in the first minute of the game, Le Roy's girls battled Bath-Haverling hard, letting the game slip away for only a portion of the third and fourth quarter, but still came up short in their Section V playoff match, 47-42.

Montana Vescovi, who led the team this season in points, rebounds and steals, suffered an ankle injury early on, but captains Kari Piazza and Alicia Conte picked up the slack and kept the Oatkan Knights in the game.

“She’s a definately a key player, but we were right there," Head Coach Brian Herdlein "There’s no excuses. They played well. We played as hard as we could. It was a good game."

Le Roy and Bath switched back and fourth on the lead until the midway through the third quarter, when Bath built as much as a 12-point lead at one point.

Herdlein said his girls were able to take advantage of their mismatches with Bath when Bath ran a one-on-one defense, but when Bath switched to a 3-2, Le Roy had a hard time making the adjustment.

"Our girls were taking shots they weren't comfortable with," Herdlein said.

With about three minutes left, Le Roy started going inside again, tighented up their defense and pulled within two points with a minute to play.

Bath was largely able to control the ball, however, in the final minute and run down the clock, adding points on foul shots.

"They (Bath) rebonded well and played good defense," Herdlein said. "That's the minor difference in the game right there."

Photos: Top, Piazza scores on a lay up in the third quarter; Brooke Bower scrambles for the ball in the 4th quarter; Piazza reacts to getting elbowed in her eye during a rebound attempt in the final seconds of the game.

To purchase prints, click here or the link in the upper right of the slide show below.

In other basketball action:

  • Elba defeated Hammondsport 79 to 30 and Notre Dame downed Prattsburgh 68-54. The two rivals will meet in a Section V semi-final in Dansville on Tuesday.
  • Batavia top Livonia, 48-41.
  • Bergen plays  Mynderse at 4 p.m. in Canandaigua.
  • Notre Dame boys beat Williamson 86-63.
  • Alexander lost to York, 63-51.
  • Oakfield-Alabama lost to Clyde-Savannah, 85-32.
  • Batavia takes on Waterloo at 3 p.m.
  • Hornell and Le Roy meet at 7 p.m.

Cougars earn comeback win; Women fall at Alfred State

By Andrew Crofts

Maurice Bailey scored a team-high 17 points and Stanley Peacock delivered seven points and nine rebounds in the second half to help the Genesee Community College men’s basketball team overcome an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Alfred State College on the road on Thursday night, 75-73.

Genesee grabbed an early 7-1 lead in the first half but saw it quickly slip away as the home team responded. The Pioneers cashed in nine first half 3pt baskets and had as much as an 18 point lead during the first twenty-minutes. GCC was able to cut the Alfred State lead down to 11 at the half, and trailed 41-30 at the intermission.



(Terryl Coombs (blue) jumps for the opening tip-off on Thursday night at Alfred State)

 

The Cougars stepped up defensively to begin the second half and got back to within three after a 10-2 run to start the final period. Donte Meredith helped spark the run, scoring six of the first eight GCC points. Alfred State would increase their lead to as many as nine with 11:30 to play, but Genesee kept battling and fought back behind Bailey and Peacock. Peacock converted on two three-point plays and a 3pt basket from both Bailey and E.J. Blackwell got the Cougars to within one at 58-57. Bailey then gave GCC their first lead since the early going with a layup after the Cougars came up with a defensive stop. After a Pioneer 3pt basket, Bailey answered with a three of his own to put Genesee in front, 62-61.

Trailing 66-64 with under seven-minutes to play, Bailey again came up big for GCC with his fourth 3pt basket of the night to regain the lead for Genesee. The Pioneers continued to answer, and took a 71-69 lead with five-minutes left. After tying the game at 71 with a layup, Joe Gray gave Genesee their largest second half lead with a 3pt basket of his own to put the Cougars in front 74-71. Alfred state scored the final field goal of the game with 2:20 remaining to get to within one at 74-73, and both teams produced defensive stops throughout the final minutes to keep the game close.

Still trailing 74-73, Alfred State had possession of the ball with less than ten-seconds to play. The Pioneers were unable to score, but did draw a foul and went to the free throw line for two shots. They were unsuccessful on both attempts and Terryl Coombs boarded the final miss with under a second to play. He was fouled and made one-of-two free throws, and the Cougars escaped with the two-point win.

