Several bowlers topped the 700 mark in Genesee Region USBC league bowling action over the past week.
At Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, Chris Bailey led the way with a 279 third game for a 765 series in the Brighton Securities Tuesday Triples League.
Also at Mancuso's, Mark Brown had games of 258 and 256 in a 729 series in the County Line Stone Friday Trios League.
At Le Roy Legion Lanes, Rob Panepento and Rich Beschler set the pace with 735 and 707 series, respectively, in the American Legion Thursday Men's League, and at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen, Harris Busmire and Steve Manczak posted 715 and 704, respectively, in the Wednesday Men's Handicap League.
A rare feat was accomplished in the Sunday Rolloffs League at Medina Lanes yesterday morning when Amy Lavender converted the 5-7-10 split.
Batavia made a game of it in the first half, but a talented Pittsford Sutherland team ran away with the game in the second half to deliver the Blue Devils, now 4-5, their second straight home loss, 62-37, on Friday.
Justin Smith and Gavin White each scored 12 points, and Carter Mullen scored 10.
The Blue Devils host Honeoye Falls/Lima at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Also on Friday:
Merrit Holly scored 47 points to lead a comeback win for Le Roy over Rochester Prep 55-52. The 47 points ties a single-game scoring record for Le Roy. The record was set in 1963 by Tim McCulley. The Knights trailed 51-47 with less than two minutes to play when Holly went on an eight-point unanswered scoring run to secure the win. Holly had 18 rebounds and was 18-23 from the field.
Alexander beat Pembroke 50-48. Dylan Pohl scored 16 points for the Trojans. Trent Woods, 14, and Kingston Woods, 12. For the Dragons, Tyson Totten scored 24 points and had five assists. Avery Ferreira scored seven.
For the third time in tournament history, Cal-Mum captured the Rotary Tournament crown on Thursday with a 46-40 win over Pembroke.
It's the first time the championship game did not include Batavia or Notre Dame (Notre Dame has won 15 times and Batavia has won nine, with Pavilion picking up the crown once).
For Cal-Mum, Halee Nickerson scored 14 points and was named tournament MVP. Shea Drazkowski scored 16 points.
For Pembroke, Peyton Liss scored 22 points.
Besides Nickerson, filling out the all-tournament team:
Angelo Penna scored 27 points on Wednesday to spark an 81-31 Elba Lancers win over Lyndonville.
Kevin Marsceill scored 17 points, hitting five three-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter.
Also on Wednesday,
Pembroke beat Maryvale, 57 to 41. Tyson Totten scored 27 points and had 16 rebounds. Avery Ferreira scored 15 points and Jayden Bridge had nine rebounds.
Eastridge beat Batavia 70-49. Justin Smith scored 14 points for Batavia. Carter Mullen scored 10.
The 2024 winter meet kicked off at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Jan. 4) and the wagering success the track realized last year picked up right where it left off as a new single card handle record was set during opening day. Betting from all sources totalled $390,922 and that easily topped the old record of $348,205 set last February.
“We had great weather for the opener and featured a very competitive group of horses on the track, making the card very bettable and that was a recipe for success. The track was in great shape, as was our facility to host our live crowd. It was a total team effort and I thank everyone for their support,” said Don Hoover, Director of Live Racing at Batavia Downs.
The track was definitely fast and was that evident in the co-featured $15,000 Open I Handicap pace where Twin B Tuffenuff ($7.70) flexed his muscle on the point to turn in the fastest mile of the incipient meet.
Jim Morrill Jr. sent Twin B Tuffenuff to the front and he was quickly joined by Lanjo Lee (Kyle Cummings), who would then be parked out for the rest of the mile. The two paced side by side through quarters of :28.1, :55.3 and 1:24.2 when Lanjo Lee finally tired, leaving Twin B Tuffenuff to open up around the last turn. Twin B Tuffenuff pulled away by three lengths in the stretch before Morrill wrapped him up and crossed the line in 1:54.2.
Twin B Tuffenuff is owned by Patrick Morris and trained by John Hallett.
Hallett and Morrill also won the fastest trot of the day with Esa ($2.30), who schooled a full field of mid-level conditioners by pulling away to a 11-¼ length victory in 1:55.4.
Morrill ended up taking a six pack home after he won four more races with Friday Night Blues (1:55.3, $4.60), Dark Matter (1:57, $4.20), Blogmaster (1:57, $7.80) and Timeto Communicate (1:56.2, $6.10).
