Sports

The second-seeded Batavia High Blue Devils rallied from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime before dropping a 63-58 decision against visiting Newark tonight in the quarterfinals of the Section 5 Class B1 boys’ basketball tournament.

A long two-point basket by junior guard Zach Gilebarto with 6.6 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 48-48 and, following a miss at the buzzer by Newark’s Josh Green, the teams moved into the four-minute OT.

The Blue Devils took a 50-48 lead in the opening seconds of the extra period on a layup by senior center Camden White, but it was short-lived as senior guard Dustin Case nailed a three-pointer to put the Reds up 51-50.

Newark went ahead 53-50 on a put-back by senior forward Devin Agosto before Gilberto came through again with another three-pointer to knot things up at 53-53.

Two free throws and a short jumper by Agosto gave the visitors a 57-53 edge but White sank a layup at the 1:20 mark to pull BHS within two.

The Reds made it 59-55 on a pair of free throws by senior forward Blade Case, before Gilberto responded with a three-point play on a driving layup and foul shot to make it 59-58 with 12.9 seconds to play.

Batavia fouled Case who calmly made two free throws to put Newark up 61-58 and, following timeouts by both teams, a three-point shot by senior guard Caeden White bounced off the rim.

A pair of free throws by Green with 1.6 seconds left closed out the scoring and enabled Newark to avenge a 48-47 regular-season loss to Batavia on Feb. 11 in Newark.

In tonight's rematch, Newark took a 14-10 lead after the first quarter -- Camden White scored seven of his game-high 17 points to keep Batavia within striking distance – before Batavia responded to take a 26-22 halftime advantage behind five points each from junior guard Alex Hale and junior forward Stone Siverling.

A pair of three-point shots by Blade Case in the third quarter sparked the Reds to a 36-31 lead as Batavia struggled from the field, hitting just two baskets in the period.

The Newark lead ballooned to 45-35 with 4:22 left in the final stanza before the home team staged a furious comeback.

A free throw by Gilberto and two by Camden White after an offensive rebound made it 45-38. A steal resulted in two more free throws by Gilberto, before Green sank two free throws for Newark to put the score at 47-40 with only 1:06 on the clock.

Batavia wasn’t finished, however, as Gilberto sank a three-pointer from the top of the key to pull his team within four. A free throw by Blade Case made it 48-43 but a corner three by Hale with 25 seconds left gave Batavia life.

Hale committed his fifth foul to stop the clock and the strategy worked when Newark missed at the foul line, giving Batavia another chance and setting the stage for Gilebarto’s clutch basket just inside the three-point line to tie the score at 48-48 and push the contest into overtime.

Gilebarto scored 16, Hale 14 and Siverling nine for Coach Buddy Brasky’s squad, which finished its season at 14-7 and played the final game on the BHS gymnasium floor as a new one is scheduled to go in on July 1.

For Newark, Green led the way with 16 while Blade Case had 14, Agosto 14 and Dustin Case 12.

The seventh-seeded Reds, 12-10, advance to the semifinals against No. 3 Waterloo. The other semifinal match pits No. 1 Geneva against No. 5 Hornell. The semis are scheduled for Tuesday night.

Top photo: Batavia's Zach Gilebarto launches a game-tying long shot with 6.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

Photos by Steve Ognibene. To view or purchase prints, click here.

Below,​ Camden White scores inside for Batavia.

Below, Max Rapone fights for a loose ball.

Below, Newark's Devin Agosto drives to the basket.

Below, the Blue Zoo cheering on their Blue Devils.

Below, Alex Hale gets ahead of the field for a layup.

Below, faces tell the story as time runs out after a hard-fought game.

Pembroke's 21st win on the season came in its second game of sectional play today when the Lady Dragons beat Warsaw 47-28.

The Dragons dominated on defense and were led by DeKari Moss on offense, who scored 19 points. 

Serene Calderon scored 11 and Emily Peters scored nine, all on three-point shots.

For Warsaw, Ceanne Ellsworth scored 15 points.

In Class C1, the 21-1 Dragons next play Red Jacket (17-5) at 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, at a location to be determined.

The number-two seed in the bracket, Byron-Bergen (18-4), beat East Rochester tonight and next plays Letchworth (8-14) at 6 p.m., March 4, at a location to be determined, setting up a possible cross-county class of C1 rivals.

