Sports

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish staged a furious comeback on Saturday night, rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime, before dropping a 4-3 decision to Irondequoit in Section 5 hockey action at Lakeshore Hockey Arena and Sports Center in Rochester.

Junior Vin DiRisio’s goal with 35 seconds left in regulation – after Coach Marc Staley had pulled freshman goaltender Frank Falleti Jr. for an extra attacker – tied the game for the Irish, who fought back after trailing 2-0 after the first period (for the second straight game) and 3-1 early in the third period.

With the loss, the Irish end the regular season at 7-3-1 and finish second to Irondequoit, 9-2-1, in their division.

Notre Dame, however, held on to the No. 1 seed for the Section V Class A Tournament due to its strength of schedule and posting six victories over teams with winning records.

“You get more power-ranking points by beating teams with winning records,” Staley said, who added that ND earned points for taking the game to overtime.

The Irish will face either Pittsford or Webster Schroeder on Tuesday night at the Batavia Ice Rink in the first round of the eight-team tournament.

Hilton and Victor, both at 10-2, are seeded second and third, respectively, while Gates/Wayne/EI/Wheatland, 9-3, is the fourth seed.

In last night’s game, Irondequoit took control early as sophomore defenseman Leo Letta redirected a shot by senior forward Bryce Billitier past Falleti at the 2:44 mark.

With senior goaltender Vaughn Letta thwarting several excellent chances by junior Gavin Schrader, Vin DiRisio and freshman Joe DiRisio, Irondequoit was able to take a 2-0 lead at 12:40 when Eli Velepec beat Falleti after passes by Billitier and Bruin Giudice set it up.

The Irish began to assert themselves in the second period as Schrader’s relentless work in the corners and rushes up the ice put Irondequoit on its heels. Falleti made a couple of sparkling saves as well to prevent the Eagles increasing their lead.

Goaltender Letta continued to come up big for Irondequoit until a Vin DiRisio slapshot beat him at the 10:23 mark with ND in a two-man advantage situation. Cooper Hamilton and Joe DiRisio assisted.

ND outshot Irondequoit 14-5 in a period marked by some hard checking and, at times, “chippy” play.

In the third period, only 32 seconds had elapsed when Irondequoit's Jordan Flynn, who was closing in to Falleti’s right, fired a cross-ice pass to Billitier, who tucked it into the open side of net to make it 3-1.

The Irish wasted little time pulling within a goal again as Joe DiRisio got one past Vaughn Letta with help from Schrader and Wyatt Krolczyk at 1:55.

ND continued to put pressure on Irondequoit but goalie Letta stood tall. When he stymied Schrader in front of the net with 47 seconds left, it looked bleak for the visitors.

After an Irondequoit timeout, Falleti headed to the bench as ND had a faceoff in Irondequoit’s zone. The move paid off when Vin DiRisio slapped the loose puck past Letta. Schrader and Joe DiRisio assisted.

In the five-minute overtime, Joe DiRisio had a golden opportunity in front of the net but, again, Letta was equal to the task. Moments later, Leo Letta skated free and drilled it past Falleti to the glove side.

With the win, Irondequoit earned the No. 1 seed in the highly competitive Section V Class B Tournament, which features four other teams with just two or three losses – Canandaigua Academy, Penfield, Brockport and Webster Thomas.

The Irish fired 39 shots to Irondequoit’s 28 after being outshot 12-9 in the first period.

“We did not play a solid first period for the second game in a row, but it’s also the second game in a row that we battled back,” Staley said. “Going down 3-1 in the first shift of the third period, a lot of teams would have folded. But this team didn’t. They showed something to each other tonight that they’re in this thing to battle right to the end.”

For the season, Schrader has 17 goals and 17 assists, Vin DiRisio has 17 goals and 13 assists and Joe DiRisio has 12 goals and seven assists. Hamilton and Krolczyk have 14 and 13 assists, respectively. Falleti has a 3.41 goals against average.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Bryn Wormley and Mackenzie Reigle are attached at the hip when it comes to the game of basketball.

And it’s only fitting that Wormley on Saturday afternoon joined her “senior sister” as members of the Batavia High varsity girls’ basketball team’s 1,000-point club in a 62-41 victory over host Greece Odyssey.

Entering the Monroe County League Division IV regular season finale, Wormley needed 31 points to hit the milestone.

Her teammates, all in on Coach Marty Hein’s game plan against the winless Lady Leopards, continually fed her the ball in an effort to make it happen before next Tuesday’s Section V Class B1 Tournament opener.

Wormley, launching three-point shots and knifing and twisting her way for driving layups, scored 28 of the Lady Devils’ 47 points after three quarters.