The co-featured $15,000 Open I trot was won by Big Box Hanover (Larry Stalbaum) who led from the gate to three-quarters where Comeonover Hanover (Billy Dobson) had pulled from fifth and was even with the leader heading into the final bend. The two then trotted tumultuously around that last turn and then all the way to the line where Big Box Hanover gained a neck advantage and won in 1:56.3.
Big Box Hanover ($2.60) is owned by his driver Stalbaum, who also trains the trotter.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Monday (Jan. 8) at 3 p.m.
Free full past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Pembroke will play for the Rotary Tournament championship on Thursday after knocking off Notre Dame in a first-round game on Tuesday, 50-43.
Elle Peterson scored 15 points, and had five assists and four rebounds to help lead the Dragons to the win in the Girls Basketball game.
Seneca Calderon scored 11 points and had four assists and five rebounds. Jaden Hootman scored seven points. Morgan Conibert scored six and blocked three shots. Regan Schneider grabbed seven rebounds while scoring four points.
For the Irish, Nina Bartz scored 15 points, Emma Sisson, 10, and Sofia Falleti, eight.
Although the summer/fall meet at Batavia Downs concluded less than four weeks ago, the new year brings a new season of harness racing at the oldest lighted harness track in North America as The Downs kicks off their 2024 winter race meet on Thursday (Jan. 4) at 3 p.m.
This is the second straight year Batavia Downs has offered live winter racing action and if last year was any indication, the track could be in for some big betting numbers once again.
“On opening day last year, we had a great live crowd on hand and all sources pushed $257,510 through the windows which at that time, was the best one-night handle at the track since 2019. Then on two successive Mondays (January 30 and February 6) we really knocked it out of the park by handling $340,602 and $348,205,” said Don Hoover, Director of Live Racing at the track.
“I hope we can pick up where we left off and the weather continues to cooperate. If that happens, I look forward to another strong meet.”
Hoover went on to point out that the track crew and their equipment are ready to take on any weather conditions to keep the track safe and fast and hopes to get through the next two months without any interruptions from Mother Nature.
The opening day card features 14 races and the draw box yielded a large number of entries from Saratoga Raceway trainers as that track is currently dark until February.
One of those trainers is Larry “The Bomber” Stalbaum, who won five races on opening day of the winter meet last year. On Thursday, Stalbaum has entered eight horses from his own stable and is driving a total of nine during the day, so he will have the opportunity to duplicate that effort.
Other horsemen and women making the 90-West trek from The Spa include drivers Shawn Gray and Billy Dobson along with trainers Alicia Gray, Amanda Kelley, Lisa Zabielski, Jaymes Mcassey, Bret Derue, John Hallett, Andy Gardner, and Dale Lawton.
All the top Batavia regulars will also be returning on opening day to try and enforce their home-field advantage and keep the bulk of the $153,000 in purses that are up for grabs in western New York.
Last year’s top drivers Jim Morrill Jr., Kevin Cummings, Dave McNeight III, Kyle Cummings, and Jim McNeight Jr. will all be in action Thursday while leading trainers Sam Smith, Shawn McDonough, Jenn Giuliani, Tammy Cummings, and Jim Rothfuss all have horses entered.
Batavia Downs will race every Monday and Thursday through February 26 and post time will be at 3 p.m. daily for all race cards.
The Genesee Region USBC is hosting two tournaments this month -- the 70th Scratch Memorial on Jan. 6-7 at Mount Morris Lanes and the 10th annual Adult-Junior Doubles on Jan. 13 at Perry Bowling Center.
The local association consists of bowling centers in three counties -- Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen, StrikeForce Lanes in Oakfield and Le Roy Legion Lanes (Genesee), Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion and Medina Lanes (Orleans), Perry Bowling Center and Letchworth Pines (Wyoming) and Mount Morris Lanes (Livingston).
A $1,000 first prize, based on 80 entries, will be awarded to the winner of the Scratch Memorial singles tournament. Qualifying squads (four games) are set for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Jan. 6 and 10 a.m. Jan. 7. Semifinals (four games) will start after the Jan. 7 qualifying squads, with stepladder finals to follow.
Entry fee is $60 per person. One in five from each qualifying squad will advance to the semifinals. A "challenge" oil pattern will be used. To enter, send an email to mikep@bowlgr.com
The Adult-Junior Doubles handicap event is open to GRUSBC youth bowlers and USBC-certified adult bowlers.
Competition will take place in two divisions -- 12 & under and 13 & over. Entry fee is $48 per team. All prize winnings will go into the youth bowler's SMART (scholarship) account. To enter, send an email to mikep@bowlgr.com
ADAM PHILP ROLLS 766 SERIES
In GRUSBC league play last week, Adam Philp of Batavia rolled a 766 series in the County Line Stone Trios League at Mancuso's. His games were 279-241-246.