It was a big night for Notre Dame on Friday. Yes, the boys' basketball team won another post-season playoff game -- beating Jasper-Troupsburg 71-58 -- but it was also the night the Fighting Irish honored Hall of Fame Coach Mike Rapone for achieving his 700th career win in Lyndonville last week.

Rapone was honored in remarks by Principal Wade Bianco, lifelong friend, former principal, Joseph Scanlan, and former player Mike Redding.

In the game, Collin McCulley scored 23 points, Gabe Macdonald, 15, Mark Sanders, 12, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, 8. Sanders also had five steals, Macdonald had 14 rebounds and six assists. McCulley had seven rebounds.

For Jasper-Troupsburg, Brayden Hill scored 19 points, hitting four three-pointers, and Tyler Flint scored 12. 

Also on Friday in boys' basketball:

• Pembroke lost to Lyons 73-46.
• Byron-Bergen beat RACS 71-63.
• Alexander beat Clyde-Savannah 54-49.
• Oakfield-Alabama beat South Seneca 84-58.

Upcoming games:

• In Class D1, Notre Dame plays Genesee Valley at 8:15 p.m., March 2, at Mount Morris in a semifinal game.
• In Class D2, Elba plays tonight at 7 o'clock at Elba against Destiny.
• In Class C3, O-A plays York at 8:15 p.m., March 2 at Genesee Community College.
• In Class C2, Alexander plays either Perry or Cuba-Rushford at 8:15 p.m. March 2 and a location to be determined.
• Le Roy plays at 7 tonight at home against Wayland-Cohocton in Class B2.
• Batavia plays at 7 tonight at home against Newark in Class B1.

The Batavia High Varsity Girls’ Basketball Team’s season came to an end tonight at the hands of host Palmyra-Macedon, 58-48, in the quarterfinals of the Section 5 Class B1 Tournament.

The Lady Blue Devils battled back from a 15-point deficit to twice climb within six points in the fourth quarter, but were unable to overcome a shaky first half punctuated by foul trouble and the inability to keep the taller Lady Red Raiders from dominating inside.

Fifth-seeded Batavia finishes with a 14-8 record while No. 4 Pal-Mac advances to the next round with a 17-4 mark.

“We made a lot of mistakes. We didn’t get back (on defense),” Batavia Coach Marty Hein said. “We knew we had to press to try to wear them down, to get them into some foul trouble – which did happen, but we didn’t sprint back hard enough and gave up a lot of easy buckets because we just didn’t communicate.”

Hein also pointed to the foul situation, especially the fact that junior point guard Mackenzie Reigle had to sit all but 19 seconds of the second quarter after picking up her third foul.

“The idea was there, but obviously, we got into foul trouble ourselves,” he said. “Kenzie not playing for a whole quarter is not ever going to be a productive thing for us offensively. Actually, that hurt us offensively and defensively.”

Pal-Mac, behind senior forward Andra Savage’s 11 points, took a 29-18 lead into the locker room.

“We put up only 18 points in that first half, and Kenzie only played the first quarter and maybe 30 seconds of the second quarter,” Hein said. “That’s a killer for us.”

The home team upped the advantage to 43-28 late in the third quarter before hot-shooting junior guard Bryn Wormley led a Batavia rally that closed the gap to 45-36. Wormley had 10 of her game-high 25 points in the quarter.

Batavia employed a full-court press at the outset of the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 45-39 on a free throw and bucket by senior forward Emma Krolczyk, who had all five of her points in the final frame.

The teams traded baskets until a three-point shot by Wormley – her sixth three-pointer of the game – pulled Batavia within 54-48 with 1:18 to play. That was as close as the Lady Devils got, however, as a layup by sophomore forward Ryley Trail and basket by junior guard Sophie Lyko sealed the victory for Pal-Mac.

Reigle, who fouled out in the closing seconds, ended up with six points (below her 15 ppg average) along with five rebounds and five assists, while sophomore guard Jaylene Dersham also had six points. Junior guards Kennedy Kolb and Tess Barone rounded out the scoring with 4 and 2, respectively.

Savage paced Pal-Mac with 17 points while senior guard Katherine Smyth added 12 and Lyke chipped in with 10.

Hein said he was impressed with the quality of the teams at the top of the Class B1. Entering Friday’s action, No. 1 Waterloo and No. 2 Dansville both were at 18-2, while No. 3 Livonia was at 16-4.

