Sports

CREAM OF THE CROP: Curtis Foss of Medina, left, receives the champion's plaque from Paul Spiotta, tournament director, following his victory Sunday in the Genesee Region USBC Masters at Scopano's Lanes in Oakfield. Foss now has five Masters titles, breaking the tie with Dave Montemarano Jr. of Batavia and Tim Rohl, formerly of Le Roy, for the most ever.

Setting a new standard for bowling excellence in the Genesee Region, Medina’s Curtis Foss captured an unprecedented fifth GRUSBC Masters Tournament crown Sunday in record-setting fashion at Scopano’s Lanes in Oakfield.

Foss, a high-revving power-player whose commitment to the sport in this area is second-to-none, averaged 254 during the eight-game match play finals yesterday and compiled 722 Peterson Points – both high-water marks in the event’s 58-year history.

When asked "what does winning a fifth Masters mean to you?" Foss simply replied “everything” before expressing that he wished to dedicate the victory to his father, Robert Jr., who passed away in October 2016, and his grandmother, Mildred Green, who died the day before this past Thanksgiving.

“They meant so much to me, and the fact that my mom (Sue), grandpa (Darrell Green) and sister (Cassidy) were here, means a lot to me, too.”

The 31-year-old right-hander entered the finals as the No. 1 seed based on his 1,030 score for four games of qualifying the day before (a 257.5 average) and picked up right where he left off by rolling back-to-back 269 games on Sunday.

First he defeated second-seeded and former champion Scott Culp of Honeoye Falls, 269-223, and then he knocked off third-seeded and defending champion Kevin Gray Jr. of Warsaw, 269-213, to leave little doubt as to who would emerge victorious.

He coasted from there, posting scores of 226, 245, 245, 246, 277 and 255 – losing only to Jake Rosenbeck of Medina, 268-245 in game four.

Foss earned $320 and a champion’s ring for his efforts, adding to his collection as a result of victories in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015.

In league play this season, Foss -- who bowls as a regular or sub every day of the week -- has registered five 800 series and four 300 games, and already has 27 800's and 40 300's for his career.

As would be expected, Foss came into the tournament with his confidence soaring.

“It’s been going well. My body is doing what it needs to do,” Foss said, noting that he has a “stay me” philosophy.

“That means that I want to do what I’m best at -- which is to stay smooth and don’t overthink the shot,” he said. “When I’m not forcing things and when I get to the place where I feel smooth (to the line) is when I’m at my best.”

Rosenbeck, a 32-year-old righty, enjoyed a successful Masters debut, placing second with 450 Peterson Points and averaging 231 for his 12 game. He earned $240.

Gray finished in third place with 291 points ($200), followed by Scott Allis of Medina (278 points, $160), Culp (205 points, $140), Mike Johnson of Batavia (185 points, $120), former champion Tom Rohl of Le Roy (146 points, $110) and Mike Pettinella of Batavia (64 points, $100).

In Peterson Point match play, bowlers receive 30 points for a victory and more or less points for their score in relation to 200.

High scores from Saturday’s qualifying round (the top eight out of 37 entrants advanced):

Foss, 1,030; Culp, 963; Gray Jr., 942; Allis, 919; Rosenbeck, 911; Johnson of Batavia, 910; Rohl, 892, Pettinella, 887. Devon Leach of Stafford was the alternate at 874.

Write-up and photos submitted by Coach Matt Holman:

The regular season came to a close this past Saturday as the Southern Tier Race League marked senior day at Swain. After canceling a race on Wednesday due to freezing rain and warm temperatures, the conditions were hard and icy for a two-run GS, followed by a single slalom race.

The Batavia girls finished the regular season with a fifth-place finish in the afternoon race slalom led by Tess Cerefin, who capped her senior season with the best finishes of her career, a pair of 15th-place finishes. Lily Whiting finished in 18th place in slalom. The morning GS produced a fourth-place team finish, led by Aubrey Towner, who was 13th.

On the season, the girls finished in fourth place in the Southern Tier Race League, with all three girls collecting points for finishing in the top 15. Aubrey Towner was 16th place, Lily Whiting was 21st and Tess Cerefin was 22nd.

Zach Wagner finished the morning GS race in 23rd place, followed up by a 22nd-place finish in the afternoon slalom. He finished the season in 23rd place for the boys on the season.