The Notre Dame Lady Irish picked up some extra Section V girls’ basketball points this afternoon by defeating Lyons, 47-33.
Coach Vinny Falleti’s squad improved to 4-2 and moved up in the Class D standings with the non-league win over the Lions, who fell to 4-3 in Class C1, a division consisting of larger schools than Notre Dame.
ND jumped out to a 15-7 first-quarter lead and never looked back, holding a 27-14 halftime edge and a 34-25 advantage heading into the final period.
Senior Emma Sisson led the Irish with 12 points and nine rebounds while Sofia Falleti added 10 points and 16 rebounds. Nina Bartz and Ali Tomidy chipped in with eight points each.
Falleti said he was impressed with his team’s ability to control the pace of the game.
“We came ready to play a tough Lyons team on their court,” he said. “We jumped out to an early lead and kept the momentum throughout. This was a big win for us.”
Senior guard Tyson Totten eclipsed Pembroke’s career scoring record on Friday night while leading the host Dragons to a 57-42 victory over Holley in Genesee Region League basketball action.
Totten poured in 31 points for Coach Matt Shay’s team, now 4-1 and coming off a first-place finish in at the Akron holiday tournament. His latest effort puts him at 1,200 points, moving him past 2023 graduate Cayden Pfalzer, who finished his career with 1,180 points.
Shay said that Totten’s success is a result of his hard work – on and off the court.
“I'm extremely proud of Tyson and feel fortunate to be his coach,” Shay said. “He strives for excellence in everything he does, whether in academics, sports, or anything else.
“Tyson has worked hard for all of the success he has had in both basketball and football. Whether it has been the offseason work we do, summer camps or the weight room, he has poured himself into it. He deserves all the accolades he gets.”
Jayden Bridge contributed 10 points, Avery Ferreira nine points and nine rebounds, and Sean Pustulka six assists for Pembroke. Destin Kuval had 19 and Vincent Golisano 13 for the Hawks.
Junior guard Carter Mullen’s three-point basket with 43 seconds to play broke a 49-49 tie, and Batavia High went on to defeat Attica, 56-52, in a battle of Blue Devils to win the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament Large School bracket on Friday night at Genesee Community College.
The stage was set for Mullen's heroics when senior Joey Marranco hit a three-point shot with 1:45 left on the clock, giving Batavia a 49-44 lead. Attica's Jack Janes responded with a three-point shot and then followed a missed shot with a layup to knot the score at 49-49.
After Mullen's big bucket, which was launched near the sideline in front of the Batavia bench, Attica turned the ball over with 30 seconds left. That led to a free throw by junior forward Justin Smith. Attica made another errant pass at the 18-second mark, giving the ball back to Batavia.
Mullen then made a foul shot to make it 54-49 before Janes swished another three-pointer to cut the lead to two with eight seconds remaining.
Marranco was fouled with six seconds left and sank both free throws to secure the victory for Batavia, now 4-3, heading into some tough Monroe County League competition.
Attica led 13-11 after the first quarter, but Batavia rallied to take a 23-19 lead into the locker room. Batavia led 40-33 after three quarters as Smith scored six of his game-high 16 points on his way to being named the tournament MVP.
He was joined on the all-tournament team by Mullen (14 points), Attica’s Cole Harding (12 points) and Clayton Bezon (13 points), Le Roy’s Merritt Holly Jr. and Royalton-Hartland’s Dan Aquilina.
Marranco finished with nine points, and Estavon Lovett added eight for Batavia, while Carter Gorski had 11 and Janes 10 for Attica, now 6-2.
Batavia Coach Buddy Brasky credited Lovett for “doing a great defensive job” on the 6-foot-4 Harding.
“That was one of the keys to the game,” he said. “Secondly, I thought we executed our offense pretty good. Carter Mullen’s three there at the end was a huge shot. They’re a good team; we’re a good team. It was just a real competitive game.”
Attica Coach Rob Crowley said his team was tentative in the first half and missed several open shots.
“I felt we played well defensively in the first half, but we sort of hurt ourselves on offense. We held on to the ball a little too long and missed several opportunities,” he said. “It looked like we were tense because the ball wasn’t going in, and we forced it a bit. We obviously played much better in the second half.
“But it’s not like Batavia’s a bad team. I knew this would be a toss-up game, and I think if we played 10 times, we’d each win five.”
In the Large School bracket consolation game, Le Roy turned back Roy-Hart, 64-45, using an 18-0 run in the third quarter to break the game open. Holly Jr. scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Matthew Hockey added 13 points to lead the Knights.