Peacock finished with a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Blackwell added 15 points and seven assists, Vaughn Boler chipped in 12 points and Meredith and Gray each finished with nine points.

The Cougars improve to 6-7 in conference play and are now 15-14 overall. They will end the regular season on Saturday afternoon when they host Erie Community College for a 3pm start.



The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team was unable to get past Alfred State College on Thursday night, falling on the road to the Lady Pioneers, 73-44.

Dashawna Jenifer again delivered a double-double for Genesee, posting 13 points and 11 rebounds. Dominique Davis scored a team-high 14 points on the night, which included four 3pt baskets.

Alfred State led the entire night and out-rebounded Genesee, 72-48. Genesee shot just 21% on the night and committed 16 turnovers.

The Lady Cougars fall to 0-11 in Western New York Athletic Conference play and are 1-22 on the year. They will conclude the regular season at home on Saturday afternoon when they host Erie Community College for a 1pm tip.

(Becky James (yellow) drives by an Alfred State defender)

Genesee loses a pair to Niagara

By Andrew Crofts

Two straight conference wins have the Genesee Community College men’s basketball team in the hunt to host a Region III playoff game when the first round rolls around in a couple of weeks, but the Cougars hit a stumbling block on Thursday night, losing to visiting Niagara County Community College, 73-71.

Niagara grabbed an early first half lead but the Cougars put together a 12-0 run halfway through the opening period to take a 30-19 advantage. The Thunderwolves responded with three straight 3pt baskets and got back to within four later in the half. Genesee took a 36-31 lead into the break.

GCC opened up a double-digit lead early in the second half, but with ten minutes to play, NCCC regained the lead after getting hot from three-point range. Both teams went toe-to-toe during the final few minutes but Niagara took a five point, 73-68 lead with a minute to go. GCC had a chance to capitalize on two missed one-and-one NCCC free throws, but were only able to cash in a 3pt basket from Malik Brown with under a second to play. The Thunderwolves were able to run out the clock and held on for the victory.



(#2 E.J. Blackwell goes to the basket against Niagara defenders on Thursday night)

 

Vaughn Boler led the way for Genesee with 18 points and nine rebounds. E.J. Blackwell finished with 14 points and 13 assists, Donte Meredith added 13 points and Joe Gray chipped in 10 points.

The Cougars fall to 14-14 on the season and 5-7 in conference play. They will travel to Alfred State College next Thursday night for a 7:30pm start.



The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team fell to Niagara County Community College for the second time this season on Thursday night, by a final score of 65-37.

GCC lost at Niagara in January and fell to the visitors on Thursday night to drop their overall season record to 1-21.

Becky James helped an otherwise slow start for the Lady Cougars, scoring nine of GCC‘s 17 first half points.

Trailing by nine after the half, Genesee gave up a 20-3 run to start the final twenty-minutes and could not find a way back into the game.

James scored a game-high 13 points, Dashawna Jenifer added 10 points and 14 rebounds and Nanase Akagami chipped in 10 points.

Genesee is now 0-10 in conference play and will travel to Alfred State next Thursday for a 5:30pm start.

GCC men win, women fall to Mercyhurst North East

By Andrew Crofts

A hot start to Thursday night's game against visiting Mercyhurst North East had the Genesee Community College men's basketball team out to a 26-9 lead early in the first half of a big, late-season Western New York Athletic Conference clash.

Terryl Coombs scored six of Genesee's first nine points during the fast start and the Cougars were on their way to avenging a January 26th loss at Mercyhurst. The Saints responded, however, and went on a 14-0 run of their own to inch back to within three with four minutes to play in the opening period. GCC held a 32-29 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Saints continued to battle and took a 45-44 lead, six minutes in. Both teams exchanged small runs and with six minutes left, the Cougars held a 60-59 advantage. The next five offensive possessions helped GCC to earn their fifth conference victory of the season, as the Cougars scored 15 points in those five possessions, including two Donte Meredith three-point baskets, a traditional three-point play from Vaughn Boler and E.J. Blackwell and a three-point basket from Joe Gray.