“We knew coming in with the teams that were left in the B1 Class, you needed a B-plus to an A performance every night that you were going to come out on the floor,” Hein said. “With the foul troubles and not getting back (on defense), we didn’t do that B-plus performance.”

Despite the loss, the coach said the season was a pleasurable one.

“Overall, I really love how all the girls were working together. It’s the tightest group that I’ve been with. They work together. It’s not just always about friendship; they care about each other on and off the court. It’s probably one of the best groups that I’ve enjoyed working with,” he said.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

From top to bottom -- Tess Barone battles for a rebound; Mackenzie Reigle drives to the hoop; Kennedy Kolb goes for a loose ball; Barone attempts a free throw as Jaylene Dursham looks on; Brym Wormley splits the defense for a shot.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

The Lady Hornets started what they will hope will be a successful post-season run with a convincing victory over Alexander, 62-49.

Brooke Reding scored 19 points, Brianna Smith, 15, and Kelsey Schlagenhauf, 14.

For Alexander, Hailie Kramer scored 24 points, Mel Pohl scored nine, and Ally Mileham and Natalie Whitmore scored six each.

Oakfield-Alexander (14-7) will continue its pursuit of a Class C2 Section V title at 7 p.m., Friday against Red Creek (15-6) at Red Creek.

In other girls' basketball playoff games on Wednesday:

• Byron-Bergen beat Campbell/Savona 65-22. Julianna Amesbury scored 18 points and Miriam Tardy and Kendall Phillis scored 10 each. 
• Pembroke beat Sodus 75-16. Serene Calderon scored 19 points, Emily Peters, 15, and Isabel Breeden and Dekari Mos scored 11 each.
• Notre Dame beat Genesee Valley 59-17.
• Pavilion beat Kendall 49-11. 

Upcoming games:

• In Class B2, Le Roy is at Avon tomorrow. Game time is 7 p.m.
• Elba (18-2) hosts Houghton (11-8)  tomorrow at 7 p.m. in a Class D2 matchup.
• Tomorrow, Batavia (14-7) plays Palmyra-Macedon (16-4) in Class B1 at Palmyra at 7 p.m.
• On Saturday, at 2 p.m., Pembroke (20-1) hosts Warsaw (11-10) in a Class C1 quarterfinal.
• At 7 p.m., Saturday, in Class C1, Byron-Bergen (17-4) hosts East Rochester (12-9)
• Oakfield-Alabama (14-7) travels to Red Creek (15-6) for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday.
• Pavilion (11-10) plays Prattsburgh (15-5) at Prattsburg at 5:30 p.m., Saturday in Class D1.
• The other Class D1 quarterfinal game that day is Notre Dame (14-7) at Hammondsport (13-5) at 2 p.m.

Upcoming boys' basketball games:

• Batavia (14-8), playing in Class B1, hosts Newark (11-10) at 7 p.m., Saturday.
• Le Roy (10-10), playing in Class B2, hosts Wayland-Cohocton (10-11) at 7 p.m., Saturday
• Tomorrow, Byron-Bergen (13-7) in Class C1, hosts Rochester Academy (10-8) at 7 p.m.
• Tomorrow, Alexander (12-9), Class C2, travels to Clyde Savannah for a 7 p.m. game.
• In Class C3, Oakfield-Alabama (15-5) hosts South Seneca (8-13) at 7 p.m., tomorrow.
• Elba (17-3) in Class D2 hosts Destiny (6-14) at 7 p.m., Saturday.
• On Friday at 7 p.m., Notre Dame (16-4), Class D1 hosts Jasper-Troupsburg (13-7).

UPDATE: Photos of Pembroke's game by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.

UPDATE: Click here for photos by Kristin Smith of the O-A vs. Alexander game.

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Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (INWR) announces changes to the turkey hunt and youth turkey hunt application processes for the 2020 season.

In order to streamline these processes, applications are now done online here. You can create an account, or log into your existing account at the website. Once you are logged in, select the appropriate hunt, and follow the prompts to apply.

Applications can be filled out online from March 1 until April 1 for both hunts.

The youth turkey applications will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no fee for this permit.

The preseason lottery will be conducted to select hunters for the first and second sessions of the spring turkey hunt season. Please note there will be a $5 application fee to cover administrative costs.

Winners will be notified approximately one week after the close of the application period by email, whether selected or not.

All other aspects of the Iroquois NWR turkey hunt will be similar to previous years.