The modified team finished the day with a pair of fifth-place finishes. In GS Ben Stone had the best individual finish, but Ethan Bradley was the top overall finisher at 21st and Lily Wagner at 22nd. In slalom, Ethan was the top finisher at 20th, followed by Lily at 22nd and Ben at 23rd.

The Varsity skiers will compete at sectionals at Swain on Tuesday the 12th for the boys and Wednesday the 13th for the girls.
 

Team photo: Lily Wagner, Lily Whiting, Zach Wagner, Tess Cerefin, Ben Stone, Ethan Bradley, Aubrey Towner.

Aubrey Towner

Zach Wagnerski

Tess Cerefinski

Lily Whiting

The 54-year-old right-hander rolled 32 out of a possible 36 strikes -- including the last 23 in a row -- for a sparkling 238-290-300--828 series on lanes 3-4 in the County Line Stone League.

Gibson said he got the ball a couple weeks ago and had it drilled by Tom Allis of Medina.

He had nine strikes in the first game and, following a nine-spare in the first frame of game two, he never missed the pocket -- and carried every shot -- the rest of the way.

The 828 is his second USBC-certified 800 series (the first was an 810 at Scopano's in November 2000) and he now has eight 300 games.

In other recent bowling action, Jerry Blair of Le Roy recorded a 299 game en route to a 740 series on Jan. 31 and followed that up with a 279--703 series on Feb. 7 in the Thursday Night Men's League at Legion Lanes, and Matt Balduf of South Byron posted a 290 game in the Toyota of Batavia League at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Watch for a report of Sunday's finals of the Genesee Region USBC Masters Tournament later today.

Four-time champion Curtis Foss of Medina averaged 257.5 for four games today to lead the qualifying round of the 58th annual Genesee Region USBC Masters Tournament at Scopano's Lanes in Oakfield.

The powerful 31-year-old right-hander blistered the hall's "house shot" to the tune of 259-278-257-236 for a 1,030 total.

Foss, winner of the tournament in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015, outdistanced 2016 Masters champion Scott Culp of Honeoye Falls by 67 pins.

Culp's 963 was good for second place, followed by defending champion Kevin Gray Jr. of Warsaw, who posted 942.

Rounding out the top eight who will compete in a Peterson Point head-to-head, eight-game final round starting at 1 p.m. Sunday are Scott Allis of Medina, 919; Jake Rosenbeck of Medina, 911; Mike Johnson of Batavia, 910; two-time champion Tom Rohl of Le Roy, 892, and Mike Pettinella of Batavia, 887.

The field consists of five right-handers and three lefties (Gray Jr., Johnson and Rohl).

Devon Leach of Stafford posted 874 and is the alternate. Leach will bowl in case one of the finalists is unable to compete or withdraws during competition.

In Peterson Point match play, bowlers receive 30 points for a victory and additional points (or less points) for the score in relation to 200. For example, a bowler defeating his opponent with a 220 game receives 50 points for that game.

The bowler with the most Peterson Points after the eight games (including a tournament-ending position round) will be declared the champion.

The tournament drew 37 bowlers.

The Batavia High Lady Blue Devils, getting contributions from its entire roster, raised its Monroe County Division 4 girls' basketball record to 6-0 tonight with a 48-36 victory over visiting Greece Odyssey.

Batavia, now 15-2 overall, closes out the regular season against two divisional foes -- at Greece Olympia on Monday and home versus Pittsford Sutherland on Wednesday (Senior Night).

Coach Marty Hein’s squad is in position to grab the No. 1 seed in Class B1, with Midlakes and Hornell also in contention. Batavia’s first sectional tournament game will take place on Friday, Feb. 22.

Tonight’s game showcased the Lady Devils’ ball-hawking defense that forced 20 turnovers (including 10 steals) and produced 11 blocked shots, and an offense sparked by hard drives to the basket by senior guard Ryann Stefaniak and sophomore guard Mackenzie Reigle.

Batavia jumped out to a 7-0 lead but Odyssey, which came into the contest on a nine-game winning streak, rallied behind junior forward Treanna Blenman’s eight points to close within 14-12 after the first quarter.

The Lady Devils outscored the Leopards 12-6 in the second quarter and 10-6 in the third quarter to open a 12-point lead, which proved to be the margin of victory.

Stefaniak led Batavia with 18 points, along with five rebounds and three blocked shots, while Reigle had 12 points, six steals and three assists, and sophomore guard Bryn Wormley tallied 10 points.

