Sports

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.

Claire Pfalzer describes her husband Andrew as "hockey crazy." For the past six years, he's had his own ice rink next to their home on Sliker Road in Pembroke.

Last year, it was cold enough to use the rink for only five or six days all winter.

This year's cold snap was well timed to allow the Pfalzers to invite all of their friends over for a daylong skate on Andrew's birthday. Andrew even has lights installed above the rink so the sun going down doesn't mean the end of hockey.

To purchase prints: These photos along with some others from the ice rink today (along with other Saturday photos) are in this gallery (click here).

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.

Press release:

The Genesee County Baseball Club will hold its annual Batavia Muckdogs Hot Stove Dinner and Auction from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Clarion Hotel at 8250 Park Road. in Batavia. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under.

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour followed immediately by dinner. The Hot Stove Dinner is a time for good food, friendship and baseball talk. The night also features silent and live auctions of baseball-related memorabilia (including signed bats and balls), work by local artists, and gift certificates from a variety of local businesses.

This year’s dinner will also benefit the Genesee County Animal Shelter. Each attendee is asked to bring a bag of dry dog or cat food to be donated to the shelter.

Tickets may be purchased in Batavia at Dwyer Stadium, Gerace’s Hair Care, the Williams Law Firm, and the offices of Dr. Ross Fanara and Dr. Alan Barcomb.

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!

Press release:

Last year, the Pembroke High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team raised $4,000 to benefit America's first cancer center, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Downtown Buffalo, which was established in 1898. The money went toward breast cancer research.

On Thursday at 7 p.m., Pembroke will once again take to the court in a special Shooting for a Cure game. It will be played at Pembroke high against Holley.

“We hope to raise $5,000 this year and we plan on continuing Shooting for a Cure to raise more money in the future,” Coach Mike Wilson said. “So many people in our school and within the Pembroke community have been touched by breast cancer, it’s become overwhelming.

"That’s why it’s become important to our team to get involved and make a difference. We are definitely dedicated to helping Roswell find a cure.”

As with the first Shooting for a Cure fundraiser, a lineup of WNY merchants and individuals are generously supporting the cause. Donors include:

• The Buffalo Bisons (Buster Bison)
• Impressive Marks (pink team uniforms shirts, laces, socks and wristbands)
• Matt Steinberg (design game posters and programs)
• D & D Printing (posters and programs)
• Toshiba International Corporation
• Michael Moran/ACCO Brand Products (raffle donation),
• Alleghany Landscaping
• Next Generation Vending (water refreshments)
• Pizza Pantry (pizza)
• Kelsey Fenton (game night photography)
• aBc Consulting and Services (PR/Media Relations)
• and Jennifer Wilson (refreshments)

A half-time raffle will also take place with grand prizes generously donated by Bryan Wittman (four pack of Disney Theme Park passes), S&S Limousine (pink limousine rental) and Buttercrumbs Bakery ($100 gift certificate).

Admission to the game is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children and students under age 18.

The Pembroke High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team is nicknamed "The Dragons." Their motto is "Family-Hustle-Winning." The team has undertaken Shooting for a Cure as an annual event and they are committed to the hard work and dedication it will take to win the battle against breast cancer.

The Batavia High School varsity basketball cheerleading squad took second place at the Monroe County Tournament held at Victor HS on Saturday.

Five teams participated in their competition.

Kayla Corp, Jessica Derefinko, Codie Grazioplene and Whitney Athoe received 2nd Team All County nominations.

The team will compete for a Section V title Feb. 23 at RIT.

Information and photo submitted by a reader.

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.

Notre Dame dethroned Batavia as the Batavia Rotary Tournament Champions, 41-38 at Genesee Community College.

On Tuesday night, Batavia was able to overcome an early deficit to defeat Perry, but a slow start in the first quarter against Notre Dame doomed the Blue Devils in the championship game.

Notre Dame raced out to an early 7-0 lead to start the contest and held Batavia without a field goal in the first quarter. The Blue Devils went 0-for-12 in the frame and fell behind 14-3 after the first quarter. The Irish got a huge spark from senior Riley Norton, who after going 3-for-14 from the field on Tuesday, scored eight of her game-high 20 points in the quarter.

“I didn’t play my best on Tuesday,” Norton said. “But, I’m a senior and I wanted to come out tonight and help my team any way that I could. We know Batavia is a great team and tonight I was able to make some shots early.”

Batavia was able to right the ship in the second quarter, outscoring the Fighting Irish 15-8 to cut the halftime deficit to four. With the Irish keying on stars Tiara Filbert and Madison McCulley, Essence Williams led the comeback effort with nine of her team-high 11 points in the second quarter. Williams also knocked away a Notre Dame rebound right to Filbert, who laid it in just as time expired to keep the Blue Devils within striking distance at halftime.

“Offensively, Notre Dame did a great job of speeding up the game and we couldn’t handle that pace,” said Batavia Head Coach Bill Wade. “So, we decided to slow things down and play at an offensive pace that we were comfortable playing at and we were able to get back into it.”