Hunters with disabilities may contact the refuge for information on how to apply.

Please see the Turkey Hunting and Youth Turkey Hunt Fact Sheets for full details on the 2020 hunting season, which can be found on the Permits page of the INWR website.

INWR is located midway between Buffalo and Rochester, and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For further information contact Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013, or call 585-948-5445.

Last evening at Le Roy High School the Oatkan Lady Knights advanced to the Class B2 quarter finals with a win over Attica Blue Devils 69-57. The Knights jumped out to a 12-point lead 27-15 led by Bryn Luckey and a three-pointer from each Hailey Johnson and Jillian Curtis. 

Through the second quarter, Attica held better defense and juniors McKenna Jarnot and Mary Weber both added three-point buckets to keep the Blue Devils in the half only down by 10 points.

The Knights held a strong defense keeping Attica’s top scorer McKenna Jarnot scoreless in the quarter, which kept the momentum scoring points from Luckey, Condidorio and Logsdon.  Score 52-37 after three quarters.

Attica, backed against defeat, did not give up and Jarnot hit four three-pointers in the final quarter to bring the Devils within six points. But the Knights sophomore guard Kailyn Tresco answered back with two three-point buckets of her own. 

Le Roy’s Brynn Luckey finished with 25 points; Amara Condidorio and Kailyn Tresco each had nine points. McKenna Jarnot scored 21 points, Weber 13 points for the Attica Blue Devils.

The Le Roy Knights play this Friday against second seed Avon on their home court, game time 7 p.m.

To view or purchase photos click here.

Press release from Senator Michael Ranzenhofer:

Participation in hunting is declining across New York State and much of the nation.

This not only has a dramatic impact on conservation funding but also a negative impact on state revenues. It is important that the state examine ways to both attract and retain hunters.

Expanding opportunities for hunters can help boost state revenue and aid the environment.

The issue of hunters “aging out” is well documented and it is important for New York State to do all it can to reverse this trend.

Expanding crossbow-hunting opportunities and loosening ambulatory hunting requirements would provide thousands of willing hunters the opportunity to continue pursuing their passion.

Current laws regarding ambulatory licenses, require that license holders need permanent assistance to qualify.

That being said, many hunters do not need assistance devices to complete daily activities but are unable to navigate a field or more rugged terrain without assistance.

This reality should be reflected when determining who qualifies for these privileges. If enacted, these proposals would help countless hunters.

In addition to retaining hunters, attracting new hunters is critical.

Lowering the hunting age has long been discussed as the primary way to get youth more engaged at a younger age.

While I do believe that reducing the big game hunting age to 12 would be helpful, hunter apprentice programs should also be examined.

Hunter apprentice programs have proven to be an extremely safe and effective way to introduce more youths to hunting in other states.

With the state facing a $6.1 billion deficit, I believe there is a tremendous opportunity to advance proposals that are positive for hunters as well as generate much needed license revenue and conservation dollars for the state.

I have shared these opinions with the Governor and colleagues in the legislature and will continue to advocate for their adoption.

Supporting hunting helps the environment, supports rural communities and provides license revenue for New York State.

Photos and write-up submitted by Coach Nicholas Burk.

The Batavia Indoor Track Team had a phenomenal meet yesterday competing in the Sectional Championships at RIT.

The girls' team accomplished an amazing feat, winning their 16th Sectional Championship in 18 years. This was their seventh consecutive championship.

The Blue Devils scored 92 points, edging out Pittsford Mendon with 89.5 points and Pittsford Sutherland with 82 points.

Batavia had a number of clutch performances, highlighted by our throwers. Rebekah Daniszewski won the Shot Put with a throw of 37-8.5, and Maggie Andersen won the Weight Throw with a throw of 44-11.75. Both girls have achieved the State and National standards in their events and will look to qualify for the NYS Championships next weekend.

Arianna Brown continued her impressive season winning the 55 Hurdles with a time of 9.07. She also finished in third in the High Jump clearing 5-0, and third in Long Jump with a 16-3.5. Sarah Adams finished second in the triple jump with a distance of 33-10 and second in Long Jump with a distance of 16-4.75. Sydney Konieczny had a very strong race in the 1000m finishing in secnd place with a time of 3:23.45.

Not to be outdone, older sister Gavin Konieczny was able to earn a second-place finish in the Pole Vault with a height of 9-0. Jianna Torcello and Liz Kingston finished in fourth and fifth place in the 1500m Racewalk.