Batavia also was sparked by senior guard Jenae Colkey, who filled the stat sheet with four points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists, and junior forward Emma Krolczyk, who had four points and five blocked shots.

Senior center Meghan Houseknecht and sophomores Tess Barone, Kennedy Kolb and Bella Houseknecht also saw significant minutes.

Blenman was the top scorer for Odyssey, 3-4 in the division and 13-6 overall, with 23 points – 14 in the first half and nine of the team’s 12 in the final period.

From Sarah Kingdon:

Sign-ups are now open for the Pavilion Youth Baseball/Softball League.

Please sign up through this new online portal here.

Click on Registration, select 2019 Pavilion Baseball/Softball Registration.

Registrations are due by Feb. 22.

Babe Ruth -- $75

12U, 10U, 8U -- $60

T-Ball (5-6 years old) -- $40

Please note that you will pay for the cash raffle fundraiser up front for $50. Tickets will be handed out by your coaches to sell.

The Opening Day Parade is on Saturday, April 27.

Please contact Tim Kingdon with questions at (585) 322-2804.

There were times Wednesday night when it seemed like Honeoye Falls-Lima just couldn't miss three-point shots but even with that hot streak, the Batavia Blue Devils kept the game close.

Batavia pulled to within three points in the closing seconds but the home team still came up short, losing 62-56.

HF-L's shooters hit nine three-pointers, with Patrick Lustik hitting four (22 points) and Hayden Smith hitting three (11 points).

Batavia's Mason McFollins answered with four three-pointers of his own and a total of 24 points and Andrew Francis scored 17 points. 

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To purchase or view photos, click here.

Press release:

Batavia Girls Fastpitch Softball (BGFS) recently received a very generous grant from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for $1,000. BGFS is actively fundraising to be able to purchase and install a new scoreboard at Lions Park, home field of the Batavia Stingers, and this grant will definitely help in the effort.

BGFS fields teams, known as the Batavia Stingers, at the 10u, 12u and 15u level in a Genesee Region Fastpitch Softball League.  While only in our third year of existence, BGFS has seen continued growth and has big plans for improving the field at Lions Park over the next couple of years. 

BGFS is very grateful to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for not only this generous grant but for the partnership that the Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store has formed with the Stingers the past two seasons. The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store see the important role BGFS plays in providing young ladies a healthy and fun outlet in the community and has pledged to help BGFS reach its full potential.

There will be an in-person registration at the Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store on Saturday, Feb. 9^th, from 10 a.m..- 2 p.m.  Parents interested in signing up their daughters and learning about our program are encouraged to attend. More information about BGFS can be found by checking out our Facebook page, Batavia Girls Fastpitch Softball, which has a link to our online registration site. 

Thank you to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and our Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store not only for the generous grant but for promoting and supporting youth sports in our community.

Batavia High School’s 11-game winning streak came to an end tonight at the hands of visiting Brockport, 53-46, in a Monroe County League interdivisional girls’ basketball game.

But the Batavia Lady Blue Devils, a Class B1 team, can hold their heads high as they hung with the Class A Brockport Lady Blue Devils, whose athleticism resulted in a decided advantage on the offensive boards (multiple second- and third-chances) and solid 2-3 zone defense forced Batavia away from the basket.

The winners consistently swarmed to the hoop, which resulted in them going to the foul line 27 times -- making 15 -- while Batavia was just 2-for-4 from the free throw line.

Brockport rode a pair of scoring spurts – an 8-0 run to open the second quarter and a 9-0 burst to start the fourth quarter – to its 16^th win in 17 outings.

The 8-0 run erased a 13-9 Batavia lead that was sparked by senior guard Ryann Stefaniak’s eight points, and the 9-0 burst turned a 38-35 Brockport lead into a 12-point advantage.

Batavia responded, however, by scoring nine straight points – four by Stefaniak, three by sophomore guard Bryn Wormley and two by sophomore guard Mackenzie Reigle – to cut the deficit to 47-44 with 3:32 left.

Cheered on by the home fans, including a raucous “Blue Zoo” section of students, Batavia had a chance to tie but a three-pointer by Wormley went in-and-out.

From there, Brockport’s junior center Shinya Lee scored off an offensive rebound with 2:30 to play and senior guard Bryn Hayes hit a free throw a minute later to up the score to 50-44.

Reigle then drove to the basket and missed, but she came up with a nifty steal and layup at the 44-second mark to pull Batavia within four. That was as close as Batavia could get, however, as Brockport sank three free throws in the final seconds to close out the scoring.