A driving layup at the 5:50 mark of the fourth period put her at 30 and less than a minute later, she calmly swished a foul shot for point number 31 this season and 1,000 for her career.

Both Wormley and Reigle, who scored her 1,000^th point on Tuesday of this week, came up to the varsity late in the season as seventh-graders.

“This means a lot to me and it does to Kenzie, too. I think we’re just blessed to be able to play this year, especially with COVID and everything we have missed over the last several months,” Wormley said. “It’s just really nice that we got to do this together because we have been playing together since we picked up a basketball. First time was Buff Rice Camp in third grade.”

Wormley said she was “definitely nervous” but it didn’t look that way as she hit her first two three-pointers to open the scoring. Her outside shooting touch escaped her for a while after that, so she changed her strategy.

“I hit the first two ‘threes’ but the shot wasn’t falling after that so I tried something else – I starting driving to the basket,” she said.

It paid off as she scored 16 points on layups and sank four free throws in the final three quarters. When she and Reigle came out of the game together with 3:30 to play, she had 32 points – twice her season’s average.

Hein, as he did a few nights ago with Reigle, talked about Wormley’s work ethic as a key to her success.

“Bryn works so hard at her shooting, and she’s been such an unselfish player for probably two years previous to last year,” Hein said. "When we had Ryann Stefaniak, Bryn kind of took a back seat instead of pushing her own self. Last year was her breakout year (15.6 points per game average) because it was her time to start doing it.”

Hein also mentioned the manner in which Wormley and Reigle feed off each other on the court.

“You have two girls that have been gym rats ever since they were third-graders and they work well together. There are times when I have to watch film (to see who scored) because Assistant Coach Frank (Gioia) and our scorekeeper can’t tell if it was Kenzie or if it was Bryn because they look so much alike.”

As far as letting Bryn take the majority of shots, Hein said he was worried that there wouldn’t be another game because of COVID-19.

“The Elba boys are done with basketball right now because of COVID. Holley boys are done with basketball because of COVID. I would have just hated for her to get to 996 and, God forbid something happens, and that’s our last game,” he said. “Plus, today is a better situation (instead of it happening in a sectional tournament game). It’s done. She’s got it and nobody can ever take it away.”

With Reigle and now Wormley scoring 1,000 points, there are five Batavia girls' basketball players who have achieved that mark, with Tiara Filbert, Madison McCulley and Stefaniak being the others.

Wormley, who plans to play basketball at St. John Fisher College, said she’s relieved that the quest for 1,000 points is over.

“Now, we can just focus on getting the block (Section V championship trophy),” she said.

Reigle had 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and Tess Barone chipped in with eight points for Batavia, 8-4. Asia Philip led Odyssey with 15 points.

The Lady Devils will face Greece Olympia at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Batavia High School. This will be their fourth meeting of the season. Batavia has won the previous three, all by 20 points.

Photos: From top, Bryn Wormley shoots the free throw that gave her 1,000 points for her varsity career (submitted photo); Wormley accepts a plaque from Coach Marty Hein; Wormley's mother, Chris, gives the thumbs up as she and Gail Francis celebrate the achievement (photos by Mike Pettinella).

In the midst of a pandemic, when attendance was limited, Pembroke's annual "Shooting For A Cure!" fundraiser has raised at least $39,200, said organizer Mike Wilson.

That amount breaks last year's record-breaking total of $33,000.

Donations are still trickling in and Wilson is hoping the event goes over $40,000 by Monday morning when he'll announce the final results.

The funds benefit cancer research at Roswell Cancer Institute.

The basketball game itself saw another record fall. Serene Calderón scored 16 points, giving her a career total of 822, a new school record.

For the Lady Hornets, Makena Reding scored 16 points and Josie Reding scored 10 points.

The final score was 49-43, Hornets.

To get an idea of how many people turn out for the event when there are no coronavirus pandemic restrictions, watch our video from a year ago.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos click here.

Dakota Brinkman and Byrnn Walczak both scored 13 points Friday night in Alexander to help Elba to a 53-44 victory over the Trojans.

Laci Sewer, nine points, and Brinkman both hit a pair of three-point shots.

Maddie Muehlig scored seven points and Taylor Augello, six.

Walczak made it a double-double with 10 rebounds. Augello also had 10 rebounds.

For Alexander, Hallie Kramer scored 12 points and Natalie Whitmore scored 11. Ally Mileham scored 10. Whitmore had 10 rebounds and Melanie Pohl, who scored five points, had 11 rebounds.

The Lady Lancers finish the regular season at 11-0. Friday's win was the first time this year that their margin of victory was less than 10 points.