Batavia's 4x800 Relay of Melanie Quinones, Sydney DellaPenna, Brooke Scott, and Makayla Andalora finished in fifth place with a time of 11:13.70 and the 4x400 Relay of Aurelia Colby, Sydney Konieczny, Maddie Taggart, and Noelia Ventura finished in fourth place with a time of 4:37.98.

This championship was a total team effort and demonstrated that the Batavia girls deeply care for the standard of excellence that the school has established in Section V Track and Field.

"Our strong desire to maintain our winning traditions each year lead our girls to compete at a very high level in this meet," said Coach Nicholas Burk. "We seem to always find a way to get the job done."

The boys' team had a very gritty performance while being down almost the entire meet, but inevitably finding a way to pull out the Championship in the last few events of the evening. Batavia finished with 105.5 points, edging Pittsford Mendon, who scored 101 points.

This is the boys' team's ninth Sectional Championship and its fourth consecutive one. Just like the girls, the boy's team was led by our Impressive group of throwers.

Batavia had seven out of 13 competitors in the Shot Put with Alex Rood repeating as the Sectional Champion with a throw of 54-9.5. Alex is currently ranked second in New York in the Shot and has the State and National Standard as well. Cody Eisenberger finished second in shot with a throw of 48-9.25 and Austyn Fernandez finished fifth with a throw of 42-5.

In the Weight Throw, Batavia had 10 out of 16 Competitors with Alex Rood finishing second with a throw of 53-10.25 and Cody Eisenberger finishing in fourth with a throw of 50-5.25.

The Batavia Pole Vaulters turned the tide of the meet with four athletes placing in the top six.

Daemon Konieczny won the Sectional Championship vaulting 11-6. Andrew Lin finished third with a height of 11-0; Jacob Torcello finished fourth with a height of 10-6; and Quinten Betances finished fifth with a height of 9-6. The 22 points from these athletes turned the tide in this meet and put Batavia ahead by four points with only three events left to score.

Daemon Konieczny finished off his very strong meet with a second place in the High Jump clearing 5-10 and a second place in the Triple Jump with a distance of 42-3.

Also in the high Jump, Jesse Reinhart finished fifth with a height of 5-8.

Batavia's distance athletes battled all meet long and had some clutch races which contributed to the team's success.

Garrick Havens placed fifth in the 3200m with a time of 10:25.39, and he was fourth in the 1600m with a time of 4:47.82. Mario Rosales placed fourth in the 1000m with a time of 2:47.53; Wyatt Gaus Finished sixth in the 1600m with a time of 4:48.48; and Jonah Epps placed fifth in the 600m with a time of 1:30.21.

Terrez Smith placed sixth in the 55m with a time of 6.73; and Jamarion Richardson placed sixth in the Long Jump with a distance of 20-5.25.

The boys' 4x800 Relay of Mario Rosales, Jonah Epps, Cody Harloff, and Garrick Havens had a very clutch performance, edging out a talented Pittsford Mendon team, finishing in second place with a time of 8:46.46.

The 4x400 Relay of Zack Anderson, Ayden Dowd-Devay, Wyatt Gaus, and Max Tomaszewski had a tremendous race, winning the Sectional Championship with a time of 3:44.38.

The final running event was the 4x200 Relay -- consisting of Terrez Smith, Joey Gefell, Gabriel Reyes Mercado, and Max Tomaszewski -- and they placed sixth with a time of 1:37.31.

This was a very impressive meet by the Batavia boys' team as they were down significantly through the first half of the competition.

Many of these athletes fought for those fifth- and sixth-place finishes, which turned out to be the difference in the meet. The depth of our team was on display as each group, the throwers, distance runners, jumpers, and sprinters scored points and contributed to the team's total score.

The Batavia Track and Field program has continued to demonstrate strong character, dedication, and toughness toward accomplishing the goal to uphold the tradition and reputation of the school's track teams.