Up 74-64 with three minutes left, Genesee did allow Mercyhurst to get back to within three at 74-71 with under a minute to play, but the Cougars went a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line during the final seconds and held on for an 80-73 win.

Boler and Meredith each scored a game high 23 points. Meredith hit five 3pt baskets on the night. Boler also grabbed 14 rebounds. Coombs finished with 11 rebounds and six points, Gray added 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Blackwell chipped in 15 points.

The win improves Genesee to 5-6 in conference play and 14-13 overall on the year. They will host Niagara County Community College on Thursday night for an 8pm start.

 

 

 

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team dropped a Western New York Athletic Conference match up against Mercyhurst North East on Tuesday night, 66-48.

The Lady Cougars began the night on a 6-4 run to grab an early lead just three minutes into the contest. They then went through a nearly eight-minute scoreless drought, where Mercyhurst North East took advantage and went on a 13-0 run to take a 17-6 lead.

Genesee would fight back later in the half and cut into the Lady Saints lead after Becky James scored three straight baskets. Trailing by five, Dominique Davis inched GCC closer with a top of the key three-pointer, and Nanase Akagami tied the game after a defensive stop with a layup, completing a 9-0 run for Genesee and tying the game at 24-24.

Mercyhurst responded and went on a 6-0 run to take a 30-24 lead into halftime.

After the break, Davis hit her second of three, three-point basket on the night to get GCC to within three at 32-29. That was as close as the Lady Cougars would get the rest of the night, as Mercyhurst went on a mid-half run of 22-5 to put the game out of reach.

Davis finished the night with a team high 15 points, James added nine points, Paige Hennings and Sarah Scarborough each chipped in eight points and Dashawna Jenifer grabbed 10 rebounds.

Genesee falls to 1-20 on the year and 0-9 in conference play. They will host Niagara County Community College on Thursday night at 6pm.

Notre Dame beats Lyndonville 80-32; Elba closes regular season with 18-0 record

By Howard B. Owens

Melanie Taylor, #10 in the photo below, scored 30 points to lead Notre Dame over Lyndonville 80-32 on Monday.

Senior Riley Norton, below, was honored as part of Senior Recognition Night. Riley scored 20 points in the game.

Photos and info submitted by Pete Welker.

In other girls basketball news, Elba finished the season with another perfect 18-0 record, beating Kendall 74-16. Elba, reigning state champs, is riding a 43-game winning streak entering Class D1 sectional play, where the team will be the #1 seed.

Cougars down Jamestown-Olean

By Andrew Crofts

After a slow start on Saturday afternoon, the Genesee Community College men's basketball team bounced back from Thursday night's loss to pick up a win over Jamestown Community College-Olean, 87-71.

The Jaguars started the afternoon on an 8-0 run to grab the lead. Genesee responded with a 14-3 run to take the lead, a lead they would hold on to for the rest of the game. The Cougars only committed one turnover in the first twenty-minutes and led 34-28 at the break.

Donte Meredith hit an early second half three-point basket for GCC to increase their lead to nine. The Cougars led by 15 with just over 13 minutes to play, but saw their lead dip to just seven with seven minutes remaining.

After a timeout, Genesee went on a 15-2 run in a three-minute span to take control of the game and earned their fourth Western New York Athletic Conference victory of the season.

(Joe Gray (white) skies for a dunk in the first half of GCC’s win over Jamestown CC-Olean on Saturday afternoon)

 

Vaughn Boler finished the afternoon with a team-high 22 points and also collected eight rebounds. E.J. Blackwell added 19 points and five assists, Denzel Thomas and Terryl Coombs each chipped in ten points and Coombs also added eight points. Maurice Bailey scored eight points and Meredith finished with seven points.

Genesee improves to 13-13 on the season and 4-6 in conference play. They will host Mercyhurst North East on Tuesday night at 8pm.

 

 

 

Photos: Notre Dame beats Wheatland-Chili, 68-20

By Howard B. Owens

Pete Welker submitted these photos from last night's Notre Dame girls basketball game. ND beat Wheatland-Chili 68-20.