In other girls games: 

• Pavilion beat Cal-Mum 43-23 (Pavilion also finishes the regular season undefeated at 10-0)
• Le Roy beat Letchworth 53-33
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Pembroke 49-43

In boys basketball:

• Notre Dame beat Alexander 63-52
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Pembroke, 68-51
• Wheatland-Chili beat Byron-Bergen 68-57

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Batavia Coach Marty Hein knew that it would be a “tall order” for his Lady Blue Devils girls’ basketball team to defeat Our Lady of Mercy on Thursday night, considering that the visitors’ frontline featured 6-foot-5 senior center Katie Whitaker and 6-foot sophomore Audrey Hintz.

While the height disadvantage inside was too much for Batavia to overcome, the home team battled the Class AA Lady Monarchs the entire way in a 62-42 loss.

The Lady Devils, 7-4, close out their regular season Saturday afternoon before preparing to host a Section V Class B1 Tournament game on Tuesday night against an opponent to be determined.

Hein said he scheduled the nonleague game against Mercy, now 8-3, in anticipation of possibly facing Dansville, which is led by 6-foot-2 Arayana Young (16 points per game), in the sectionals.

“When we found out on January 19^th that the season would be happening and that our first practice would be February 1^st, it didn’t give us much time to schedule games,” Hein said. “That’s when we set up the game with Mercy with the idea we may face Dansville, who also has a ‘big.’ ”

As it turned out, Batavia will not face Dansville this season as the Lady Mustangs are in Class B2.

In last night’s game, Whitaker scored 20 points – all of them on layups after taking high-arcing passes from her teammates or from put backs after she grabbed an offensive rebound.

The Lady Devils, with no player over 5-10, made it tough on her, however, with double- and triple-teaming, and drew a couple offensive fouls in the process. They also employed a full court press most of the game in an attempt to slow down the Lady Monarchs.

Mercy led 14-8 after the first quarter before expanding its lead by outscoring Batavia 22-10 in the second quarter. Whitaker scored six points in the period, but junior guard Libby McDonough really hurt the Lady Devils by scoring 11 of her 19 points in the quarter, including two three-point shots.

Mackenzie Reigle scored nine of her 19 points for Batavia in the second quarter.

A pair of three-point shots by Bryn Wormley and a free throw by Reigle pulled Batavia within 36-25 early in the third quarter. Mercy stretched the lead to 16 when McDonough sank another three-pointer – and was fouled on the shot -- and Whitaker rebounded McDonough’s missed free throw for a layup. Whitaker finished with 15 rebounds.

Reigle and Wormley provided all of Batavia’s 18 points in the quarter – scoring nine each – as the Lady Devils cut the deficit to 50-36.

Reigle’s steal and layup to start the fourth quarter pulled Batavia within 12 before Whitaker sank three shots from close range around a pair of free throws by Hintz to seal the outcome.

For the game, Batavia made just 14 of 48 shots from the field.

Wormley finished with 15 points and now needs 31 more to join Reigle as a 1,000-point scorer for her varsity career. She’ll have a chance to add to her total when the Lady Devils visit Greece Odyssey for a 2:15 p.m. game Saturday.

Following a frustrating 3-2 loss to Brockport this afternoon at the Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex in Rochester, Notre Dame Coach Marc Staley reflected upon what otherwise has been a successful ice hockey season thus far for the Fighting Irish, who will play a final regular season game on Saturday before hosting a Section 5 Class A Tournament next Tuesday.

“If you would have said to me five weeks ago that we were going to have a season, I would have been thrilled,” Staley said. “If you said to me five weeks ago that we were going to be 7-2-1 and be the No. 1 seed in Class A, I would have said you’re crazy.”

Both the No. 1 overall seed in Class A and the Section V Division 3 championship are in reach for Notre Dame.

A victory over division rival Irondequoit, 8-2-1, on Saturday (7 p.m. at Lakeshore Hockey Arena and Sports Center in Rochester) will give the Fighting Irish the league title while a win or a tie will enable them to retain their current place as the top seed in Class A.

“We’re playing in the highest class in New York State hockey against teams (from large schools) like Webster Schroeder and Hilton,” Staley said. “I think they (Section V officials) looked at our scores early in the season when we won big (and placed us there). But I don’t care where they put us. There’s not a lot of difference between Class A and Class B.”

Today’s game showed that as Brockport, a Class B entry, burst out of the gate, peppering ND’s freshman goaltender Frank Falleti with 13 shots in the first 10 minutes and cashing in on two of them – a goal by Jeremiah Rausch at 6:54 and a power play goal by Henry Schultz at 9:58 (assisted by Rausch).