A number of other athletes trained with Batavia this winter from other Genesee Region schools:

• Emily Tait -- Attica: second in the Class C Long Jump (18-4.5); second in the Class C Triple Jump (38-9.75)
• Veronica Duell -- Byron Bergen: third in Class C Long Jump (16-6.75); ninth in Class C 300m (47.96)
• Dylan Rykert -- Oakfield Alabama: first in Class D Weight Throw (39-4.25); first in Class D Shot Put (43-9.25)
• Zack Hall -- Oakfield Alabama: first in Class D 1000m (2:40.06)
• Nick Munger -- Oakfield Alabama: first in Class D Pole Vault (10-0); fifth in Class D 1000m (3:00.15)
• Fanny Vanegas -- Elba: first in Class D 1500m (5:26.71)
• Kelly Mickey -- Elba: third in Class D 55m (7.89); fifth in Class D 300m (46.32)

Le Roy's indoor track and field team came home with three Section V Class C titles this weekend.

Above, Aiden Harrington wins the 600-meter title with a time of 1:27.93.

The boys won the 4x400 relay title. The team is comprised of Brian Roblee, James Blake, Chase Bordonaro, Aidan Harrington.

The girls' team also won the 4X400 relay championship. The relay team is: Ashley Totten, Ellie Dambra, Riley Wood, and Mia Hampton

The boys and girls teams both came in second place.

Photos and info submitted by Tim McArdle.

On Tuesday, Notre Dame High School in Batavia donated $300 to the Amercian Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer.

According to the program's website, the 25-year-old program operates in collaboration with the National Association of Basketball Coaches. It unites coaches and fans nationwide to help the American Cancer Society defeat a common enemy – cancer, through fundraising and education initiatives.

Submitted photo: Notre Dame High School Varsity Basketball Coach Mike Rapone, left, and Joe LaVare, Community Development manager for the WNY office of the American Cancer Society, based in Amherst.

Tuesday night, Brianna Smith became Oakfield-Alabama's all-time scorer in girls basketball, sinking a three-pointer to put her at 1,311 career points.

The Hornets beat Holley 47-27 to move to 12-7 on the season.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

The Lyndonville Tigers held down a team that four times this season scored more than 90 points, and twice in the past four games going over 100, to just 58 points on a night that team really wanted a win.

The Fighting Irish wanted the win for their Head Coach Mike Rapone, who in his 40th season was on the cusp of his 700th career win.

Lyndonville is a good team, Rapone said after the game, but part of the problem was "the pressure of trying to win the 700th win," he said. "Other people did."

Victory looked far from certain through the first three-quarters of the contest. Notre Dame took their first lead of the night with about 20 seconds left in the first half and then quickly lost it, so they went into the locker room down 19-18.

Instead of coming out fired up, the team still seemed tentative for most of the third quarter and trailed heading into the fourth 40-29.  

Then Mark Sanders got hot, hitting a trio of three-point baskets to help spark a comeback.

He finished the night with 14 points. Gabe Macdonald socred 12 and Cody Henry scored nine.

For Lyndonville, Nathan Dallenbeck scored 21 points and Nathan Dydorle, who also had several blocked shots and steals, scored 16 points.

"I'm proud of the accomplishment, but know it couldn't have happened without all the great young men I have been fortunate enough to coach at Notre Dame," Rapone said.

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Eighteen winter guard teams from throughout WNY and Canada were in Batavia on Saturday night for the 20th annual competition in the Batavia High School gymnasium. 

Top three photos of the Batavia varsity team, followed by photos of a senior guard team, called Luminosa made up of students from throughout the region, then the team from Medina. 

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Andrew Englerth remains undefeated on the season in wrestling with his 47th win, coming in as a 160-pound D2 state qualifier.

He will now wrestle for a state championship in Albany during the tournament Feb. 28 and 29.

Englerth beat Justin Smith, of Marcus Whitman/Penn Yan, in a major decision, 13-4.

Also picking up championship wins were Zach Hannan, Byron-Bergen, at 152 pounds, beating Kade Slayton of Hornel in a 2-0 decision, and Mitchell Gaiser, Alexander, beating William Tennity of Wayne in a fall at 4 minutes.

Photos submitted by Tim McArdle.

Le Roy's boys and girls indoor track teams competed in their final regular-season meet this weekend, and Bella Condidorio and Aidan Harrington both set new school records. 

Condidorio won in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.96 and Harrington came in second in the 300 meter dash with a time of 36.60.

In the girls' pole vault, Gavin Konieczny, of Batavia, won with a vault of 9-06.00.

In boys' shot put, Alex Rood won with a toss of 51-10.00.

Oakfield-Alabama placed second in the Section V varsity cheerleading sections in the Class D2 C division. The team competed against 18 other schools.

Photo and info submitted by Amanda Fonda.