Pictured are: #10 Melanie Taylor, #21 Emily McCracken, #12 Taylor DiMartino, #22 Maddie Mancuso, #5 Bailee Welker, #35 Riley Norton.

Lady Lakers top Lady Cougars

By Andrew Crofts

Dashawna Jenifer recorded another double-double effort for the Genesee Community College women's basketball team in a non-conference clash with Finger Lakes Community College on Tuesday night, but the Lady Cougars fell to the visiting Lady Lakers, 76-68.

Jenifer scored 13 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the first half alone for GCC, but the Lady Cougars fell behind early after not scoring for the first six minutes of the game. Finger Lakes jumped out to an 8-0 lead during that time, but Genesee battled back and got to within two after a 6-0 burst.

GCC turned the ball over 21 times in the opening half, but trailed by just seven at the break.

A 5-0 run to start the second half cut the Finger Lakes lead down to two at 39-37, but the Lady Lakers responded and took their lead into double-digits for the majority of the second half.

(Nanase Akagami (white) hits a 3pt basket early in the second half for GCC)

 

Genesee made a late surge and a Dominique Davis three-point basket got the Lady Cougars back to within six at 72-66 with a minute to play, but Finger Lakes converted at the free throw line during the final minute and earned the eight-point win.

Jenifer finished with a team-high 19 points and 16 rebounds. Davis added 14 points and Nanase Akagami chipped in 12 points. Falesha Moultrie grabbed seven rebounds and Paige Hennings dished out three assists.

Genesee falls to 1-18 on the season and will travel to Jamestown Community College for a 5:30pm start on Thursday night.

Cougars escape with win at Jamestown-Olean

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to win at Jamestown Community College-Olean on Saturday afternoon, 94-91.

Vaughn Boler scored eight of GCC's first 16 points to help the Cougars to an early ten-point lead. Jamestown would get hot from the floor and held a 54-46 lead after a high scoring first half.

Genesee closed the gap early in the second half and E.J. Blackwell tied the game at 61 with a three-point basket. Jamestown would regain the lead and led by as many as six with under six minutes to play. The Cougars got key baskets from Boler, Blackwell and Donte Meredith late, and converted at the freethrow line to grab a 94-91 lead with under ten seconds to play. With one last possession, Jamestown was unable to get off a final shot, and GCC left with the win.

Four Cougars reached double-digits in scoring, led by Boler who finished with 23 points. Joe Gray added 18 points, Terryl Coombs chipped in 16 and Blackwell finished with 15.

The Cougars improve to 12-12 on the season and are 3-5 in conference play. Their next contest will be on Thursday night when they travel to Jamestown Community College.

Genesee comes up empty at Monroe

By Andrew Crofts

Three Lady Cougars reached double-figures in scoring at Monroe Community College on Thursday night, but the Genesee Community College women's basketball team fell to the Lady Tribunes, 88-46.

Dashawna Jenifer scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for GCC. Paige Hennings and Nanase Akagami eached scored ten points.

Genesee's only lead came after a first possesion basket by Falesha Moultrie to put GCC in front 2-0. Monroe went on to outscore Genesee 45-15 in the first half and 43-31 in the second. The Lady Cougars committed 25 tournovers on the night.

Genesee falls to 1-17 on the season and 0-7 in Western New York Athletic Conference play. They will host Finger Lakes Community College on Tuesday night at 6pm.



Monroe Community College used a late run to put away Genesee Community College on Thursday night, turning a close game late into an 80-66 win.

The Cougars held the No. 5 Tribunes to 34% shooting in the first half, but trailed 31-30 at the break.

Genesee was within two at 61-59 with just under seven minutes left in the game before Monroe went on a 13-1 run to take control of the game.

Foul troubled plagued GCC, which saw three players foul out in the contest.

Vaughn Boler led the way for Genesee scoring 19 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds. E.J. Blackwell added 14 points and five assists and Donte Meredith chipped in ten points.

Genesee out-rebounded Monroe 47-42 on the night but gave up 33 points on 23 turnovers.

The Cougars fall to 11-12 on the year and are now 2-5 in Western New York Athletic Conference play.

They will travel to Jamestown Community College-Olean on Saturday afternoon for a 1pm start.

