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Batavia gets the Sutherland monkey off its back

By Brian Hillabush

It may have just been a consolation game, but for the Batavia boys basketball team it was a must win.

The Blue Devils had lost to rival Pittsford Sutherland twice during the regular season and didn't want to head into the Section 5 Class A playoffs with two straight losses. So Batavia came out and had a 15-2 first quarter advantage and held on to beat Sutherland 55-52 in the consolation game of the Monroe County League Tournament.

"If we would have lost both games it definitely would have been a set-back heading into sectionals," Batavia coach Buddy Brasky said. "It is a positive getting the win because when you lose, doubt starts to set in. It was just a consolation game, but it was an intense game. It was definitely a good way to end the regular season and it gives us momentum heading into sectionals."

Joe Schlossel had another big game for Batavia and has turned into the team's second scoring option. Early in the year, Brasky believes Schlossel wasn't scoring this much because he played football and took time away from basketball. But now he's hitting his stride.

The senior forward scored eight of his 13 points with eight rebounds in the first quarter to get the Blue Devils out to the big lead.

"He's playing with more confidence," Brasky said. "Joe played football and it took him a while to get rounded back into basketball shape. He was playing well during the summer and football was a major commitment. He didn't touch a basketball for three months."

Just like any other Sutherland game, it wound up being a battle.

Batavia missed a few easy layups in the second quarter and Brian Lewis, Wayne Dillworth and Dan O'Keefe hit 3-pointers to get the Knights back into the game. Sutherland was back within three points near the end of the first half, but Andrew Hoy hit a 3-pointer to give Batavia a 27-20 lead at the break.

The third quarter was even and Sutherland cut the deficit to three points with two minutes left. But Hoy hit a 3-pointer, Schlossel had two free throws and Marcus Hoy hit 1-of-2 attempts and the Blue Devils held on for the three point win.

Hoy led all scorers with 21 points as Batavia (17-3) will be hosting Marshall in sectionals on Saturday, Feb. 28. In the meantime, Batavia will be scrimmaging East High and C.G. Finney to prepare for the tournament.

Genesee Region League girls MVPs

By Brian Hillabush

 I believe that the MVP of a league should usually be the best player on the best team, but picking that player for Division II of the Genesee Region League is impossible this year.

Elba didn't lose a league game all season long and were obviously the best team in both divisions. Picking an MVP from that squad is not so obvious.

Coach Tom Nowak has used a unique style of play for his squad this season where he rotated two groups of five players and they pressed the heck out of their opponents. It worked, but there was no one player that stands out as the MVP of that squad.

It would not be fair to vote Cassy Engle or Sarah Schwartzmeyer as the top player when girls like Chelsie Pangrazio, Julie Marshall and Rachael Cook were also just as important to that team.

So with that being the case, the MVP award for Division II is deferred to the best player on the second place team. Notre Dame has several stars as well, but I'd give the division MVP award to Nichole Hart.

Hart is a pure shooter that had many big games for the Fighting Irish. With Liz Geandreau and Brittany Morelli providing a solid inside presence, Hart's ability to hit long jumpers and 3-pointers makes Notre Dame a tough team to defend.

The Division I MVP is a much easier call as Alexander's Anni Lehtola was a scoring machine. The addition of the foreign exchange student from Finland turned a very good team into a great team. 

There was little doubt this season that the Trojans were going to win Division I, and the team is the top seed in Class C.

Who is the overall girls MVP of the Genesee Region League?
( surveys)

Players of the Week

By Brian Hillabush

Batavia point guard Marcus Hoy was named Monroe County League Division III Player of the Week this week.

The senior scored nine points while handing out 15 assists with five steals in Batavia's 68-46 win over Lackawanna of Section 6 on Friday.

Byron-Bergen's Tyler Sass earned the honor for Genesee Region League Division I after a week in which he averaged 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and three assists per game over three contests. 

The Bees beat Holley while losing to Alexander and Barker.

Andy Lund from Wheatland-Chili picked up the award for Division II after scoring 18 points with eight rebounds in a win over Lyndonville and 11 points with nine boards in a loss to Kendall.

Alexander's foreign exchange student from Finland, Anni Lehtola, was the girls Player of the Week for Division I.

She scored a whopping 35 points with 21 rebounds and six assists in wins over Attica and Byron-Bergen.

