Byron-Bergen lost the Class C2 volleyball championship on Friday with a 3-0 loss to Bloomfield.
Sets:
Bloomfield had not lost a set all season.
The Bees finish 18-2 on the year.
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It was the battle of the Blue Devils as Batavia took on Brockport late Thursday afternoon in Monroe County tennis action in Brockport.
Batavia took all three singles matches and the first doubles contest to improve to 3-1 on the season. The deciding point came down to the third singles match as Batavia’s Eliana Cossitt won in three sets.
After winning the first set 6-1, Cossitt lost in a second set tiebreak 4-7 to set up a thrilling third set. After falling behind 0-2 to Brockport’s Alex Salcido, Cossitt took control and gave Batavia the point they needed with a brilliant 6-3, third set victory.
Batavia got wins from first singles player Kelsey Kirkwood 6-1, 6-3 and second singles player Ally Debo, who was equally impressive with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph.
The first doubles tandem of Drew Stevens and Rahmeto Reinhardt remained unbeaten on the season, with a 6-3, 6-2 win. Batavia will hit the road again Friday at Penfield.
Information provided by Batavia Head Coach Jim Fazio.
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Batavia Girls volleyball squad played Eastridge Thursday evening for a close back and forth matchup. In the first set Batavia came back to edge a deficit 26-24.
Eastridge won the next two sets 25-22 and 25-19.
In the fourth Batavia didn’t give up hope and maintained a small lead to win 25-21. In the fifth and deciding set Eastridge scored some points off the serve to keep the game flowing for them to win 15-8.
For Batavia, Sofia Branch had 5 kills and 16 digs, Julia Plath 10 digs, Ava Anderson 21 digs and 4 kills, 7 Aces.
For Eastridge, Josslyn Siembor had 13 kills and Isabella Nelson 22 digs.
Batavia's Record is 1-1.
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Merritt Holly became Le Roy's all-time leading scorer in a home game against Avon on Friday night.
Holly scored 21 points on the night, moving him to 1,575 career points. The record was previously held by Brendan Fulmer, at 1,559 points, set in 2003.
"It's a great accomplishment," Holly said. "I'm really happy we got it. I got it, and we got it. It's not just a personal goal. It's really a team goal. I would like to thank all my prior teammates, too. It's great for Le Roy. This hasn't been broken in like 20 years, so it's right to finally break it."
The record-breaking goal did come, however, in a 61-46 loss to #1 ranked Avon.
Besides the 21 points, Holly had 10 rebounds. Adam Woodworth, seven points, Jake Higgins, seven points, and Jean Agosto, four points and six rebounds.
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After 25 years of dedication to the sport of wrestling, head coach Rick Stewart of Attica-Batavia has said Tuesday's meet was his last home match.
Despite a 36-31 loss on Tuesday to Webster Thomas in wrestling, there was still a celebratory aura on senior night at Batavia High School.
The seniors were recognized, but it was also a night to recognize the accomplishments of Coach Rick Stewart, who is retiring after 25 years of coaching.
Senior night was his last home match.
His son, Casper Stewart, along with five other seniors, were recognized prior to the start of the match.
There are a lot of memorable moments and people from his long career, Stewart said, but Tuesday evening was itself something special.
"The big thing is, like today, you get all your former wrestlers texting you and calling you saying what an impact I was on them and how they love wrestling," Stewart said. "Lifelong relationships were built."
Highlights of Coach Stewart's coaching career:
Career Coaching Record 253-164 as of Jan. 11
Stewart said there is no one thing that has kept him going and driven him toward success, but "just to name one thing ... it's your alma mater. You want to see it be successful. You want to see it grow. You want to see championships, and you want to see kids that come after you continue to be able to do what you did."
A military veteran, Stewart said it's not unusual for wrestlers to be attracted to military service.