The Alexander Trojans used a 17-0 spurt at the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to break open a close game and went on to defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 61-49, for the Small School bracket championship of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.
The game took place on Friday night at Genesee Community College, prior to the Large School title contest that was won by Batavia, 56-52, over Attica.
Tournament MVP junior center Dylan Pohl scored 21 points for Coach Jalen Smith’s Trojans, doing most of his work close to the hoop, while junior guard Kingston Woods added 14 points, mostly on hard drives to the basket.
Woods joined Pohl on the all-tournament team along with Notre Dame’s Jay Antinore and Jaden Sherwood, Oakfield-Alabama’s Avery Watterson and Elba’s Michael Long.
ND led 13-6 after the first period before Alexander rallied to take a 23-21 lead on a layup by Pohl following a nifty pass by Trenton Woods. Antinore sank two free throws for the Irish to make it 23-23 before two buckets by Kingston Woods gave the Trojans a 27-23 halftime edge.
Alexander caught fire over the first three minutes of the third quarter, scoring the first 13 points of the period on baskets by Pohl, Kingston Woods, a pair of three-pointers by Paul Schmidt, and another by Trenton Woods to make the score 40-23.
The Trojans’ advantage ballooned to 54-33, with Jacob Brooks providing five points on a three-point shot and a turnaround jumper to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
Notre Dame employed a full-court press to start the fourth period, came up with several steals and created some turnovers to close the gap. A steal and layup by Sherwood made it 58-48 with just over two minutes left before a three-point shot by Brooks with 1:18 to play sealed the outcome for Alexander.
“Our game plan was to be patient on offense and look inside as much as we can because our big man (Pohl) is one of the best in the league,” Smith said. “It was all about ball security and taking care of the ball. The more we did that, the better we got on offense.”
Smith, in his first year at the helm, said he is excited about the progression of his team, which upped its record to 6-2.
“From the start, new principles and rules came in because of new coaches, and honestly, we’ve been getting after it every day, and the guys are starting to learn what we’re expecting and looking for and starting to get the job done.”
For Notre Dame, now 6-1, Sherwood was the top scorer with 12, while Ryan Fitzpatrick tallied 11, Antinore 10 and Makyell Walker nine.
ND Coach Mikey Rapone said the game turned when the Trojans got hot from three-point range,
“Basketball is a game of runs, and they went on one there in the second half,” he said. We tried to make some adjustments … but once they started hitting from the outside, we weren't able to give help against (Pohl) inside.”
All in all, he said he was “proud” of the way his players fought back and hopes they use it as a learning experience.
“Either you springboard (from) this and realize the things we need to work on … or you feel sorry for yourselves and go on a spiral. It was good to see that fight and ‘no quit.’”
In the Small School bracket consolation game, Oakfield-Alabama downed Elba, 47-35, as Gavin Armbrewster scored 11 points and Avery Watterson and Kyler Harkness 10 apiece. Michael Long had 15 for Elba.
Junior forward Justin Smith scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter and Batavia withstood a 37-point barrage by Le Roy’s Merritt Holly Jr. tonight to advance to the championship game of 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.
Coach Buddy Brasky’s Blue Devils turned back the Oatkan Knights, 68-62, at Genesee Community College, and now will take on Attica for the Large School bracket crown at 8:15 p.m. Friday at GCC.
Le Roy will face Royalton-Hartland in the consolation game at 3 p.m., also at GCC.
Holly, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, scored 11 points in the first quarter for Le Roy, now 4-2, but Batavia countered with long-range shooting from Cruze Rapone (two three-pointers), Joey Marranco and Carter Mullen (each with a three-point shot) as the teams played to a 20-20 tie.
Three more three-point shots – from Rapone, Marranco and Lovett – sparked the Blue Devils to a 15-9 edge in the second quarter as they held Holly to two points.
Batavia outscored the Knights, 13-12, in the third quarter, with Rapone and Mullen connecting from beyond the arc to offset Holly’s 10 points.
Holly scored 13 of Le Roy’s 21 points in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough as Smith came through with four shots from the field and a couple free throws and Mullen and Mazur sank foul shots down the stretch to keep Le Roy at arm's length.
Mullen and Rapone tallied 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Batavia, now 3-3, while Adam Woodworth scored 10 points and Jean Agosto eight for Le Roy. Holly grabbed 13 rebounds to go with his 37 points.