Notre Dame hammers Kendall as Rapone earns 600th Win

By Nick Sabato

Notre Dame capitalized on a 14-2 run at the end of the first quarter to pull away from Kendall and earn head coach Mike Rapone his 600th career victory, 87-49.

After Kendall’s Dan Kelly connected on a three-pointer to tie the game at seven with two minutes remaining in the opening frame, the Fighting Irish came alive, scoring eight straight.

Jared Thornton scored the first six on the run, which was capped by an emphatic right-handed dunk by Tim McCulley to end the quarter.

Notre Dame never looked back.

Rapone became only the ninth coach in New York State history to achieve 600 wins, making Notre Dame Section V’s all-time leader in wins during the open-tournament era.

“For me, it’s a culmination of working with a lot of great young players and a lot of longevity,” Rapone said. “I hope that I impacted their lives in a little way as they matured into young men.”

Since becoming the head coach in 1980, Rapone has won 29 Genesee Region League Championships, eight Section V titles, five Far West Regional Championships and two State Championships.

Rapone became the all-time leader in Section V history in 2008, passing longtime Bishop Kearney coach Ed Nietopski with his 546th win, ironically against Kendall.

Despite the numerous accolades and number of wins, Rapone finds that working with his players on a day-to-day basis is just as rewarding as winning games.

“Winning is fun and it certainly makes coaching a lot easier, but just being out here every day with the guys is a good time and we work at it,” Rapone said.

One player who has had a chance to experience several milestones in the coach’s career is senior guard Vin Misiti, who has been a member of the Notre Dame basketball program since fourth grade when he became a team manager before becoming a player.

“It’s special. I’ve been watching him coach and watching Notre Dame teams for as long as I can remember,” Misiti said. “It’s just special to be a member of one of the many milestones for the school.”

Tommy Prospero poured in a game-high 28 points while adding eight rebounds and four steals for Notre Dame (14-0). Thornton also had a strong outing with 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks while McCulley chipped in 19 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.

“We continue to improve every week, which is what we want to do,” Rapone said. “Next week will tell a lot about us as we play Wheatland-Chili and University Prep to see if we are ready to take the next step.”

Kelly had a team-high 17 points for Kendall (7-6), as their five-game winning streak came to an end.

Photos by Howard Owens

To purchase prints of any of these photos or the ones in the slide show below, click here.

A pair of road losses for Genesee at Mercyhurst

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team made a late charge on the road at Mercyhurst North East on Saturday afternoon, but came up short in their fourth conference loss of the season.

Both teams played at an even pace until late in the first half when Mercyhurst turned an 18-18 tie into a 30-24 lead with a pair of three-point baskets and a trio of layups on the offensive end. The Saints took a 43-39 lead into the break.

In the second half, Joe Gray turned a missed shot into a tip-in basket and tied the game at 54 with 14 minutes left in the game. The Saints responded with a 16-6 run and took a ten-point, 70-60 lead with eight minutes remaining. Mercyhurst upped their lead to as many as 14 with five minutes to go, but the Cougars battled back.

Malik Brown hit a jump shot with under three minutes to play to cut the lead down to nine, and after forcing a couple of Mercyhurst turnovers, Donte Meredith got the Cougars to within five with a layup with under a minute to play. GCC then forced another turnover and capitalized with a Voughn Boler layup to make it a three-point game with less than 30 seconds to go. After a pair of made free-throws by the home team, Brown stepped into a top of the key three-pointer and cut the lead down to two with under five seconds remaining. Unable to come away with a steal, GCC was forced to put the Saints at the line where they converted on both free-throws to put the game out of reach. Mercyhurst went on to win, 91-87.

Meredith led the way for Genesee with 19 points, Boler added 15, Gray and E.J. Blackwell each finished with 14 points and Terryl Coombs grabbed ten rebounds.

The loss evens Genesee's overall season record to 11-11 and the Cougars are now 2-4 in conference play. They will return to action on Thursday when they travel to Monroe Community College.



A second half scoring drought proved costly for the Genesee Community College women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as the Lady Cougars fell on the road at Mercyhurst North East, 83-47.