Notre Dame had a couple of great chances late in the period but the team’s leading scorers, Gavin Schrader and Vin DiRisio, were stymied by Brockport goalie Joseph Volpe. Brockport outshot Batavia 18-8 in the period.

It didn’t take long for the Irish to cut the lead in half as Schrader flipped a backhand shot past Volpe just 33 seconds into the second period for his 17^th goal of the season. Vin DiRisio assisted on the goal. ND tied the score about six minutes later when freshman Joe DiRisio made a nifty move to get past the defenseman and found the back of the net.

Brockport, now 7-3-1, responded, however, tallying what proved to be the game’s final goal with 48 seconds left in the period as Tyler Henshaw put away the loose puck in a 4-on-3 power play after Falleti had turned away shots by Rausch and Jonathan LoMonaco.

In the third period, ND drew a couple of early penalties, including a four-minute major, but was unable to capitalize. For the game, they were 1 for 9 on the power play.

Notre Dame kept the pressure on in the final seven minutes, turning a 32-27 deficit in shots on goal to a 37-32 advantage, but Volpe was equal to the task. In the end, Volpe stopped 37 shots while Falleti had 31 saves.

“It was two different games, right,” Staley said. “We were very flat to start the game and, to their credit, they’re up after the first and we had to reassess the situation. What kids are struggling with is that we can’t sneak up on anybody anymore. When you start the season 6-0, 7-1, everyone is looking for you; they’re going to give you their best games and kids are getting up to play us.”

Staley gave the team credit for clawing back from the 2-0 deficit.

“We bounced back and found some energy down the stretch, but we didn’t execute on the power play as well as we needed to,” he said. “We had chances, but their goalie played great and their defense did a nice job of clearing pucks and winning face-offs.

“We got beat on face-offs most of the night and that is a huge stat. Every face-off is eight seconds of possession in hockey. You win 20 draws a game, you’re talking about an extra three minutes of puck possession.”

He singled out the two freshman, goalie Falleti – “in a year or two he’s going to be something,” he said -- and Joe DiRisio, who has 11 goals this season.

“We have so many good players – and they're young,” Staley said. “We only lose five players (after this season).”

A well-balanced offensive game propelled Oakfield-Alabama to a 70-63 victory over Lyndonville on Wednesday.

Gaige Armbrewster scored 14 points, Ty Mott 13, Kyle Porter 12, Payton Yasses 11, Travis Wiedrich 10, and Kaden Cusmano 8.

Nathan Dillenbeck scored 21 points for Lyndonville.

The Hornets are now 7-2 on the season. 

In other boys basketball:

• Alexander beat Kendall 71-45. 
• Notre Dame beat Byron-Bergen 79-57
• Holley beat Elba 74-68

In girls basketball:

• Dansville beat Le Roy 76-20
• Pembroke beat Akron 57-40
• Alexander beat Kendall 60-34
• Notre Dame beat Byron-Bergen 55-24
• Pavilion (now 9-0) 47-29

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee Community College Foundation and Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble Honorary Chairperson Gina G. Giese ('91) have confirmed the Sixth Annual Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble will take place on Monday, July 19, at Stafford Country Club in Stafford.

Giese, a Batavia resident, earned an associate degree in Business and Marketing from GCC in 1991, a bachelor's degree in the same from Buffalo State College and an MBA from Canisius College. She has spent her career as a local business leader. She is currently retail regional manager, administrative vice president at M&T Bank in Batavia, where she started her career with the bank 32 years ago.

A devoted volunteer and member of GCC's Alumni Council since 2011, Giese has served on many committees including the Cougar Classic and GCC Alumni Panel Series. She and her husband, Walter, are golfers and have also volunteered on the PGA Tour.

"I am sincerely grateful to Gina for serving as chair for the sixth annual Cougar Classic," said Executive Director of the GCC Foundation, Justin Johnston. "In my time at GCC, I've enjoyed collaborating with her on our Alumni Council. Gina's leadership is vital to so many areas of GCC, and I look forward to working with her on this important initiative to raise scholarship funds for our GCC students."

The Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble allows up to 36 foursomes for the 18-hole event at the esteemed Stafford Country Club. Registration includes 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, all beer and nonalcoholic beverages during play, lunch and dinner with a cash bar, and much more!

Most importantly, all proceeds from the Cougar Classic support GCC student scholarship programs, making higher education possible for deserving students in our communities.

Businesses and individuals looking to take advantage of this event's advertising opportunities and lock in sponsorship levels are encouraged to act early and contact Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs Jennifer Wakefield directly at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6265, or via email at jgwakefield@genesee.edu.