Stefaniak led Batavia, now 13-2, with 19 points while Reigle added 12 and Wormley 11. Reigle also led the team with five rebounds, four steals and four assists.

For Brockport, Lee tallied 18, senior forward Doralis Allen 12 and Hayes 10.

Batavia plays at Honeoye Falls-Lima on Thursday and hosts Greece Odyssey on Friday.

Longtime Viking Valhalla Restaurant cook Harris Busmire rolled a 300 game Thursday night at the bowling center attached to his place of employment -- Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.

The 54-year-old right-hander's honor score came in the Thursday Owls League, and was his fourth perfect game since 2001.

In the Sunday Rolloffs League at Medina Lanes, Scott Allis registered a 299 game in a 730 series, and in the Monday Night League at Letchworth Pines in Portageville, Matthew Hurlburt strung 11 in a row after an opening spare for a 290 game en route to a 763 series.

For a list of high rollers for the week, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Mike Pettinella's next Pin Points bowling column is scheduled for this Thursday.

Attica dealt Alexander only its fourth loss on the season, only second in league play, knocking the Trojans out of a first-place tie with Lyndonville and Elba, with a 64-54 win at home.

Alexander's Chris McClinic was the game's top scorer with 25 points. Ryan Davis scored 11 points for the Trojans.

For the Blue Devils, Devon Henderson scored 15 points, Frankie Bisceglie, 12, Trevor Goll, 11. Dawson Nelson scored 10 points, added 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Ayden Goll scored nine points and had six assists, six rebounds, and two steals.

"I was very proud of the team tonight," said Attica Coach Rob Crowley. "This was two good teams going at it. It was a great game in December over there and I would not have expected anything less tonight. It's always nice to win at home versus your rivals. "

Attica is now 10-6. Alexander is 11-4.

Elba (15-3) was also lost its share of first place in the Genesee Region League on Friday night with a 52-41 loss to Lyndonville (15-1).

Oakfield-Alabama (8-7) beat Pembroke (7-9) 64-51.

Byron-Bergen (6-9) beat Holley 65-47.

Pavilion (7-9) (in the Livingston League) beat Geneseo 71-63. 

Batavia plays North Tonawanda this afternoon at North Tonawanda. Batavia, in the Monroe League, is 6-7.

Skip all the pre-game Super Bowl hype and test your skills on the bowling lanes. You might win some money and you'll be home in plenty of time to watch the Patriots battle the Rams.

That's the message that tournament director Mark Brown is sending out to Genesee Region bowlers as he promotes his "Super Sunday" handicap singles tournament at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia this weekend.

The event starts at noon with a four-game qualifying squad. The field will be cut to eight bowlers after that for a head-to-head final round.

The entry fee is $45 and the field will be limited to 35 bowlers. First place, based on a full field, is $400.

As of this posting, about 25 have signed up. To enter, call Mancuso Bowling Center at 343-1319.

Two of the most popular names on the Genesee Region USBC awards list -- Curtis Foss of Medina and Diane Hurlburt of Warsaw -- added to their many chances for the local association's grand prize drawing at the season-ending banquet in May with superlative league performances last week.

Foss started a bit slowly (for him) with a 223 game before stringing 24 consecutive strikes -- back-to-back 300 games -- for an 823 series in the Friday Night Mixers League at Oak Orchard Bowl.

The 31-year-old right-hander raised his average to 240 for 57 games this season (he's at 245 in a Monday league at Oak Orchard Bowl), and now has three 800 series since Jan. 4.

Hurlburt, a 48-year-old righty, also has been in a groove of late, with the latest big series comilng on Thursday at Livingston Lanes in Geneseo -- 248-266-249--763. It is her fourth 700 series this season and eclipses her previous best of 738 (Jan. 19, 2017).

She had a legitimate shot at an 800 series after rolling the first six strikes in the third game. But a pocket 7-10 split in the seventh frame, and a solid 7-pin in the ninth frame kept her from eclipsing the GRUSBC women's record of 782 set by Caycee Landers at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen last season.

"I knew that I had the 700 but I really didn't realize that I was close (to 800)," said Hurlburt, who bowls in the league with her husband, Jason, and son, Matthew.

A Fillmore native who owns her own cleaning business, she is averaging 200 in a Monday league at Letchworth Pines in Portageville and 194 in the Thursday league at Livingston Lanes. Both of those leagues were relocated after a fire shut down operations at Perry Bowling Center.

