Sports

Press Release:

Corfu, NY -- On Thursday, January 5, the Pembroke High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team took to the court for a, “Shooting for A Cure,” benefit basketball game against Attica High School.  Their goal was to raise money for breast cancer research.  On Friday, January 6 at 3 pm, the Pembroke High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team will appear at Roswell Park Cancer Institute to present hospital officials with the $4000 they  raised at their Shooting For A Cure Event.  The team will be make the presentation wearing their custom designed Shooting For A Cure pink uniforms, created exclusively by Impressive Marks.

The Pembroke Team partnered with a number of area businesses in their successful fund raiser including Impressive Marks, D & D Printing, Next Generation Vending, Pizza Pantry, Great Erie Federal Credit Union and SUBWAY®.  They were also supported by the internationally renowned, Walt Disney Company, who donated Disney Theme Park passes to be raffled at the game.  According to team’s coach, Mike Wilson, the event far surpassed the team’s initial goals.

“We are a small school in a rural district and our team has to consistently work to raise money for most everything we need, including our warm-ups and team sneakers,” Wilson said.  “But this time, the girls wanted to do something different, something they felt was truly helpful for our school and those affiliated with our Pembroke community who have been so widely impacted by breast cancer diagnoses. To their credit they put together an amazingly successful fundraiser in partnership with some very generous businesses and organizations.”

RPCI officially sanctioned “Shooting For A Cure,” and Cindy Eller, Executive Director of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, acknowledged the significance of the grass roots fundraiser.  “It’s wonderful when                young people, such as these Pembroke students, come together to make a difference in the lives of those facing cancer,” said Eller. “And for the girls to go out and enlist the support of businesses for donations to help raise such a significant amount of money, truly speaks to the character of the team, their families, the school and the Pembroke community at large. We are honored by their efforts in the name of critically needed breast cancer research.”

Local companies involved in Shooting For A Cure include Impressive Marks (creating custom designed apparel for Pembroke teams and fans,) D&D Printing, (providing game flyers, posters and programs,) Next Generation Vending (donating food to sell during the game,) Pizza Pantry (donating discounted pizzas for sale during game,) Great Erie Credit Union (donating popcorn for sale during the game) and Subway (donating drinks for sale during the game.)

A new Dodgeball League is forming in Pembroke. This league is for people 18 and over. League play starts Jan. 21 and runs every Saturday night for seven weeks. A dozen teams will be excepted with a maximum of 10 people per team and a minimum of six people.

Registration with payment is due by Jan. 13. Cost is $200 per team. If you do not have a team, we can put you on a team that needs players at a cost of $20. For all information go to www.pembrokedodgeball.com.

The league is a fund raiser for PYA Pembroke Indoor Soccer.

Press Release:

"I'm very happy about our expansion for 2012," said DiSalvo. "I'm really excited to continue our relationship with Sportbike Track Time and offer this great experience to more riders."

"Jason and I have really enjoyed helping so many riders this past year improve their skills," said co-owner Brian Stokes. "It's a great feeling to see our students making progress and learning."

February 18-19  Jennings, FL

March 10-11  Barber Motorsports Park, AL (STT)

March 31-April 1  Talladega, AL

April 28-29  Barber Motorsports Park, AL (STT)

May 12-13  Grattan, MI (STT)

June 4-5  Elkhart Lake, WI (STT)

June 9-10  Grattan, MI (STT)

August 11-12  Gingerman, MI (STT)

August 18-19  Road Atlanta, GA (STT)

October 20-21  Barber Motorsports Park, AL (STT)

November 17-18  Talladega, AL

November 24-25  Barber Motorsports Park, AL (STT)

December 8-9 Jennings, FL  (STT)

Heading to new venues spanning from Michigan to Florida for 2012, Speed Academy is looking forward to expanding its borders and helping more riders improve their skills.

Once again partnering with Sportbike Track Time, Speed Academy will run noted events in conjunction with STT, offering the same great instruction at a reduced price to trackday riders and racers alike. Speed Academy "Standalone" schools are the original program run by co-founders Jason DiSalvo and Brian Stokes, and offer the highest levels of motorcycle instruction available.

For details on the original "Standalone" format schools visit www.disalvospeedacademy.com.  Full details on STT event schools, as well as online signup for 2012 will be coming soon.  If you don't want to wait for the site to be up, email us at jdspeedacademy@gmail.com and we'll get you signed up today!