Elba's Cassy Engle won the award in Division II after scoring 23 points in wins over Notre Dame and Lyndonville, helping the Lancers wrap up an undefeated league season.

HS girls highlights for Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

The Batavia girls basketball team was outscored 21-2 in the fourth quarter and lost to Pittsford Sutherland in the opening round of the Monroe County League tournament Tuesday.

Kayli O'Keefe had 10 of her 14 points in the frame and Caitlin Ryan added eight points and 10 rebounds in the game for the Knights (13-6).

Brittany Wormley had 14 points and Brittany Mazurkiewicz added 11 for the Blue Devils (14-5). 

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Elba wrapped up the top seed in the Section 5 Class D playoffs with a 47-27 win over Lima Christian in girls basketball action.

Rachael Cook had 12 points and five boards with Cassy Engle scoring eight points and McKenzie Bezon getting seven for the Lancers (18-2).

Alexis Mairano had nine points for Lima Christian (7-13).

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Kelsey Lewis and Nicole Sharick had 14 points apiece as Pembroke downed host Byron-Bergen 50-42.

Danielle Kelsey added 10 points for the Dragons (12-8).

Rori Partridge had 12 points for Byron-Bergen (9-11).

HS boys highlights for Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

Matt Thompson hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 16 points to lead Notre Dame to a 64-43 win over host Wheatland-Chili Tuesday.

The Fighitng Irish had a 21-10 advantage in the first quarter, 13-10 in the second and 19-5 in the third.

Kevin Francis scored 13 points and Greg Barr and Nick Wetherwax each contributed seven points for Notre Dame (16-3), which will be the top seed in Class D1.

Rick Agosto scored 14 points with five boards for the Wildcats (4-14), with Evan Price pitching in 12 points.

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Tate Westermeier went 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and scored 13 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter as Attica dropped Holley 54-46.

Zach Fleiss had 10 points and Brad Clark added seven for the Blue Devils (10-10).

Brian Mitchell had 24 points and John Wharram added six steals and four dimes for the Hawks (4-16).

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Ken Babcock had the top performance in the Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans League Showdown on Saturday, and he followed it up with another huge performance Tuesday to lead Pembroke to a 67-52 win over visiting Byron-Bergen.

Babcock poured in a game-high 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting in the win.

Andrew Wright and Eric Leffel had 10 points apiece for the Dragons (13-7).

Trevor Laurie had 13 points to lead the Bees (4-16).

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Josh Laureano had 23 points as Kendall beat Lyndonville 60-45.

Laureano was helped up by Phil Kludt's 12 points and Colt Tooley's 11 as the Eagles improve to 11-8.

Erik VanWycke scored 23 points with eight boards and Muhammad Akram scored eight points with seven assists for the Tigers (1-18).

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Lima Christian needed two overtimes to beat visiting Elba.

LC beat the Lancers 70-62 as Trevor Maiorano went 4-of-4 from the foul line in the second overtime session. He finished the day with 13 points as Lima Christian improves to 11-9.

Darius Cox had 21 points with 12 boards and Josh Arnold scored 16 points.

Sonny Giuliano scored 19 points and Phil Ostroski added 18 for the Lancers (11-9).

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The Notre Dame hockey team was knocked out of the Section 5 Class B playoffs as Brockport won 1-0 in the opening round.

The only goal of the game came at 4:29 into the first period as Zach Stahl scored off an assist from David Roberts.

Thomas Dehr stopped 43-of-44 shots in net for the Fighting Irish, who end the year with an 8-10-2 record.

Mike Picard only had to stop 13 shots for Brockport (11-9-5) in the shutout.

 

Oakfield-Alabama rolls to win over Alexander on senior night

By Brian Hillabush

 After blowing a lead and the game against Akron in the Genesee Region League/Niagara-Orleans League Showdown on Saturday, the Oakfield-Alabama boys basketball team was looking to end the season on a positive note before going into sectionals.

It was obvious that it was going to happen as the Hornets jumped out to a 17-3 lead in beating visiting Alexander 73-41 on senior night.

Senior stars Noah Seward and Brad Riner got O-A off to a 9-0 start right off the bat as Riner had five points and Seward four, just a couple of minutes into the contest.

Tim Smith scored seven straight points and all of a sudden the Hornets were ahead by 14 points with just 3 1/2 minutes gone off the clock.