Genesee began the afternoon with a 10-4 run to start the game. Becky James scored four quick points to spark the hot start, but Mercyhurst responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead. GCC hung around in the first half and trailed by five, 37-32 at the half.

Genesee began the second half by going on a ten-minute scoreless drought. During that time, the Lady Saints went on a 23-0 run to take a 60-32 lead and put the game out of reach.

Dashawna Jenifer led the way for Genesee with 15 points. She also collected 16 rebounds. Nanase Akagami added nine points and James finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

Genesee falls to 1-16 on the year and 0-6 in conference play. They will travel to Monroe Community College on Thursday night for their next contest.

Pembroke girls play in pink to raise money for breast cancer research

By Howard B. Owens

It started out as a simple idea and now it has become a big annual event for the Pembroke Lady Dragons.

Last year after the wife of Pembroke Coach Ron Funke was diagnosed with breast cancer, the girls basketball team thought they would show support by playing a game with a pink basketball.

They wound up raising $4,000 for breast cancer research after Disney donated amusement park passes, another company donated pink uniforms and dozens of local businesses donated items for auction.

"It just kind of grew to something that for these girls as a team, it’s their identity," Head Coach Mike Wilson said. "These are community-minded kids. They think about other people."

Last night, for Pembroke's game against Holley, the girls again donned pink uniforms and hundreds of community members showed up for the event.

"When they saw how many teachers and how many community members were affected by this and the difference what they did made for those people, it became something that meant a lot to them to try and keep going," Wilson said. "They feel responsible to those people. They feel responsible for the community.  This is just a way for them to give back in some small way to the community that has gone the extra mile for them."

The goal for last night was to raise $6,000. We haven't heard yet how much was raised. Pembroke won the game 34-13.

Coach Mike Wilson, his daughter and the Buffalo Bisons mascot.

Dannielle Della Penta takes the court prior to the start of the game.

Cora Erb with a lay up.

Holley's Kassy Sutton and Pembroke's Rylee Moser tangle over a loose ball.

Cassie Williams goes for a rebound.

Cougars edge Jamestown, comeback bid falls short for Lady Cougars

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team put their five-game losing streak behind them with a win on Tuesday night and followed it up with another Western New York Athletic Conference win on Thursday night, defeating visiting Jamestown Community College, 74-70.

Vaughn Boler helped Genesee to a first half lead with 15 points in the opening period. The Cougars shot better than 55% from the floor in the opening twenty-minutes and were 9/10 from the free-throw line. Jamestown hung around with four 3-pt baskets in the opening half, however, and GCC led 43-35 at the break.

(Vaughn Boler (white) scores two of his game-high 32 points in win over Jamestown CC)

 

Genesee extended their lead to double-digits in the early part of the second half after Boler converted on one of two free-throws and Terryl Coombs added a layup to give the Cougars a 46-35 advantage. The Jayhawks battled back, however, and took their first lead of the game at 63-62 with under eight minutes to play. After a back-and-forth final few minutes, Genesee took the lead back with under a minute to play after a Boler basket. They led 71-70. Coombs added a late free-throw and Boler iced the game with a last second layup to give Genesee the win.

Boler finished with a game-high 32 points. Coombs added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Denzel Thomas and E.J. Blackwell each added eight points. Blackwell also added eight assists.

The win improves Genesee to 11-10 overall on the season and 2-3 in conference play. They will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Mercyhurst North East for a 3pm start.

 

 

After falling behind by as many as 20 points, the Genesee Community College women’s basketball team came up just short on Thursday night, falling to visiting Jamestown Community College in one of their best efforts of the year.

The Lady Cougars battled in an even start to the first half. With the game tied 25-25, the GCC offense went cold and the Lady Jayhawks made a 15-0 run to end the half and take a 40-25 lead into the break.

Jamestown continued their run to start the second half and jumped out to a 45-25 lead just two minutes in.

After a Genesee timeout, the Lady Cougars put together a ten-minute stretch that saw them eventually cut the JCC lead down to four at 57-53. That was as close as they would get, however, as Jamestown converted late and time ran out on GCC. A late three-pointer from Dominique Davis got GCC to within five at 67-62, but the Lady Jayhawks held on to win, 68-63.