A close loss to the Community College of Rhode Island, then ranked 8th in the country, in last weekend’s Cougar Holiday Classic tournament had the Genesee Community College men’s basketball team ready to host the #7 team in the country in Lakeland Community College on Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars saw the Lakers for the second time this season and jumped out to an early nine point lead. Genesee maintained the nine point advantage throughout the first half by scoring quickly in transition, avoiding the Lakers press defense. Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) scored 16 first half points for the Cougars who saw their lead vanish when Lakeland made a 10-0 run to close out the opening twenty minutes by causing turnovers with their press. Both teams were tied at 46 at the half.

The second half started much like the first as Genesee took an 8 point lead just three minutes in. Chan-Man helped the Cougars stay on top going four-of-six from three-point range. The Lakeland press once again allowed the Lakers to close the gap by turning turnovers into points and cutting a six point GCC lead down to one with less than two minutes to play. The Cougars hit four out of their last five free-throws to maintain the one point lead and came up with a game-winning defensive stop with five seconds to play to knock of the #7 Lakers, 89-88.

(#4 Tyshawn Ferguson scores in GCC's win over #7 Lakeland CC on Saturday afternoon)

Chan-Man finished with a game high 32 points and also grabbed five rebounds. Deylon Bovell (Brooklyn, NY) had a strong game with 17 points before fouling out late in the second half, and Tyshawn Ferguson (Chicago, IL) added 15 points and 6 boards.

Genesee improves their record to 6-5 overall and even the season series at 1-1 with Lakeland. They will resume play after the winter break on January 6th when the travel to Niagara College in Canada.

Coming off of a win in the final game of last week’s Cougar Holiday Classic tournament, the Genesee Community College women’s basketball team dropped an 83-80 contest in overtime to Lakeland Community College on Saturday.

The Lady Cougars played well defensively to start the afternoon, causing two early shot clock violations and empty possessions for Lakeland Community College. A back and forth first half saw the game’s first significant run halfway through the opening twenty minutes when the Lady Lakers turned a 21-21 contest into a 33-21 lead within a span of three minutes. After a Genesee timeout, the Lady Cougars responded with a 10-0 run of their own to cut the Lakeland lead to two. Lakeland scored 11 of the last 13 points of the first half and took a 44-33 lead into the intermission.

Genesee closed the gap early and stayed within reach for the majority of the second half thanks to consistent play inside from Carrie Blunt (Syracuse, NY) and Janelle Long (Rochester, NY). The Lady Cougars took a one point, 68-67 lead when Blunt finished a lay-up and drew contact for a foul with two minutes left to play in regulation. Lakeland took the lead back and held a two point advantage with ten seconds to play when Kayla Golden (Lackawanna, NY) scored a lay up to even the score at 72 and send the game into overtime.

(#2 Kayla Golen dribbles past a defender in an overtime loss on Saturday afternoon)

Genesee took the lead early on in the extra session but struggled at the free-throw line allowing the Lady Lakers to take the lead and hang on for the win. GCC was led by Golden who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Blunt also recorded a double-double ending the afternoon with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY) and Chyna Lennox (Moseley, VA) each added 11 points. Genesee drops to 4-11 on the season and will resume play after the winter break when they travel to Niagara College (Canada) on January 6th.

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team snapped a nine game losing streak by beating the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) 67-40 in the final game of the Cougar Holiday Classic tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Cougars started strong in the opening half, jumping out to a 19-5 lead, and did not let up. Genesee took a 36-20 lead into the locker room at the half.

GCC stayed strong defensively allowing CCAC only seven points in the first ten minutes of the second half. The Lady Cougars never saw their lead drop below 16 in the second twenty minutes and they cruised to the 27 point victory, their first since November 8th.

(#23 Janelle Long scores two of her 16 points in GCC's win over CCAC)

The Cougars had a strong game from Freshmen Janelle Long (Rochester, NY – Eastridge HS) with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY – Eastridge HS) also finished with 16 points and 2 assists. Armstead and Long were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Cougars are now 4-10 on the season and will take on the Lakeland CC Lakers at 1pm on Saturday December 17th at GCC.

The Genesee Community College Women’s Basketball team dropped their first game in the 2011 Holiday Classic with a 75-49 loss to the Green Knights of the Community College or Rhode Island (CCRI).

CCRI started the game on a 16-4 run and Cougars were unable to overcome the pressure put on by the Knights. CCRI had a lead as big as 20 just mid-way through the opening half of play.  Freshman Jahira Smith (Norwich, Conn) had a huge game for the Knights as she finished with27 points. Fellow Knight Cartrecia Ward (Boynton Beach, FL) came off the bench and chipped in 16 points  .

Leading the way for the Cougars was Carrie Blunt (Syracuse) with eight points and Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY-Eastridge) had six points for the home squad.