The GRUSBC's awards program allows bowlers to earn entries into a grand prize drawing in May based on high scores bowled during the season. Last year, Foss and Hurlburt had the most chances to win one of three $500 cash prizes -- with Hurlburt actually winning -- and they have the most chances again this season. 

In other league action last week, Rich Wagner of Batavia posted 792 in the Toyota of Batavia league at Mancuso Bowling Center to raise his average to a record-setting pace of 248.26, while Steve Krna rolled 279--768 in the Antique World Tuesday Coed league, also at Mancuso's.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Elba may be ranked number one in the state now but it's not something they think much about, said Coach Tom Redband after Friday's home victory over Pembroke 46-45.

"It's a fun thing for the fans and it's a nice thing to read about but it's not something we talk about or, you know, fixate on," Redband said. "You know we want to be as good as we can in the end; whatever that might be. We don't get into whether we're number one state or winning sectionals or winning states.

"It's just the personality of the team because of their work ethic."

And winning is a whole team effort, Redband said. The best example this year is Wednesday's road win over Avon 60-33 with no player on the team hitting double digits in scoring.

"We ended up winning by 27," Redband said. "I think that's pretty rare. I can't remember the last time we lost by 27 when the top two scorers on the other team had five points. I think that's just a testament to the girls developing and being ready at all times no matter what they did last game. You know, the next girl up when somebody is not at their best or injured or we need a little boost."

Elba, a Class D team, is 15-0 on the season now and among the reasons it's ranked number one in the state is five of those wins came against Class B teams and all but one of those other wins against Class C teams. The team has scored at least 60 points 12 times.

Friday night's win -- which Elba almost let slip away -- was another example of distributed offense with Brynn Walczak scoring 12 points, Leah Bezon with 11, Lauryn Engle, 9, Taylor Augello, 6, and Maddie Muehlig, 5. Engle hit three of her four three-point attempts.

Here's how Redband breaks down his team:

"Leah Bezon has been on the team for four years now. She's only a sophomore. She keeps developing and she has a humongous upside. She's our captain.

"Brynn Walzcak has been on the team two, three years. Maddie Mulehig three years, Taylor Augello, it's her second year starting and she's really come on this year. She worked really hard in the offseason to develop her game.

"Maddie Howard who is a senior, she'll be back soon. She was injured a couple of weeks ago. She'll be back soon. She's a great, great assist person, very unselfish looking to defend and assist. 

"Then we have shooters like Adriana Long and Dakota Brinkman and Lauryn Engle, who at any point could hit three or four threes in a game.

"Kelly Mickey is a ferocious defender and then Izzy Riner who can kind of do it all.

"We're really not a top-heavy team."

Leah Bezon

Taylor Augello

Maddie Muehlig

Maddie Muehlig

Taylor Augello

Leah Bezon

Brynn Walczak

Press release:

On Friday, Jan. 18, the JV and varsity boys basketball teams from Byron-Bergen and Elba faced off in their traditional “Battle of Route 262” games, but this year they had their sights set higher than just a victory on the basketball court. Much higher.

In response to two of their classmates receiving cancer diagnoses, the players wanted to raise money for organizations that have helped those individuals and their families. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester and Cure Childhood Cancer Association received equal shares of the evening’s donations.

“Games with Elba bring in a large local crowd,” said Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach Roxanne Noeth. “We thought that it would be a good chance to raise money and awareness for the cause – and the crowd really was amazing.”

In the weeks leading up to the game, the Byron-Bergen boys’ basketball teams gathered donations from friends, family, and community members and organizations. But, the Bees weren’t the only ones on the fundraising offensive. Elba, a partner District with Byron-Bergen for several sports including soccer and gymnastics, also collected donations for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

“These students face off as opponents in basketball, but in another season they may be playing side-by-side,” said Elba Athletic Director Karen Cusmano. “The districts are less than 10 miles apart. We belong to a larger community and I’m proud that both teams are stepping up to support this important cause.”

The Elba players also joined the Byron-Bergen players in the half-court shot challenge sponsored by Jimmy Z’s of Brockport. Jimmy Z’s donated $20 for every half-court basket. The crowd exploded in applause as two Byron-Bergen players and one Elba player sunk the shot.

Both teams played hard with Elba’s JV and varsity teams edging out the bees. However, the biggest score of the evening was the $5,459 raised in support of the two charitable organizations. However, the final count still is not in.