Exciting new event details, registration and sponsorship forms will be available here.

Photo from a previous Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble, from left: Erik Fix, Samantha Schafer, Gina Geise and Walter Szczesny.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School Girls’ Basketball Team will host its 10th annual Shooting For A Cure! event versus Oakfield-Alabama this Friday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the high school gym, located at the corner of routes 5 and 77 (8750 Alleghany Road) in Pembroke.

Because of the current statewide COVID-19 restrictions, admission to the game is by school-issued passes only, with two immediate family members per player in attendance.

To date, Shooting For A Cure! has raised more than $152,000 and has become one of Roswell Park’s largest community-based fundraising events.

This year, the team hopes to break the $200,000 mark in total funds raised since the event’s inception, setting their most ambitious goal to date.

Donate / Support / Bid 

There are several ways to support this year’s mission.

The team is currently accepting online donations in support of Shooting For A Cure! To make a donation, please click here.

Currently Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service has listed 20 Park Hopper passes to Walt Disney World that are up for bid. This auction closes on Friday, March 5th at 9:30 p.m., with 100 percent of the proceeds raised to benefit cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Insty-Prints of Buffalo generously printed raffle tickets in support of this year’s event. Countless donors have provided jewelry, newly released Apple products, Amazon gift cards, autographed sports memorabilia, gift certificates to local restaurants, themed-baskets, family photo sessions, and various hand-crafted items as raffle prizes. The YMCA of Batavia donated multiple memberships and Pesci’s Pizza & Wings donated an "Office Pizza Party for 12."

A limited number of raffle tickets remain.

To bid, click here.

Mark Lewis, local State Farm Insurance agent, has pledged $10 per insurance quote to Shooting For A Cure! for every auto quote completed now through March 31. This offer is for new customers only, so if you are not already a State Farm customer, please call (585) 343-4959 to request your “Quotes for Good” auto quote today (limit one per household). Please be sure to say you're calling on behalf of Shooting For A Cure!

In addition to details about purchasing tickets, event-related information is available here.

If you’d like to donate to this year’s event please contact Mike Wilson by calling (716) 949-0523 or click here.

WBTA to Broadcast Live and Food Trucks Will Rally

WBTA has offered an AM/FM broadcast of the game. Pembroke will be setting up a live video feed of the game.

Snack Shack Coordinator and Pembroke teacher Arron Brown has coordinated with local food trucks to set up a "Food Truck Rally" in support of the event from 4 to 8 p.m. The food vendors will donate a percentage of proceeds to cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Reflections on the Pink Game

Senior Serene Calderón will be playing in her fourth and final Shooting For A Cure! game this year.

“When I reflect on the Pink Game, what comes to mind is community, love, and team work," Serene said. "This game brings our community together every season, and we grow closer and more supportive of each other. The night of the game, our school is surrounded by love.

"You can just feel it, especially during the halftime ceremony. Shooting For A Cure! brings our team together; it gives us a higher purpose as we try to help those in need. It’s not about basketball that night; it’s about showing love to those in our community and supporting a cause much bigger than ourselves.”

Senior Emily Peters said “The most important part, to me, about participating in this event the fact that our small community makes a big impact. Since the inaugural game, each team—including all of the new members— looks for ways to widen the impact of the game. It’s been challenging for us this year to try and reinvent the way we host this event.

"It being our 10th annual, we wanted to go big and get creative, but with all of the current COVID restrictions, we won’t be able to have a packed gym or crowded hallways full of prizes; however that won’t take away from what’s most important. It’s about supporting our community, and we’re finding new ways to do that.”

Although this year’s event won’t have the characteristic congested hallways, capacity crowd in the gymnasium, jam-packed cafeteria, or halftime ceremony we’ve all become accustomed to, the team continues to pursue creative alternatives to bring the game to the community.

“The first word that comes to mind when I think about Shooting For A Cure! is the simple, powerful, and profound word, love.” said Matthew Calderón, Pembroke superintendent. “There isn’t a better word that describes what’s going on here at Pembroke in the days, weeks, and months leading up to this event.

"You can feel it in the building, especially on the night of the game. This entire event is fueled by love. It’s about selflessly serving others and showing everyone in our community that we’ve got their back when adversity strikes. The most important aspect of this game has only been further strengthened and enhanced by the current restrictions we’re facing.

"These new challenges will not stop Pembroke from trying to make a difference. It provides us with the opportunity to do something we never would have had the chance to do. Our mission remains the same, we’re just finding new ways to go about it. We remain hopeful that taking a more virtual approach will allow us to engage more people in a broader way, reaching those we wouldn’t normally reach."