The Batavia Blue Devils Boys Varsity Basketball Team(13-7) hosted the Eastridge Lancers (16-3) Friday evening for a Monroe County conference game. 

Eastridge was in control in early minutes of the game with Batavia unable to put a play together and score. Batavia did find their rhythm and caught right up to Eastridge trailing by one at the end of the first period, Batavia 12, Eastridge 14.  

For the next two periods it was hard fought defensive plays and back and forth trading points on offense but Batavia did seem to control the game. Batavia led by a basket at the half and the end of the third.  

The Blue Devils look poised for their biggest upset of the year with only two minutes left in the fourth, they led 50 to 49. With 14 seconds left, Batavia trailed by three. They had a chance for a three-pointer to tie the game but the Lancers' defense was too strong and a turnover sealed their fate. Final score, Batavia 50, Eastridge 53. 

Elba's Colton Dillion scored a career-best 47 points in route to setting a new school record for career points, beating the old record of 1,244 points and raising his own record to 1,252 points.

Elba beat Kendall 76-46.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.

Press release:

The Notre Dame High School family will be honoring the legacy of excellence of Notre Dame Basketball Coach Mike Rapone (Class of ’71) with a reception in the school cafeteria following the boys Section V playoff game on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Coach Rapone currently has 697 career victories as he coaches in his 40^th season here at Notre Dame. The 697 wins make him the all-time leader in Section V coaching victories with the second place coach more than 150 wins behind.  

He began his coaching career at his grade school alma mater, Holy Family School in Le Roy in the 1972-73 season. During his four years at Holy Family, he guided the team to four straight Parochial School League championships.

Hired as the JV coach at Notre Dame at the beginning 1976-77 season, he led his teams to three winning seasons including the only undefeated season ever produced during our time in the Bishop Smith League in Buffalo.

Rapone took over the varsity team for the 1981-82 season and promptly won the first of his record nine Section V Titles in his opening year.

As impressive as Rapone’s coaching resume is, what is even more impressive is his love for Notre Dame and all its students. This is evident through his daily commitment to our school, and his constant effort to ensure that each student has the best possible high school experience.

We hope that you can all join in the celebration on Feb. 25 at Notre Dame, 73 Union St. in Batavia.

Highlights of Mike Rapone's 40-year Varsity Basketball Career:

• #1 in NYS active coaching victories – 697;
• #1 in Section V coaching victories – 697;
• #1 in Section V coaching championships – 9;
• Has guided ND to the highest winning percentage in all classification of Section V since 1975;
• Only coach in Section V history to win championships in 4 different classifications;
• 2 New York State Championships 1992 & 2001;
• 31 Genesee Region League Championships;
• 18 Section V title game appearances with 9 championships;
• Section V Tournament #1 seed 17 times;
• 5 NYS Far West Regional Championships;
• 81 percent career winning percentage;
• Averaging 17.5 per year wins over 40 seasons;
• 18 of 20 teams have earned NYS Scholar Athlete recognition;
• Has coached 21 of the Top 25 Scorers in ND history;
• 2013 Team was Board 60 Sportsmanship Award Winner;
• 1996 Inducted into Notre Dame High School Athletic Hall of Fame;
• 2016 Inducted into Section V Basketball Hall of Fame.

Basketball Coaching Timeline of Mike Rapone                   

• 12/05/1980                  First Coaching Victory vs. Attica
• 03/07/1981                  First Section V Championship vs. Romulus
• 01/07/1986                  Victory #100 vs. Holley
• 01/15/1992                  Victory #200 vs. Pembroke
• 03/21/1992                  First New York State Championship vs. Bishop Grimes
• 03/16/1996                  Inducted into Notre Dame High School Hall of Fame
• 12/18/1996                  Victory #300 vs. Kendall
• 03/17/2001                  Second New York State Championship vs. Hamilton
• 04/06/2001                  Named Section V All-Greater Rochester Coach of the Year
• 12/19/2001                  Victory #400 vs. Elba
• 01/14/2008                  Victory #500 vs. Kendall
• 03/03/2010                  Victory #546 Breaking Section V Record vs. Arkport.
• 01/29/2013                  Victory #600 vs. Kendall
• 11/05/2016                  Inducted into Section V Basketball Hall of Fame
• ??/??/2020                  Victory #700

(File photo of Notre Dame Coach Mike Rapone taken in January 2017 by Jim Burns.)