Troy Shelnut ended the fierce O-A scoring with a 3-pointer, but Sam McCracken had four points and Seward added another bucket late in the opening frame to give the Hornets a 27-13 lead after a period of play.

McCracken had two quick baskets in the second quarter and Seward had four points, but Oakfield-Alabama played its worst of four quarters. Josh Athoe also hit a 3-pointer in the frame and O-A actually extended the lead to 38-19 despite not being happy with the way they played in the frame.

The "big 3" of Seward, Riner and Smith were able to rest for most of the fourth quarter, but all three contributed in the third.

Seward had six points, Smith had five and Riner hit a 3-pointer late in the quarter and the game was officially a blowout after the third quarter with Oakfield-Alabama leading 61-28.

Athoe had four points in the fourth quarter and O-A rolled to the 73-41 victory.

Seward had yet another double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, with Riner helping out with eight points and 11 assists.

Smith scored 15 points and A.J. Kehlenbeck had 10 points with 13 boards. McCracken finished with 13 points and Athoe chipped in nine.

Kyle Woodruff had 14 points for Alexander, which ends the season with a 7-12 record.

Oakfield-Alabama improves to 17-3 and will be the third seed in the Section 5 Class C1 tournament and should be hosting Canisteo-Greenwood in the first round.

Genesee Region League boys MVPs

By Brian Hillabush

 It is often hard to choose MVPs because competition is typically so close in the Genesee Region League.

But this season it is pretty simple to pick the best player from each division as Oakfield-Alabama won Division I pretty easily and Notre Dame clinched Division II several games ago.

The Hornets are 16-3 and Noah Seward is a big reason why.

O-A would have still been in the running for the Division I title with solid players like Brad Riner and Tim Smith, but Seward was a problem for the other team in every game this season. The 6-foot-3 center/forward seemed like he had a double-double every time he got on the court. 

The only other player in Division I that I had in the running was Pembroke's Ken Babcock, who dominated at times this season in helping his team to second in the division. But Seward wrapped up the award in my mind when he scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds when the Hornets clinched the title in a 61-39 win over the Dragons last week.

Kevin Francis was easily the MVP in Division II for the Fighting Irish, who are 15-3.

With several question marks as to which players were going to be regular contributors this season, Francis took on the role as quiet leader early in the season and helped the young players like Vinny Zambito and Matt Thompson find their niche on the team. 

His stats were also incredible as he was able to go off for 20 points on any given night at the point guard position while playing a well rounded game. Francis also distributed the ball, caused turnovers and grabbed rebounds.

Who is the overall MVP of the Genesee Region League?
( polls)

HS girls highlights for Monday

By Brian Hillabush

The Genesee Region League Division I champion Alexander girls basketball team wrapped up the regular season and clinched the top seed in the Section 5 Class C tournament with a 54-28 win over visiting Oakfield-Alabama Monday.

Anni Lehtola led the way for the Trojans (14-4) with 24 points, four steals and five rebounds with Katie Kochmanski finishing with a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Brynne Perfitt had 11 points to lead the Hornets (10-10).

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Nichole Hart scored 24 points - including five 3-pointers - as Notre Dame thumped visiting Wheatland-Chili 57-24.

Jill Marshall had eight points and Trisha Pike added six for the Fighting Irish (16-4).

Lauren Drago had 10 points to lead the Wildcats (4-16).

Batavia knocked out in first round of Monroe Tourney

By Brian Hillabush

 The Batavia boys basketball team just couldn't compete with Irondequoit's inside and outside game Monday night and were blown out by host Irondequoit 66-41 in the opening round of the Monroe County League Tournament.

Class AAA powerhouse Irondequoit had a size advantage at every position on the floor and never trailed in the game.

Batavia has no player over 6-foot-2 while the Eagles have seven of that height or taller, including 6-8 big man Jordan Heath.

Tyler Condello opened the game with a pair of foul shots and Chris Culver drained a 3-pointer as Irondequoit led 5-0 to start the contest. Rob Hoy hit a jumper and Joe Schlossel scored twice to keep the game close early. When Marcus Hoy hit a pair of free throws with about two minutes left, Batavia only trailed 11-8.

But Heath scored twice before another Schlossel bucket and the Eagles led 15-11 after the opening eight minutes.