Jimmy Z’s pledged to donate 20 percent of all sales from customers who mention Byron-Bergen’s fundraiser on Monday, Jan. 21, but due to inclement weather, the final fundraising effort is rescheduled to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28.

In a tweet, the Ronald McDonald House responded to the fundraiser announcement, “Thank you so much! This is a big help for our families.”

Contact: Rich Hannan, Byron-Bergen athletic director (585) 494-1220, ext: 2003; Contact: Pat McGee Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. high School principal (585) 494-1220, ext: 2401.

“Our sports teams have a strong tradition of raising money for charitable organizations,” said Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan. “It’s an amazing accomplishment for high school students to organize fundraising on this scale, but it is also an amazing show of solidarity for their classmates and their families. It says, "We’ve got your back.’Once a Bee. Always a Bee.” 

Pictured: (l-r) (back row) Corden Zimmerman, Varsity Coach Roxanne Noeth, Lucas Stucchio, Daren Barron, Jerrod Amesbury, Josh Hohn, Jonathan Hahn, Travis Lambert, Tony DiQuattro, Rick Hubbard, Kevin Smith, Alex Brumsted, Mitch Gonyea, Bryce Yockel, Chad Green, Nicholas Baubie, JV Coach Chris Chapman; (front row) Nicolas Walters, Joey Damick, Caleb Carlson, David Brumsted, Anthony Chapman, Gianni Ferrara, Ryan Muscarella, Alex Donnelly, Alex Heatherman.  

When you're averaging 245 in one league and 238 in another, 700 series just don't cut it. For Medina's Curtis Foss, reaching the 800 mark for three games is where it's at.

Foss recently posted his sixth and seventh 800 series in the past 24 months -- 267-277-258--802 in the Friday Mixers League on Jan. 4 and 266-279-258--803 in the Sneezy's Monday Night League on Jan. 14, both at Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion.

The high-revving 31-year-old right-hander also has seven 300 games over the past two years.

Speaking of perfect games, Nathan Tackentien of Arcade recorded his second 300 in as many weeks, the latest coming last Monday in league play at Letchworth Pines in Portageville.

For a list of high scores from leagues in the Genesee Region, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Mike Pettinella's next Pin Points column is scheduled for this Thursday.

For the seventh time in 13 games this season, the Alexander Trojans topped 60 points en route to their 10th win, beating Notre Dame at Notre Dame, 63-52.

Chris McClinic led the Trojans with 24 points, hitting a pair of three-point baskets along the way, and senior captain Ryan Davis scored 13 points.

"At the beginning, we were able to attack their two-three zone," said Trojan Coach Wayne Hanley. "We were able to get through it pretty quick and made them change things up. I thought Notre Dame did a good job shooting but we did a good job on the boards."

With eight wins against Genesee Region competition (10-3 overall), Alexander is tied for the league lead with Lyndonville and Elba. 

The Trojans lost a home game to Elba on Wednesday, 61-45, and have also lost to Greece-Odyssey, 91-54, and to Cal-Mum, 73-63.

"The kids are playing really well," Hanley said. "We faced some tough competition. Greece-Odyssey, then we played Cal-Mum, and that helped us prepare for the GR itself. The GR is very tough this year. We’ve played some tough games but we’ve been focused every game so I think that has really helped us out."

For Notre Dame, now 6-8, Spencer Misiti scored 16 points, Gabe Macdonald scored 12, and Zachary Cocking scored 11.

Thank you to Coach Hanley for participating in a video interview. Unfortunately, the audio did not come out well enought to use with this video.

UPDATED Jan. 19: WNY Rebels annual AAU Basketball Tryouts for boys and girls will be held on Sunday Jan. 27 and Sunday Feb. 10 at Norte Dame High School gymnasium. Cost is $10 per player. (Jan. 20 tryouts are cancelled due to the snowstorm.)

The school is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia. Questions? Contact Otis Thomas via email at  otisthomas33@yahoo.com

The schedule both days will be as follows:

Fifth / Sixth Grade Girls -- 8 to 9 a.m.

Fifth / Sixth Grade Boys -- 9 to 10 a.m.

Seventh / Eighth Grade Girls -- 10 to 11 a.m.

Seventh / Eighth Grade Boys -- 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Ninth / 10th Grade Girls -- 12 to 1 p.m.

11th / 12th Grade Boys -- 1 to 2 p.m.

Ninth / 10th Grade Boys -- 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.