With the win, CCRI is 6-2 on the season and will take on the Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves at 11am Sunday while the Cougars (3-10) will take on Community College of Allegheny County –South at 3pm Sunday afternoon at the Anthony T Zambito Gymnasium on the Batavia campus of GCC.

The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Green Knights came into the nightcap of day one of the Cougar Holiday Classic at Genesee Community College Cougars and came out with a 76-70 victory over the host Cougars.

After going back and forth for the majority of the opening half, the eighth ranked Knights were able to pull out to a 41-29 lead at halftime.

The Cougars started to climb their way back into the game as they trailed by eight early on in the second half. GCC continued to dwindle the Knights lead but CCRI continued to answer every call the Cougars made. However with less than six minutes remaining in regulation, the Cougars were able to come back to tie the score at 61.

Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game and CCRI sealed the deal by hitting foul shots down the stretch for their 10th win on the season.

The Cougars were led offensively by Kenton Chan Man (Brooklyn, NY) with 18 points, two rebounds and two assists. Dijon Wright (Philadelphia, PA) had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the host Cougars, who drop to .500 on the season with a record of 5-5.

The Knights were led offensively by Desmond Williams with 17 points and Anthony Henry had a double –double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for CCRI.

The Genesee Community College men’s basketball team dominated the Medaille junior varsity team on Thursday night, defeating the Mavericks 118-59.

The Cougars were successful against the Medaille press all night, quickly transitioning to the offensive end of the floor and working the ball inside. GCC scored 40 of their 54 first half points from inside the paint, and shot better than 61% from the field. Terryl Coombs (Brooklyn, NY) scored 15 of his game high 23 points in the first twenty minutes, and Deylon Bovell (Brooklyn, NY) added 13 first half points. Despite being effective on offense, the Cougar defense allowed Medaille 38 first half points on 13 of 37 shooting.

(#10 Terryl Coombs dunks in blowout win over Medaille)

GCC allowed the Mavericks to within 14 points early on in the second half before going on a 37-3 run to take control of the game. Coombs tallied the game’s only double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. David Andrews (Bronx, NY) finished the night with 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) added 15 points.

Genesee out-rebounded Medaille 62-31 on the night and held the Mavericks to just six second half field goals. Thursday marks the first time GCC has gone over 100 points in a game so far this season.

The Cougars will travel to Mohawk Valley Community College for their next contest on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

Dann Bilardello will return in 2012 for his third season as manager of the Batavia Muckdogs. The 52-year-old Bilardello has compiled a record of 82-67 during his two years in Batavia and led the Muckdogs to the Pinckney Division title in 2010.

Prior to managing the Muckdogs, Bilardello was the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League catching coordinator for three seasons. The former Major League catcher also has four years of minor league managing experience in the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations.

Bilardello managed the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Carolina League during the 2005 season. Before that, he spent three years managing for the Dodgers in Great Falls of the Pioneer League starting in 2002 and the following two years with Columbus in the South Atlantic League. He led Great Falls to a Pioneer League Championship in 2002 with a record of 47-28 and 4-1 in the playoffs.

The Vero Beach, Fla., resident played all or part of eight Major League seasons as a catcher with Cincinnati (1983-85), Montreal (1986), Pittsburgh (1989-90) and San Diego (1991-92). He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being chosen in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1978 amateur draft. In 382 Major League games, he batted .204 with 18 home runs and 91 RBI.

Joining Bilardello in the dugout will be Hitting Coach Roger LaFrancois and Pitching Coach Dernier Orozco.

Roger LaFrancois, 55, will return for his third season as the Muckdogs hitting coach and has more than 20 years of coaching experience. LaFrancois has coached or managed at all levels of the minor leagues with several different Major League organizations.

A catcher in the Boston Red Sox organization, he spent eight years with the Sox, and saw action in the Major Leagues during the 1982 season. The Old Saybrook, Conn., resident has been a partner and director of the World Baseball Coaches Convention since 2003.

Dernier Orozco, 29, will begin his first season as the Muckdogs pitching coach, after serving as the pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in 2011. This will be Orozco’s seventh season as a pitching coach in the Cardinals system.

Before his stint in the Gulf Coast League, Orozco spent four years coaching in the Venezuelan League from 2006-2008 and again in 2010. Orozco played six professional seasons as a right-handed pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization. He went 4-2 with a 6.09 ERA in 14 games (29.2 IP) for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in 2003, his final season.

Mike Petrarca will serve as the trainer for the 2012 season, his second with the Muckdogs. Petrarca will be entering his fifth season in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.