Cancer Survivor: 'Entire Community Was There For Me'

Proud cancer survivor Diane Phelps said "We are truly a unified community that has been proudly working towards a common goal for a decade now. The most important aspect of this event isn’t about the dollar amount raised, it’s about the genuine love shown to cancer patients and their families. It’s an incredible feeling to know that no one is going through this alone.

"Standing on the baseline during the halftime ceremony for the first time as someone battling this disease was overwhelming. I couldn’t believe that I was living in that moment, knowing that my entire community was there for me. It was a wonderful feeling. When you know that your community has your back at times like that, it’s emotional and hard to put into words what that feels like.

"Pembroke is special and this game helps to model for all of the students, young and old, what’s most important in life. It’s a great way for young people to get involved and give back. The way that this team, the Pembroke teachers, students, alumni, and basketball families rally around this cause every year is inspirational to me. I’m so blessed to be a part of such an incredible community."

Photo: Front -- Karli Houseknecht (25), Serene Calderón (10), Sydney Johnson (11), Allyson DuBois-Rider (30). Back -- Isabel Breeden (2), Emily Peters (32), Nicole Von Kramer (23), Allie Schwerthoffer (14), Ariel Moss (50).

On Senior Night, Oakfield-Alabama beat Lyndonville 58-39.

Danica Porter scored 15 points for the Hornets and Makena Reding scored 14. Porter hit five three-point shots.

In other girls basketball last night, Batavia beat Olympia 55-35 (click here for coverage).

In boys basketball:

• Hornell beat Le Roy 57-52
• Pavilion beat Mount Morris 50-39
• Batavia beat Pembroke 72-40. The Blue Devils are now 11-0 on the season.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Senior point guard Mackenzie Reigle recalls the first basket that she ever made – a three-point shot after being called up late in the season as a seventh-grader. From that point on, she knew what she wanted to achieve as a Batavia High varsity girls’ basketball player.

“I remember being really nervous, but it was super exciting, my first point was a ‘3’ right on the side and I followed it up with a block on the other end. It was so exciting and I’ve always wanted to score 1,000 points since then,” Reigle said tonight after reaching that goal in the Lady Blue Devils’ 55-35 victory over visiting Greece Olympia in Monroe County League Division IV action.

Needing just one point to hit the milestone, Reigle misfired on her first two shots before taking a pass from Kennedy Kolb and sinking an 18-foot baseline jumper at the 5:07 mark of the first quarter. That gave the Lady Devils their first points – they trailed 5-2 at that point – and prompted the referees to call a timeout for her to pose with Coach Marty Hein at center court as fans and players from both teams applauded her accomplishment.

When play resumed, Batavia scored only four more points the rest of the period, missing 11 of 14 shots from the field, and trailed Olympia by a 9-6 score.

Olympia was up 14-9 with five minutes left in the second quarter when Reigle drove to the basket for a layup and Tess Barone scored on consecutive trips to give Batavia its first lead at 15-14.

The home team went on to score 10 more points – completing a 16-0 burst – as Reigle had a three-pointer and layup, Barone converted a pass from Reigle for a score and Bryn Wormley sank a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 25-14 halftime advantage.

Batavia stretched the lead to 28-14 on a three-point shot by Bella Houseknecht but Olympia, behind Taylor Jung’s 12 points, pulled with 10 at 37-27 heading into the final period.

Then Reigle took over -- sinking four free throws after getting fouled on drives to the hoop, converting a steal into a layup and going to her right hand (she is left-handed) to score from 10 feet out.

She then assisted on Barone’s hoop before Haylee Thornley scored inside to give Batavia a 49-33 lead with three minutes to play.

Reigle scored 27 points to raise her per game average to 17.9 this season and also had six assists, 11 rebounds, eight steals and two blocks.

A force on the offensive end, the 5-foot-7 Reigle is equally impressive on defense with her ability to steal the ball from the opposing point guard, establish position on the boards and block shots.

“I just try to read the defenses,” she said. “I know that with this team (Greece Olympia) a lot of them were weaker left-handed players so I took away their right side and it worked tonight.”

After the game, Hein emphasized Reigle’s work ethic and determination.

“When you’re with somebody as long as I have been with Kenzie, it makes it so special,” he said. “I’ve seen her sweat and cry and bleed through this whole endeavor and she wants it so badly. She works so hard; she’s always in the gym. She so much deserves this, and I’m really happy for her.”

Reigle joins Tiara Filbert (2015), Madison McCulley (2016) and former teammate Ryann Stefaniak (2018) as the only Batavia girls' basketball players to score 1,000 points in their varsity careers.