Dashawna Jenifer led the way for GCC with a game-high 22 points and also a game-high 16 rebounds. Davis added 20 points and Nanase Akagami chipped in 14 points. Jackie Janes grabbed 11 rebounds.

Genesee falls to 1-15 on the year and 0-5 in conference play. They will travel to Mercyhurst North East on Saturday for a 1pm start.

Notre Dame's Coach Rapone closing in on 600 career victories

By Howard B. Owens

This was e-mailed to Notre Dame alumni this evening:

Longtime ND Fighting Irish Boys Basketball Coach Mike Rapone ('71) currently stands at 598 total wins as a result of an 81 – 41 victory over the Pembroke Dragons on January 18, 2013.

We travel to Holley on Friday, January 25, 2013 to take on the Hawks. A victory at Holley sets up the possibility of a potential 600th victory at home on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 with the visiting Kendall Eagles. The Varsity game will begin at approximately 7 p.m. This game is sure to be a sellout, so get here early!

Our Varsity Boys Basketball team is also in action – at home -- on Thursday, January 31, 2013 vs. GR rival Elba Lancers.

Coach Rapone currently holds the Section V record for most Varsity Boys Basketball victories, yet he will be the first to reach the 600 plateau win mark in Section V Boys Basketball!

GCC Basketball: men cruise, women fall against Alfred State

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak, which included their first three Western New York Athletic Conference games of the year, by defeating visiting Alfred State College, 76-47 on Tuesday night.

Joe Gray set the tone with a first half double-double, collecting ten rebounds and scoring ten points for Genesee.

The Cougars cashed in five times from three-point range in the opening half and led the entire night.

Vaughn Boler returned from injury to score 15 points on six-of-nine shooting and grab seven rebounds in just over fifteen minutes of work.

The GCC defense stymied the Pioneers to just 24% shooting in the second half and Donte Meredith scored a game-high 18 points,  which included five 3-pt baskets. Genesee ended the night with 12 baskets from long-range.

Gray finished with ten points and 14 rebounds, Malik Brown chipped in 13 points and Terryl Coombs put together another strong effort, scoring nine points and grabbing eight boards.

The win is the tenth (10-10) on the season for GCC and their first in conference (1-3) this year. The Cougars will host Jamestown Community College this Thursday night at 8pm.

 

 

The Genesee Community College women's basketball team will have to keep searching for their first conference win of the season after falling to visiting Alfred State College, 81-35 on Tuesday night.

Genesee battled in a close first half that separated the two teams by just ten points. The Lady Cougars jumped out to an early six-point advantage before Alfred State responded at took back the lead for good halfway through the opening period.

Dashawna Jenifer and Nanase Akagami combined to score 14 of GCC's 20 first half points.

In the second half, Genesee was held to just 15 points on 4-of-30 shooting from the field.

Akagami finished the night with 15 points and Jenifer chipped in nine. Sarah Scarborough and Jackie Janes each grabbed eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Genesee falls to 0-4 in conference play and are now 1-14 on the year. They will return to action on Thursday night when they host Jamestown Community College.

Genesee basketball drops a pair at Niagara

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men's and women's basketball programs are still winless in conference play this season, after falling to Niagara County Community College on the road on Saturday afternoon.

In the women's game, the Lady Cougars overcame an early eight-point hole to take a lead late in the first half. A Dominique Davis three-point basket gave Genesee a 17-15 lead with a little over five minutes remaining in the opening period. The Lady Thunderwolves responded and closed the half on a 7-3 run and took back the lead for good, leading 22-20 at the break.

In the second half, Niagara held Genesee to just eight field goals and outscored the visitors, 35-18, ending the afternoon with a 57-38 win.

Davis converted on two of her six three-point attempts in the game and led GCC in scoring with 12 points. Paige Hennings chipped in ten points and Dashawna Jenifer added six points and seven rebounds.

Genesee falls to 0-3 in conference play and are now 1-13 on the year. They will return home and host Alfred State on Tuesday night at 6pm.

 

In the men's game, Genesee held only one lead throughout the afternoon. E.J. Blackwell hit a first-possession three-pointer for the Cougars, who went up 3-0 just fifteen-seconds into the contest. The Thunderwolves quickly responded and took a 5-3 lead just two minutes later and did not look back.