Jeremy Jackson and Heath both scored at the opening of the second quarter to extend the lead to nine points. Rob Hoy hit a 3 and Marcus Hoy and Dakota Irvin hit a bucket to cut the deficit to four points midway through the period.

But Culver hit a trey and Heath scored twice to extend the lead to 11. Irondequoit had a 30-21 lead at intermission.

Schlossel had three baskets early in the second half, but the Eagles matched before going on a 11-2 run to end the frame. Culver was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and connected on all three attempts and then hit a jumper and a 3 before Kurt Soppe scored to make the score 47-31 going into the fourth quarter.

Heath dunked twice in the fourth quarter to put the nail in the coffin. He ended the game with 24 points and eight rebounds with Culver finishing up with 19 points and seven assists. Jackson had nine rebounds as Irondequoit (18-1) will play Rush-Henrietta (17-2) in the finals on Wednesday.

Schlossel had 14 points to lead the Blue Devils (16-3), who will try to avenge two regular season losses to Pittsford Sutherland (15-4) in the consolation game Wednesday.

Marcus Hoy had 11 points and seven dimes and leading scorer Andrew Hoy was held to six points, but grabbed seven boards.

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Oakfield-Alabama/Akron

By Brian Hillabush

 7:34 p.m. - About 15 minutes until tip-off and GCC is packed. Genesee Region League fans are pumped after Pembroke's big win and Ken Babcock's dominant performance and are pumped for the highlight game of the Showdown. All the talk has revolved around J.C. Tretter and Noah Seward, so down low is where the action will probably be.

8:04 p.m. - Tretter is as good as advertised. He might be the first player this season that has made Seward look small. He held O-A's big man to four points in the first quarter, while scoring eight points, but the Hornets are leading 13-12 after eight minutes. Tim Smith hit a 3-pointer with Chris Bucceri, , A.J. Kehlenbeck and Sam McCracken each getting a basket.

  8:18 p.m. - The Hornets were doing a good job keeping the ball away from Tretter as Seward had a big quarter, but Akron went on a 7-0 run near the end of the half to get back in the game.

Seward immediately started the second quarter with a bucket and free throw to put the Hornets up 16-12. McCracken had a foul shot and Josh Athoe drained a trifecta to put O-A ahead by eight points.

After Alec Short and Seward exchanged backets, Tretter had a soft layup and grabbed the rebound on a missed dunk attempt by Trevor Short and put that back in to cut the score to 22-19. Alec Short hit a jumper and it was a one point game before Seward scored the final basket to put O-A up 24-21 at halftime.

 8:43 p.m. - Akron made a late run in the third quarter and jumped right back into the game and only trails Oakfield-Alabama 38-37.

The Tigers were down six right away as Brad Riner drained a 3-pointer, but the teams exchanged baskets for a while with Akron cutting the deficit to 32-31 when Alec Short hit a trey halfway through the period.

A double-foul was called as Seward and Tretter were getting a little too physical in the paint on the next possession.

Riner and Athoe hit a back-to-back buckets to make the score 36-31, but Alec Short had two foul shots, Trevor Short scored and Ryan Peters finished off the period with a bucket.

9:08 p.m. - Akron scored the first basket and then trailed Oakfield-Alabama the rest of the way. That is until there was 1:09 left in the contest. 

The Hornets had a three point lead when Seward banged in a pair of foul shots with 5 1/2 minutes left. Tretter hit one to cut it to three points and a couple minutes later the game was stopped when an Akron player landed on Seward, knocking the wind out of him.

McCracken missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2 1/2 minutes left and Tretter put one in moments later to cut the deficit to 44-43. 

Then with 1:09 left in the game, Trevor Short received a pass at about the foul line and hit a turnaround jumper to put the Tigers up 45-44. Riner missed a shot at the other end and O-A got the rebound. This time the ball was poked away from Smith and the Hornets had to foul.

Trevor Short hit both free throws after getting fouled with 22 seconds left. McCracken took the inbounds pass for O-A and took it coast-to-coast for a basket with 15 seconds remaining. Akron had a 47-46 lead and the Hornets had to foul again.

Short again drained both free throws to put the Tigers up three. This time Riner missed a layup and Tretter grabbed his final rebound of the game.

The final score was Akron 49, Oakfield-Alabama 46.

Tretter and Seward each finished with 17 points in the battle of the big men. But the difference wound up being Short, who scored 15 points and was clutch in the closing minutes.