As far as the team is concerned, Hein said the girls were pressing at the beginning of the year – Batavia started 0-3 – but have learned to run the offense and trust each other since then to put together a seven-game winning streak.

“If losing those first three games of the season puts (us) in a position where we’re at now, then they were a really good three losses … as we’ve grown from there. The belief is there that if we’re going to do this (win a sectional title), it’s going to be all nine of us.”

Batavia has defeated Olympia three times this season and the margin was 20 points each time, including a 55-35 win on Feb. 17.

The Lady Devils host Our Lady of Mercy at 8 p.m. Thursday and close out the regular season at Greece Odyssey for a 2:15 p.m. game on Saturday.

The Section V Class B1 Tournament begins on Tuesday night, with Batavia expecting to host the first-round game at 7 o’clock. It is possible that Batavia, currently the third seed, will face Olympia, currently the sixth seed, for a fourth time.

Reigle said she has one more goal, and that’s to win a sectional title – something that Batavia has come close to in her varsity years.

“We’re hoping that it is this year … but we have to stay strong,” she said.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos, from top to bottom: Batavia team celebrates Mackenzie Reigle's accomplishment following the win over Greece Olympia; the shot that put Reigle at 1,001 points early in the first quarter; Bryn Wormley launches a three-point shot; Tess Barone gets inside position; Reigle drives to the hoop; Kennedy Kolb shoots over a Lady Spartan defender. Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Oakfield-Alabama beat Holley 72-37 on Monday to give Head Coach Ryan Stehlar his 100th career win.

Kaden Cusmano scored 24 points to lead the Hornets. Travis Wiedrich scored 16 points and Gaige Armbrewster scored nine.

Also in boys basketball

• Attica beat Notre Dame 64-54
• Byron-Bergen beat Elba 66-54
• Wheatland beat Alexander 37-35
• Batavia beat Olympia 70-42

Photo by Kristin Smith.

Oakfield-Alabama beat Holley on Monday, 49-17.

Makena Reding scored 11 points for the Hornets. Kelsey Schlagenhauf scored nine.

O-A is now 5-3 on the year.

In other girls games:

• Elba beat Byron-Bergen 64-37 (game coverage)
• Hornell beat Le Roy 83-46
• Alexander beat Wheatland 53-38
• Notre Dame beat Attica 59-44
• Pavilion beat Mt. Morris 73-21

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

Taylor Augello scored 21 points against Byron-Bergen on Monday night to lead Elba to a 64-37 victory.

The Lady Lancers are now 10-0 on the season. 

Brynn Walczak scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds. Laci Sewar scored nine points.

For the Bees, Ava Wagoner scored 15 points and Sasha Schramm scored 11. MacKenzie Senf had eight rebounds.

Batavian Tony Sprague came up a bit short in an attempt for his second United States Bowling Congress-certified perfect game last Sunday, rolling a 298 in the T.F. Brown's Adult-Child League at Mancuso Bowling Center.

Sprague, a lanky right-hander who will be celebrating his 19th birthday in a couple weeks, left a 7-10 split on the final delivery as the ball came in just a little light of the 1-3 pocket. He finished with a 652 series.

Last February, he registered a 300 game as a youth bowler at Mancuso's and in early January of this year, posted a 299 in the T.F. Brown's league.

Other top series around the Genesee Region last week:

• Nathan Cordes of Batavia flirted with an 800 series in the Toyota of Batavia Thursday 5-Man League at Mancuso's, starting with 268 and 280 before closing with a 224 game for a 772 series;

• Steve Krna of Alexander rolled a 758 series in the Antique World Tuesday Coed League at Mancuso's;

• Scott Briggs of Perry started with a 266 game en route to a 758 series in the Thursday Night League at Perry Bowling Center.

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

Oakfield-Alabama fell to Attica in a Saturday game 60-56.

For the Hornets, Gaige Armbrewster scored 15 points, Petyon Yasses scored 12, Kaden Cusmano 11, and Travis Wiedrich 10.

In other boys basketball:

• Alexander beat Notre Dame 84-79
• Lyndonville beat Elba 67-57
• Batavia beat Honeoye Falls - Lima 65-63

In girls basketball:

• Batavia beat Honeoye Falls - Lima 55-51
• Livonia beat Le Roy 67-50
• Pavilion beat Geneseo 62-25

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here. For O-A JV, click here.

There were a few storylines to take note of going into this afternoon’s Monroe County Division IV girls’ basketball game featuring the host Batavia Lady Devils and the Honeoye Falls-Lima Lady Cougars.

One, could Batavia avenge a loss to the HF-L earlier this season and hand the Lady Cougars their first league defeat?