In the third quarter, Batavia continued to scratch their way back into the game, cutting the lead to two at one point, before Notre Dame went on a 5-2 run to end the quarter. Norton would score five points in the frame, including one of her four three-pointers on the night.

“Riley is our senior and our go-to player,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Dave Pero. “She didn’t shoot particularly well on Tuesday, but tonight her shots were falling and she was huge for us.”

The Blue Devils once again made their push in the third quarter, but each time Batavia would gain momentum, the Irish would respond with a timely basket. McCulley would have to leave the game midway through the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury, but she returned with just over two minutes to play and made her presence known immediately by connecting on a deep three-pointer in front of the Batavia bench to cut the lead to 38-36.

Notre Dame responded at the other end of the floor, as Emma Francis hit a foul-line jumper to extend the Irish lead to four with just over a minute to play. After a Batavia free throw at the other end, the Blue Devils were able to get the ball back after a controversial turnover call in the waning seconds, but Notre Dame was able to come up with a defensive stand to wrap up the victory.

“It’s always great to win a tournament like this,” Pero said. “I always call this our mid-term exam, to show us where we are in terms of sectionals. Playing competition the likes of Batavia really gives us a good idea of where we stand as a team and how we can improve the rest of the season.”

Norton was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, adding five rebounds and four steals to go along with her 20 points. She was joined on the all-tournament squad by teammate Mel Taylor, who finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals for Notre Dame (8-1).

Batavia (8-4) was represented by Filbert and McCulley on the team, as Filbert scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds, five steals and four assists, while McCulley chipped in nine points on the night. 

To purchase prints of these photos, click on the link in the upper right of the slide show (if you don't see the link, mouse over the pictures).

Notre Dame used a 13-2 second-quarter run to edge past Alexander in the first round of the Batavia Rotary Tournament at Genesee Community College, 57-43.

Neither team appeared to have an edge early on, with the score being tied after the first quarter. The Fighting Irish started the second quarter with a bang, outscoring the Trojans 18-6 in the frame. The run was keyed by three point field goals made by Shea Norton and Emma Francis, and the Irish ratcheted up their defense.

“After the first we tried to change up defenses,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Dave Pero. “We went back to basics and got us back to where we could get into the lead.

Notre Dame’s defense suffocated Alexander all night, coming away with 13 steals and holding leading scorer Sarah Loranty to six points on 2-of-12 shooting for the game. The Trojans also failed to connect from beyond the arc, missing on all seven attempts.

The Irish offensive attack was balanced all night long, getting 11 points apiece from Melanie Taylor and Shea Norton, while Riley Norton chipped in with 10. Pero’s squad also got seven points each from Francis, Laurie Call and Maddie Mancuso.

“You can’t score if you don’t shoot,” Pero said. “We always tell our players to shoot the ball if you’re open.”

Taylor continued her solid start to the season with another superb all-around game, collecting seven rebounds and six assists to go with her 11 points. Shea Norton added 12 rebounds to go along with her 11 points and Mancuso chipped in with six rebounds off the bench for the Irish (8-1).

Despite being held in-check for most of the night on the offensive end, Loranty did dominate the boards, bringing down 17 rebounds in the loss. Maria Dominick scored a game-high 13 points and grabbed five rebounds for Alexander (7-2), which lost two straight after winning their first seven.

Notre Dame will go on to face Batavia in the finals on Thursday night after the Blue Devils overcame a 30-19 halftime deficit to defeat Perry, 57-48.

The Blue Devils managed to cut the lead to five heading in to the fourth quarter and were able to outlast the Yellowjackets and hand them their first loss of the season.

Batavia got gigantic performances from two freshmen, Madison McCulley, who scored a game-high 15 points and dished out 10 assists while Tiara Filbert chipped in 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Blue Devils (8-3), who has defeated Perry in the Rotary Tournament for the second straight season. The Yellowjackets fell 44-41 in the finals a year ago.

Perry (7-1) got 13 points from Ashley Miller and will play Alexander in the consolation game at 6 p.m. on Thursday night at GCC. The finals between Batavia and Notre Dame are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30. 

To purchase photos, click on the link in the slide show that says "purchase photos."

All photos by Howard Owens.

I'm excited to announce this this morning: Join The Batavian Club and receive two free tickets to a Batavia Muckdogs home game in 2013.

That's right, each member of the club will receive a voucher redeemable for two general admission tickets to any home game (July 3, excluded).

Also, we're up to $270 in gift certificate value for members redeemable at 26 different local businesses.

Join The Batavian Club and SAVE: Currently, members will receive $270 in gift certificates to local businesses -- far more value than the cost of the membership! (more info below).

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

The Alexander High School Varsity Cheerleaders will host a benefit basketball game for Austin Heineman at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18.

Come to Alexander High School and watch the Alexander Trojans (varsity boys) take on Letchworth. The school is located at 3314 Buffalo St.

Donations are welcome at the door. Plus, there will be a 50/50 raffle, half-court shootout, bake sale, and gift certificates from local businesses to be raffled off.

All proceeds will be donated to Austin as he battles a rare childhood cancer. He is currently awaiting a bone marrow transplant.