The Niagara-Orleans League won six games while the Genesee Region League had just two winners.

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Pembroke/Wilson

By Brian Hillabush

 5:52 p.m. - We are a bit away from the start and the Genesee Region League has taken a pounding today, losing the first four games. But Pembroke is going to try and turn things around against a solid Wilson squad that is led by sophomore point guard Brennan Moxham. Wilson has nobody that can match-up with Ken Babcock in terms of size.

 6:13 p.m. - Babcock was dominant, scoring eight points with a bunch of rebounds, but Wilson hung with the Dragons with an effective pressure defense and a fierce take it to the hoop style. 

Wilson's Tyler Turesdell stole the ball on the opening possession and dished it to Odane Todd for the basket and the Lakemen opened the game on a 6-0. But Babcock had two baskets and Kyle Stocking added another to tie the game. Wilson was up by three with about a minute left when Steve Moser scored and Eric Leffel hit a free throw  to tie the game at 14. Matt Phelps hit two foul shots to give the Dragons a 16-14 lead after one quarter.

6:34 p.m. - The first half belonged to Babcock and was highlighted by the last points he scored before the break. He received the ball at mid-court and the 6-foot-5 center dribbled into the paint, faked out Wilson's Collin Okoniewski with a spin move and scored. He had six more points in the second quarter and now has 14 for the game.

Andrew Wright was held scoreless in the first quarter but got going in the second with six points.

But the Lakemen are not down by much as they ended the half on an 8-3 run, with Ethan Baker, Okoniewski, John Vincent and Truesdell each scoring. Pembroke is ahead 32-28 and Moxham has yet to enter the game. I was told it was for disciplinary reasons.

6:59 p.m. - Pembroke has maintained a nice lead for the whole game as Babcock continues having the best individual performance of the weekend. His nine points in the third - and 23 for the game - were not the biggest story of the period.

Wright went to the bench with his fourth foul in the opening minute, and bodies ere flying all over the place. The officials had to stop the game and gather the kids on the floor together to tell them to calm down.

Truesdell hit a 3-pointer and James Dysard hit a free throw as Wilson got within four points, but two straight Babcock baskets got the lead back up to 48-40 with about two minutes left.

After Vincent fouled out for Wilson, Babcock scored again and Odane Todd hit two foul shots to wrap up the third quarter, with Pembroke winning 52-43.

7:32 p.m. - Finally, a win for the Genesee Region League.

Babcock ended the day with 28 points and 13 rebounds as the Dragons won the game 74-62, giving the GR its first win of the day and second of the Showdown.

Okoniewski, Baker and Todd started the fourth quarter off with consecutive baskets and the Lakemen cut Pembroke's lead to 52-50, but Babcock hit two free throws and Wright scored to make it 59-52.

After Andrew Gabbey fouled out, Babcock scored to make it a nine point lead. Baker had a basket and an and-1 and Todd scored and the lead was down to five points.

It stayed in that area until Steve Moser hit two foul shots and Wright hit one to put the Dragons up 69-60 with a minute left. Wilson had to foul the rest of the way. Despite missing a portion of the game with foul trouble, Wright ended up with 18 points and Moser went 10-of-14 from the foul line for 14 points with five assists.

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Attica/Albion

By Brian Hillabush

 4:13 p.m. - The game between Attica and Albion is nearing tip-off and we are looking at a pretty even matchup here. Attica has some size advantage with forwards Bryan Thompson, Matt Sheffield and Craig Wolfley and is going to try to get the GR in the win column today. Elba won the first game of the Showdown last night, but the NIagara-Orleans League currently leads 4-1.

 4:28 p.m. - Sheffield had all six of Attica's points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the first quarter and the Blue Devils went on a dry spell after that, allowing Albion to score nine straight points to take a 12-6 lead after a period of play.

Brad Rush scored 10 of those points for the Purple Eagles.

4:42 p.m. - We go into the half with Albion leading 25-22, and two evenly matched teams on the floor. The Purple Eagles had a nine point lead 2 1/2 minutes into the second quarter as Kyler Hapeman hit two of his three 3-pointers in the frame.

Attica got the ball back in the paint to Sheffield for a couple of baskets to cut the Albion lead to 22-15. Fleiss got to the charity stripe and hit one and then he added another basket as the Blue Devils had a seven point run.