BATAVIA LIONS CLUB BOYS’ BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE VARSITY WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27 Large School Bracket Attica 67, Roy-Hart 55 Batavia 68, Le Roy 62 Small School Bracket Alexander 52, Oakfield-Alabama 35 Notre Dame 63, Elba 31 FRIDAY, DEC. 29 3 p.m. -- Large School consolation game – Roy-Hart vs. Le Roy 4:45 p.m. -- Small School consolation game – Elba vs. Oakfield-Alabama 6:30 p.m. -- Small School championship game – Alexander vs. Notre Dame 8:15 p.m. -- Large School championship game – Attica vs. Batavia -------------------- JUNIOR VARSITY FRIDAY, DEC. 29 1:30 p.m. -- Small School championship game -- Alexander at Notre Dame 1:30 p.m. -- Large School championship game -- Attica at Batavia
Updated at 9:45 p.m. with Batavia versus Le Roy score.
The Attica Blue Devils advanced to the championship game of the Large School division of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament this afternoon with a 67-55 victory over Royalton-Hartland.
Coach Rob Crowley’s team, playing the first of four opening round games at Genesee Community College, raised its record to 6-1 and now will take on Batavia, which defeated Le Roy, 68-62, in the last game of the night.
Senior forward Cole Harding scored 22 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and dished out six assists to lead Attica, which also got 18 points and 10 rebounds form senior guard-forward Jack Janes and 16 points and 12 rebounds from senior center Clayton Bezon.
Junior guard Carter Gorski chipped in with seven points for seven points.
Attica raced out to a 10-0 advantage, but Roy-Hart battled back to tie the score at the end of the first quarter. Balanced scoring pushed the winners up by 10 at the half, 36-26, and the lead ballooned to 19 in the third quarter.
“The boys played hard this afternoon and moved the ball very well,” Attica Coach Rob Crowley said. “We sort of battled ourselves at certain points in the game, making things difficult on ourselves, but found a way to stick together and get the victory.”
For Roy-Hart, Dan Aquilina scored 21, Rem Albee 18 and Brayden Ricker 10. The Rams will play in the consolation game against Le Roy at 3 p.m. Friday at GCC.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had little problem extending its unbeaten season tonight as they rolled past Elba, 63-31, in the opening round of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament at Genesee Community College,
Coach Mikey Rapone’s team, now 6-0, advanced to the Small School bracket championship game against Alexander, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at GCC.
Elba will face Oakfield-Alabama in the consolation game at 4:45 p.m.
Senior guard-forward Jaden Sherwood led a balanced attack with 19 points while junior guard Makyell Walker added 12 and senior guard-forward Ryan Fitzpatrick chipped in with 10.
The Irish jumped out to a 19-6 first quarter lead and never looked back, hitting 10 three-point shots for the game.
Ryan Marsceill and Ashton Bezon tallied nine and eight points, respectively, for the Lancers.
Alexander coasted past Oakfield-Alabama, 52-35, at Genesee Community College tonight and into the finals of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament’s Small School bracket.
The Trojans, 5-2, will face Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m. Friday for the championship. ND defeated Elba in the other Small School game.
Junior Dylan Pohl scored seven of his 16 points in the first quarter as Alexander raced out to an 18-2 lead. Senior Trenton Woods tallied eight of his 16 in the second half for the Trojans.
Six other players scored for Coach Jalen Smith's squad, while Avery Watterson led O-A with 16 points.
The Hornets will square off against Elba in the consolation game at 4:45 p.m. Friday.
The 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament is scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, with varsity games at Genesee Community College and junior varsity games at Batavia High and Notre Dame High.
Batavia, Attica, Royalton-Hartland and Le Roy are in the Large School bracket and Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama, Alexander and Elba are in the Small School bracket.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
VARSITY AT GCC WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27 Roy-Hart vs. Attica, 3 p.m. Alexander vs. Oakfield-Alabama, 4:45 p.m. Elba vs. Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m. Le Roy vs. Batavia, 8:15 p.m.
FRIDAY, DEC. 29 Large School consolation game, 3 p.m. Small School consolation game, 4:45 p.m. Small School championship game, 6:30 p.m. Large School championship game, 8:15 p.m.
JUNIOR VARSITY WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27 Roy-Hart vs. Attica at Batavia High, noon Alexander vs. O-A at Notre Dame High, noon Elba vs. ND at Notre Dame High, 1:30 p.m. Le Roy vs. Batavia at Batavia High, 1:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, DEC. 29 Large School consolation game at Batavia High, noon Small School consolation game at Notre Dame High, noon Small School championship game at Notre Dame High, 1:30 p.m. Large School championship game at Batavia High, 1:30 p.m.