Niagara out-rebounded Genesee 27-14 in the opening half and took advantage with ten second-chance points. They led 41-28 at halftime.

The Thunderwolves held the Cougars to under 22% shooting from the field in the second half and did not see their lead drop below ten. Their largest advantage came in the closing seconds when they took a 86-58 lead, which proved to be the final.

Despite their scoring troubles, Genesee saw three scorers reach double-figures. Terryl Coombs led the way with 15 points, Donte Meredith added 13 points and Joe Gray chipped in 12 points. Blackwell finished with seven points and also grabbed eight rebounds.

Genesee is now 0-3 in conference play and 9-10 overall on the season. They will host Alfred State on Tuesday night at 8pm.

Second-quarter run lifts Elba past Byron-Bergen

By Nick Sabato

In a meeting of cross-town rivals, Elba took down Byron-Bergen, 55-43.

The visiting Lancers used a 15-1 run, 11-1 to end the first half, to pull away from the Bees in a Genesee Region League matchup.

Elba, missing some players, was forced to insert new pieces into the starting lineup. One of those players was Dan Scott, who had a huge game, finishing with a career-high 25 points in the victory.

“It was a good time for him to step up,” said Elba Head Coach Mark Beehler. “Dan, not having a ton of starts this year, he really came through. I knew he was a good ball player, but he really took charge tonight.”

Byron-Bergen, who was also missing a few key players, found their offense when Ranjit Singh hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to single digits with two minutes to play in the third quarter, but Elba responded quickly to end the quarter with six straight points and would never look back.

“We were getting stops on defense and some steals, but we were getting anxious on offense and not taking our time,” Beehler said. “We just needed to slow down and run some offense, when we did that we started to get back on a roll.”

The matchup between schools 10 miles apart is also intriguing because they have merged in several other sports, including football. In fact, eight members of the football team were also members of the basketball team at each school.

“I think it’s fun for the kids to come here, and see their fellow football players and see familiar faces, but when it gets to the court, it’s game time and it’s cutthroat,” Beehler said. “It’s always good sportsmanship between the two schools and good camaraderie.”

One of those players, Nate Jonathan, helped pace Elba (7-5) with seven points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jesse Pflaumer added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Lancers, who currently own a three-game winning streak. 

Jeff Maskell had a team-high 11 points for Byron-Bergen, who falls to 2-9 on the season.

Monroe sweeps Genesee

By Andrew Crofts

Riding a three-game losing skid, the Genesee Community College men's basketball schedule did not get any easier on Tuesday night. The Monroe Community College Tribunes, the second-ranked team in the NJCAA Division II, came to town sporting a 14-2 record and proved why they are off to such a fast start this season.

MCC began the night on an 8-0 run and built a twenty-five point lead behind John Velez-Rivera's five first half three-pointers. He was a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

The Cougars were within four about ten minutes into the game before a Velez-Rivera layup sparked a 16-4 run to give the Tribunes control. MCC converted on ten first half three-pointers and led 54-29 at the break.

The second half was more of the same as Monroe cashed in five more times from long-range, upping their lead into the 40's for the later part of the game. The Tribunes would cruise to a 106-58 win.

E.J. Blackwell scored 18 points in the losing effort for GCC and Terryl Coombs added 16 points and nine rebounds.

Velez-Rivera finished with 23 points for MCC.

Genesee now drops to 0-2 in the conference and are 9-9 on the season. They will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Niagara County Community College for a 3pm start.

 

 

The Genesee Community College women's basketball team fell to conference rival and Division I opponent Monroe Community College on Tuesday night, 88-27.

Paige Hennings scored eleven points and also grabbed nine rebounds for GCC, but turnovers were once again an issue with the Lady Cougars. Monroe forced 31 turnovers on the night and capitalized with 49 points off of takeaways.

GCC was held to just nine points in the second half.

(#15 Dashawna Jenifer tries to work by an MCC defender)

 

Dashawna Jenifer chipped in nine points for Genesee, who falls to 0-2 in conference play and 1-12 on the season.

The Lady Cougars will return to conference action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Niagara County Community College for a 1pm start.

 

 

 

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