Hapeman hit his third trey and T.J. Phelps scored at the buzzer for Attica. The Blue Devils should try to take advantage of their size in the second half.

5:09 p.m.  - Rush has been the best player on the floor through three quarters and his Purple Eagles are leading 36-29.

Rush scored six more points in the frame and was aided by 3-pointer by Russel Craft. Attica has not been able to take advantage of its size and leading scorer Tate Westermeier has been a non-factor for the most part so far, although he did hit a 3-pointer late in the frame.

 5:30 p.m. - This was definitely not a pretty game for either squad, but Albion will take the win nonetheless.

The lead was extended to three points when Tom Hicks scored and Craft hit a foul shot, then Attica came storming back in the last half of the last period. Craig Wolfley scored and Bryan Thompson hit a 3-pointer and the Blue Devils only trailed by six points. After two free throws by Ben Church, Thompson scored and Westermeier drained a 3-pointer to make it 41-38.

But Albion answered right back as Hapeman nailed a 3 of his own. Church missed the front end of a one-and-one and Westermeier hit a jumper with about 35 seconds left, making the score 44-40.

Church was fouled and hit the front end this time and followed it up with a second. Westermeier missed a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left and Hapeman was fouled. He missed the first and hit the second to put Albion up 47-40.

Attica missed a jumper, Church hit a free throw and that was the game.

Final score Albion 48, Attica 40.

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Alexander/CSAT

By Brian Hillabush

2:20 p.m. - We are about 15 minutes from tip-off and it looks like Alexander is going to have its hands full with the Charter School of Applied Technology (CSAT). There is an obvious advantage in terms of size and athletic ability going to CSAT. I just talked to the Eagles' scorekeeper and he says Randall Billups and Ryan Pace are big-time, so we are going to see what Kyle Woodruff and Co. can do to represent the GR.

2:44 p.m.  - Alexander played a great first quarter. CSAT played a very up-tempo and aggressive type of game, but the Trojans did a good job of slowing down the game and getting off good shots. Woodruff got things going early for the Trojans with a basket and a 3-pointer. Stephen George had six points in the opening period as well and Woodruff finished with seven. Alexander leads 19-13.

3:04 p.m.  - CSAT is way more athletic than Alexander, and it has shown in the turnovers and rebounding. But the Trojans were in control and kept a level head, leading 27-24 at halftime.

The second quarter saw Jared Quinn scored twice and CSAT miss many open looks.  Alexander is going to be in good shape if the game can stay like this. I'd expect to see the Trojans look for some early 3-pointers to extend the lead and force the Eagles to play from behind in the second half.

3:26 p.m. - Alexander has finally switched to a zone defense and CSAT can't hit a shot, but the Trojans are also turning the ball over a lot and lost the lead.

Ryan Pace hit a basket and Randall Billups had a score with an and-1 to give CSAT a 29-27 lead early in the third. But Quinn gave the Trojans back the lead with a pair of buckets.  The score changed hands a couple of times but consecutive baskets by Desmond LaMar and DeMarius Billups gave CSAT the 36-35 lead heading into the final frame.

 3:53 p.m. - With the Trojans in a zone and the Eagles not hitting a shot, LaMar changed the entire outlook of the game at the start of the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-8 freshman guard hit two medium-range jump shots and forced Alexander back into a man defense.

The Trojans had been keeping up through three quarters but running up and down the floor finally took its toll in the final period. CSAT had a huge edge in turnovers and was finally getting down the floor fast enough to get open looks, knocking the shots down and turning a close game into one in which nearly ended up in double figures.

Pace scored nine of his game-high 20 in the fourth quarter.

The CSAT lead wound up getting to as high as 12 points, but Alexander made the final score respectable as Woodruff nailed an NBA 3-pointer with 15 seconds left and 2-of-3 free throw attempts with five seconds left.

Woodruff was held to just 13 points with Quinn chipping in 12 and George 9 for Alexander.

Final score 56-48, CSAT. Albion and Attica are coming up.

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Roy-Hart/Lyndonville

By Brian Hillabush

 Noon - Just showed up as the third quarter ends. The game is ties 31-31.

12:33 p.m. - The finish was not pretty, especially for Lyndonville. Roy-Hart didn't exactly tear things up in the fourth quarter but took advantage of every opportunity. The Tigers took a 3-point lead when Idris Akram hit a trey, but the Rams got within a point when Corey Callaghan drained a jumper.