Two, could the undersized Lady Devils find a way to prevent 6-foot-1 junior center Teagan Kamm from dominating on both ends of the floor?

And three, could senior guard Mackenzie Reigle find a way to maneuver through and around a defense set up to stop her and running mate Bryn Wormley to score the 16 points she needed to reach 1,000 points in her varsity career?

Well, the answers – in order – are (1) yes, (2) yes, after the opening quarter, and (3) almost.

Getting contributions from eight players, Batavia posted a 55-51 win over HF-L, dropping the Lady Cougars to 6-1 in the league and 6-3 overall.

The Lady Devils’ sixth straight victory puts them at 6-2 in league play and also 6-3 overall.

Reigle scored 15 points – and now has 999 points since being called up to the varsity late in the season as a seventh-grader – and Wormley added 13 for Batavia, but it took clutch baskets by their teammates to put them over the top.

Tess Barone tallied eight points – four during a 9-0 run late in the third quarter that gave the Lady Devils a 37-33 lead – while Kennedy Kolb added seven, Haylee Thornley five, Tianna Rhim four and Rachel Wright three.

Rhim, a junior, made her presence felt in the second half – using her size and strength while matching up with Tamm and enabling Batavia to have success on the defensive boards. Reigle led the way with eight rebounds (to go with her six assists and six steals) while Kolb pulled down six caroms; Rhim and Wormley five each; Barone, Thornley and Wright four apiece, and Bella Houseknecht two.

Kamm led all scorers with 18 but had just eight points after intermission, with the last three coming on a three-point shot with three seconds left. She scored nine of her team’s 10 points in the first quarter.

Batavia led 14-10 after the opening period and HF-L led 22-19 at halftime. The Lady Devils rallied to outscore the visitors 20-14 in the third period for a 39-36 edge.

The Lady Cougars took a 43-42 lead on Kamm’s layup with 5:25 left in the game before Batavia responded to move ahead, 49-44, on an offensive rebound and basket by Rhim, three-pointer by Reigle and layup by Kolb on a nifty assist by Reigle at the three-minute mark. The home team stayed in front the rest of the way.

Reigle sank two free throws and, with 1:09 remaining, drove in for a basket to pull within one of 1,000 points, but she will have to wait for Tuesday night’s home game against Greece Olympia to reach the milestone.

After the game, she seemed to take it all in stride, giving credit to her teammates.

“They (HF-L) are a tough team and played a triangle-and-two to try to stop us (her and Wormley), but the other girls took the shots when they were open and they came through,” Reigle said.

Seniors Olivia Friedlander and Hannah Selke scored nine points each and sophomore Clare Ruff added seven for HF-L, 64-50 winners over Batavia on Feb. 11.

Oakfield-Alabama notched its fourth win of the season Friday with a 42-32 win over Attica.

Makena Reding scored 12 points for the Hornets and Kelsey Schlagenhauf added 10.

In other girls basketball:

• Elba beat Lyndoville 73-51 (click here for coverage)
• Pembroke beat Kendall 53-43
• Notre Dame beat Alexander 37-33

In boys basketball:

• Batavia beat Eastridge 68-49
• Pembroke beat Kendall 80-47
• Pavilion lost to Geneseo 56-43

The Elba Lady Lancers now have three starters in the 1,000 point club, with Brynn Walczak reaching the milestone early in the first quarter last night on a two-pointer in the paint.

Within the past week, both Leah Bezon and Maddie Muehlig scored their 1,000th career points.

Elba is now 9-0 on the season after blowing out Lyndonville 75-51.

Taylor Augello scored 19 points, Muehlig and Walczak both scored 15 points, and Bezon added 12. Muehlig and Walczak each had six rebounds.

For Lyndonville, Ella Lewis scored 19 points.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) announces applications for the spring turkey lottery will open on March 1. Similar to last year, applications must be completed online here.

You can create an account, or log into your existing account at that website. Once you are logged in, select the appropriate hunt, and follow the prompts to apply.

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

The preseason lottery will be conducted to select hunters for the first (May 1-15) and second (May 16-31) sessions of the spring turkey hunt season. Please note there will be a $5 application fee to cover administrative costs.

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

Additionally, youth turkey hunt permits will be available starting March 1 on a first come, first serve basis. There is no fee for this permit.

All other aspects of the Iroquois NWR turkey hunt will be similar to previous years. Hunters with disabilities may contact the refuge for information on how to apply. Please see our Turkey Hunting and Youth Turkey Hunt Fact Sheets for full details on the 2021 hunting season, which can be found on the Permits page of our website.

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