Sports

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.

Jasmin Macdonald's 19 points weren't enough to lift Batavia over Cal-Mum in Tuesday's opening game of the 2023 Rotary Tournament at GCC.

Batavia lost 52-54.

Isabella Walsh scored eight points, Anna Varland, six, and Violet Lopez, five.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

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.”

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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. 

See also: Alexander Trojans captures Lions Club tournament Small School crown, 61-49 over Notre Dame

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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.

Batavia posts thrilling 56-52 victory over Attica for Lions Club tourney Large School championship

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.

Photos by Deb Reilly.

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 42^nd 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.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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.

Photos by Brennan Bezon.

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. 

Photos by Deb Reilly.

Alexander coasted past Oakfield-Alabama, 52-35, at Genesee Community College tonight and into the finals of the 42^nd 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.

Photos by Deb Reilly.

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.

Brian Cline recorded the third-highest series in Genesee Region USBC history on Monday night, posting 857 in the Mancuso Real Estate League at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia.

The 45-year-old left-hander, who has around four dozen 800 series to his credit, rolled games of 299-300-258 on lanes 7-8.

The Middleport resident left a 3-pin on the last ball for 299 in the opening game, which saw his teammate Paul Bacon register a 269 game.

He followed that with the perfect game, and then added eight more strikes in the last game. He had a shot for 280 in the third game but left a 7-pin on the first ball in the 10th frame.

The 857 trails only an 858 rolled by Cline in January of 2018 at Mancuso's, and fellow lefty Rich Wagner's 899 in February 2011 at Mancuso's.

Cline's best three-game series is an 868 at Transit Lanes in Buffalo in November 2013.

In other league play:

-- Robbie Hanks and Jeff Shawver each rolled 300 games in the Sneezy's Monday Night League at Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion. Hanks finished with 721 and Shawver shot 686. It was the first United States Bowling Congress-certified for Shawver.

-- Justin Thering rolled a 300 game in a 640 series in the Wednesday Community League at Medina Lanes. The 29-year-old right-hander upped his average to 218 with his second USBC-certified perfect game. His first came in Lockport in 2021 en route to an 816 series.

The Notre Dame varsity girls’ basketball team raised its record to 3-2 on Friday with a 53-27 win over visiting Lyndonville in Genesee Region League action.

Nina Bartz scored 14 points and Sofia Falleti contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Luci Zambito and Emma Fitch each chipped in with nine points for the Lady Irish.

Ashley Stephens scored 11 points for Lyndonville.

ND Coach Vin Falleti: “We came out tonight and took a solid lead in the first quarter and never looked back. We played tremendous defense, which led to (numerous) offensive opportunities.”

Submitted photos.

The Byron-Bergen Bees improved to 7-1 on Thursday night by rolling past host Kendall, 71-46, in Genesee Region League varsity boys’ basketball.

Senior forward-center Braedyn Chambry poured in 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the way for Coach Roxanne Noeth’s squad.

Senior guard-forward Brody Baubie tallied 19 points and senior guard Colin Martin chipped in with 10 points eight steals and three assists.

For Kendall, 2-4, Louis Conte had 12 points and five rebounds.

In other boys’ basketball action:

-- Host Notre Dame withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by Wheatland-Chili in a 63-62 victory.

Leighton Williams scored 34 points for W-C, including a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a one-point lead in the final minute. Mavrik Hall responded for the Irish, however, and ND thwarted W-C’s final possession to improve to 4-0.

Jaden Sherwood led the Irish with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jay Antinore scored 13 and Hall tallied eight points and 10 rebounds.

In girls’ basketball:

-- Le Roy, 5-3, defeated Greece Athena/Odyssey, 55-49, behind Abby Allen’s 16 points and six assists; Gabby Zitz’s 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Kenna MacKenzie’s 10 points and six rebounds.

-- Pembroke downed Holley, 61-37, to raise its record to 6-2. Elle Peterson scored 22 points – hitting six three-pointers – to lead the visiting Dragons.  Jayden Hootman had 13 points, Seneca Calderon 12 and Morgan Coniber grabbed 10 rebounds while blocking six shots.

-- Eastridge topped Batavia, 52-37, behind Liv Green’s 22 points. Batavia, 4-3, got 11 points and 14 rebounds from Jamin Macdonald and 10 points, six rebounds and five steals from Isabella Walsh.

The Byron-Bergen Bees, behind a balanced attack, turned back Oakfield-Alabama, 65-48, on Wednesday night in a Genesee Region boys’ basketball contest at O-A.

Six players got into the scoring column in the opening half as the visitors jumped out to a 32-15 advantage.

In the second half, Braedyn Chambry scored 14 of his game-high 20 points to keep B-B comfortably on top.

Brandon Pimm and Colin Martin tallied 11 apiece and Brody Baubie added 10 and Craig DiQuattro six for the winners. For the Hornets, Brendan Wescott and Avery Watterson scored 17 and 13, respectively.

Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro.

Elba defeated host Notre Dame, 49-44, in Genesee Region girls’ basketball action Wednesday night.

Sofia Falleti recorded a double-double for the Irish, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Nina Bartz added 12 for ND.

ND Coach Vinny Falleti:

“Our team played hard tonight and made runs to come back but couldn’t put together a complete game against a physical Elba team. The game was back and forth with a lot of intensity. We will see each other again late in the season.”

Statistics from Elba have yet to be submitted.

For more high school sports competition from last night, click on the Sports tab at the top of the home page.

Photos by Debra Reilly