 Callaghan had a put-back basket after a pair of missed free throws and then hit another layup and Roy-Hart was up 43-39 with just under four minutes left. Akram hit one of two at the charity stripe, but then the well went dry. The Tigers had three possessions without a shot and only hit 2-of-6 foul shots down the stretch.

Callaghan scored 25 points to lead the Rams as Roy-Hart opens Saturday's action with a 49-45 victory, giving the Niagara-Orleans League a 2-1 advantage through three games. 

Byron-Bergen vs. Barker up next.

HS girls highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

The Oakfield-Alabama girls basketball team had a 16-5 edge in the fourth quarter to hold off host Attica and pick up a 42-25 win Friday.

Brynne Perfitt had 13 points to lead the Hornets with 13 points. Lindsay Chatt scored nine and Dani Sage followed with seven.

Breanna Hummell scored eight points with 10 boards for the Blue Devils (1-19). Margaret LaFleur had 10 points.

O-A is now 11-8. 

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Christina Harmon had 15 points to lead Caledonia-Mumford to a 49-38 win over visiting Le Roy.

Emily Wade scored nine points with six rebounds for the Red Raiders (10-9).

Allison Macomber scored 14 points and grabbed 12 boards for the Oatkan Knights (2-18). Megan Lowe added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

HS boys highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

Vinny Zambito scored a team-high 22 points to lead Notre Dame to a 62-52 win over visiting Lima Christian Friday. Zambito drained four 3-pointers.

Kevin Francis had 14 points with eight assists and six steals and Greg Barr pitched in 14 points.

Josh Arnold scored 25 points to lead LC (11-8).

Notre Dame is 15-3.

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Batavia had little trouble in disposing of visiting Lackawanna, gaining a 29-point lead at one point, and winning 68-46.

Andrew Hoy scored 19 points with six rebounds and two steals and Marcus Hoy chipped in nine points with 15 assists and five steals. Dakota Irvin had 13 points for the Blue Devils (16-2).

The Batavia defense held Lackawanna's top two scorers in check, with Darren Cleveland - who averages 28 ppg - to just six points and Andre Alexander to just five points. Dwight Barber had 12 and David Kosanovich added 10 for Lackawanna (12-6).

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 Caledonia-Mumford toppled host Le Roy 67-62 in overtime as Dave Fox came up big to send the game to the extra session.

Fox hit five foul shots near the end of regulation and ended the day with 21 points and eight rebounds. He hit five 3-pointers in the game and the third one gave the Red Raiders a 1-point lead.

Le Roy's Travis Fenstermaker hit one-of-two shots at the charity stripe to sendt he game to overtime.

Jeremy Wilson scored 15 points for C-M (11-7) with Chris Voos pitching in 14 and Dave Nasradinaj ending up with eight points and 11 rebounds.

Mike Humphrey scored a game-high 25 points for the Oatkan Knights (9-10). Jordan Casper helped out with eight points and 10 boards. 

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Kendall/Medina

By Brian Hillabush

The Kendall/Medina game is close to starting and this is looking like it should be a great game. Medina looks like a confident team with some good athletes, while Kendall has superstar Josh Laureano. I have seen Laureano play a couple of times and he is the type of player that can take a game over. He might have to in this one. 8:11 p.m. - here we go.

8:26 p.m. - Medina jumped out to a big lead in a hurry, gaining a 9-2 advantage in the first four minutes of the opening frame. Big man Levi Pace stepped out and drained a 3-pointer and four consecutive foul shots by Brad Balcerzak helped the Mustangs take the big lead. But Laureano and the Eagles battled back. Laureano distributed the ball and Matt Driesel scored with an and-1 and Philip Kludt drained a 3-pointer. Colt Tooley hit a basket at the buzzer to cut the Medina lead to 15-11 after a period of play.

8:42 p.m. - Medina has a lot of tall, skinny players and should have a big lead in this game. But the Mustangs are missing easy shots in the paint and the Eagles are taking full advantage and lead 25-24 at halftime. After Tooley hit a trey for Kendall, Medina scored seven straight points, including four straight by Nick Peterson. With a 24-19 lead for Medina, Laureano hit his first basket of the game when he swished a 3-pointer to start a run. Chad Bentley had a put-back basket and Kludt made a steal and scored. Bentley had the last basket of the half to cap a nine point run by Kendall.

9:08 p.m. - Laureano was looking to score in the third quarter and did, getting seven points. But Medina regained the lead, 34-32, as the 6-foot-6 pace scored a basket and hit two free throws, with Nick Peterson also scoring. Medina's height advantage is starting to take a toll on the Eagles, who are no longer winning the battle on the boards like in the first half.

 9:30 p.m. - This game was a classic.

Pace and Laureano went head-to-head for the fourth quarter, with Pace scoring 12 of his 25 points and Laureano scoring 13 of of his game-high 27 points. 

Medina was holding a four point lead for most of the period but expanded it to 48-40 with two minutes left in the game. There was no doubt that Laureano was going to get the ball. He hit a 3-pointer, then a two to cut the deficit to just three points. Laureano then drove with 59 seconds left and drew the defenders. The then kicked the ball out to a wide open Bentley, who hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. Pace then scored at the other end with 35 seconds left. Kendall was blocked at the other end, but caused a turnover with the press and had the ball with 11 seconds left. Laureano worked the clock, but was blocked when he attempted a 3-pointer with two seconds left.

Final score - Medina 50, Kendall 48

Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans Showdown live blogging - Elba/Newfane

By Brian Hillabush

 We are about 10 minutes from tip-off of the first Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans League Showdown at Genesee Community College. Tonight's games are Elba vs. Newfane and Kendall vs. Medina.

Stay tuned to The Batavian for live updates throughout the night in this thread.

6:33 p.m. - Lineups are being introduced. Elba has a significant size advantage. About to start the game.

6:48 p.m. - Newfane jumped out to a 17-6 first quarter lead because of speed. Elba has big guys, but they aren't keeping up with the Panthers, who are playing a full court press and attacking the basket on offense.  Adam Baily scored nine points for Newfane and Phil Ostroski scored all six for Elba, on two 3-pointers.

7:04 p.m. -  Wow. Elba stormed back into this game in a hurry and leads 27-23 at the half. Sonny Giuliano and Phil Ostroski hit back-to-back shots to start things off and then Dan Ramsey - who was called up from jayvee earlier in the season - got hot. Ramsey hit a 3-pointer and a long 2-pointer before Giuliano brought the game within a point with a 3-pointer.  Ramsey then hit a 3-pointer and two jumpers near the end of the period. Ramsey scored 12 points in the second quarter.

7:29 p.m. - The third quarter was extremely ugly. Both squads turned the ball over like it was going out of style. The Lancers went away from Ramsey for the most part and tried to get the ball inside, with Max Torrey scoring four points. But Ramsey did hit a long jump shot andBronson Cole came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer for the final basket of the third quarter. Elba leads 36-32 as we enter the fourth.

 7:53 p.m. - If this entire Showdown is going to be like the opening game, this is going to be a great weekend of basketball.

Newfane's Dan Hambruch scored twice at the start of the fourth quarter and a Ron Pierce basket and 1 gave Newfane a 41-40 lead midway through the final period. It was tight from that point on. Elba took back the lead on a Guiliano jumper and then Newfance captured it back moments later when Garth Seefeldt hit a 3-pointer, giving the Newfane a 46-45 lead with 1:07 left in the game.

Ostroski got to the foul line seconds later and hit both shots, putting Elba back on top 47-46. Newfane took the ball down to the other end of the floor and tried to set up a shot, but an errant pass at the top of the key sailed out of bounds and the Panters were forced to foul. Giuliano hit one of two foul shots, then Adam Bailey of Newfane chucked up a bad 3-point attempt.

Ostroski hit a free throw to put Elba up by three points and the Panthers missed three 3-point attempts in the last 12 seconds of regulation.

Elba wins 49-46.

 

Several area teams recognized by D&C

By Brian Hillabush

 Several area schools are represented in this week's Democrat & Chronicle polls.

Batavia, Attica and Holley are all ranked in the small school wrestling poll as we head into this weekend's sectional tournament.

Batavia is the fifth ranked school, with Attica coming in at No. 6 and Holley at No. 8.

Elba has the seventh ranked girls basketball team in the small school category, with Alexander and Notre Dame also receiving votes.

Batavia's boys basketball team is ranked No. 9 in the large school rankings while Oakfield-Alabama is No. 8 in the small school poll.

Batavia's hockey team also received votes, but did not crack the top 10.

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