"You have to be disciplined and focused in wrestling," Stewart said. "It's a very demanding sport. In the military, it's the same thing. It's demanding, and you have to be disciplined. I think they go hand in hand. And that's why you see a lot of ex-wrestlers, former wrestlers, go into the military service when they're done."
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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.”
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Photos by Steve Ognibene
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 42nd 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.
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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
Photos by Steve Ognibene
More and more students in the Genesee Region are finding their athletic niche by participating in Unified Bowling, a component of the Special Olympics Unified Sports program.
About two dozen schools – including Batavia, Pavilion, Le Roy and Perry -- are participating in the Section V Unified Bowling League this season.
Matches get underway this coming week, with the Batavia team opening against Churchville-Chili at Spencerport Bowl and the Perry team taking on the combined Pavilion/Le Roy squad at Perry Bowling Center. Both of those matches are set for 4 p.m. Tuesday.
What makes Unified Bowling (and Unified Sports, in general) unique is that it combines students with intellectual disabilities and students without intellectual disabilities to produce interscholastic sports teams for practice sessions and competition.
“It’s all about creating a team atmosphere,” said Jamie Masters, the first-year head coach of the Batavia squad. “Whether they have disabilities or not, they're all working together as a team.”
She said that the matches consist of three games, with two games of doubles competition and the last game as a team competition. Local bowling centers scheduled to host matches over the next several weeks are Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, Le Roy Legion Lanes and Perry Bowling Center.
Masters, a physical therapist for the Batavia City School District, said the program also aims to increase friendship both on the playing field – or lanes, in this case – and in school.
“A goal is to build camaraderie in the school, such as sitting with each other during lunch or having conversations during the school day. It’s goes beyond bowling,” she said.
The Unified Sports initiative fosters inclusive activity as a way to tear down stereotypes and build relationships, while providing students with and without intellectual disabilities the chance to take on leadership roles in their schools and the community. Specific campaigns tied to the program include Fans in the Stands, Pledge and Plunge and the R-word Campaign.
According to the Special Olympics, more than 8,300 schools across the United States take part in Unified Sports.
For the Section V Unified Bowling schedule, click on this link: Unified Bowling Schedule - Section V Athletics.
Rosters of the local teams are as follows:
Batavia – Lena Boris, Andy Burton, Jennifer Ewert, Aleigha Frith, Kaelee Kelso, Max Kongmany, Esayas Reinhardt, Aiden Bellavia, Landon Hamilton, Jayla Odom, Price Parris, Rahmeto Reinhardt, Lylianalynn Santos-Baez, Benjamin Sputore and Marisha Tucholski. Coach: Jamie Masters. Assistant Coach: John Kirkwood. Volunteer assistant: Ryan Hamilton.
Pavilion/Le Roy – Carter Blaisdell, Alex Boldt, Case Cummins, Chris Doody, Corina Dunn, Jackson Fix, Merritt Holly, Hudson Klein, James Kingsbury, Jordin Kreutz, Adam Leitten, Dannielle Morehead, Alaina Powers, Morgan Powers, Arianna Pray, Reilly Powers, Landon Stoddard, Andrew Strollo, Mia Strollo, Joey Vernaccini, Makayla Washburn and Zoe Washburn. Coach: Michelle Milligan. Assistant Coach: PJ Puccio.
Perry – Hunter Clark, Todd Claud, Ashlee Davenport, Alexandra Faryna, Dominik Forrester, Nicolas Gutierrez, Hunter Henchen, Mason Herman, Olivia Herman, Kiara Hughes, Peyton Lyke-Scott, Koleden Osborne, James Shearman, Bryce Tallman, Landon Warner, Sawyer West, Victoria Wilson. Coach: Kris Goodell.
Story based on submission by BND
BND started slow, but gained stream as the game went on exploding for six goals in 30 minutes to completely erase a 2–0 deficit after the first period.
"This was the first time all season we were trailing at the end of the first period, and we were down by two," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "But the kids did a really nice job gathering themselves and starting fresh in the second period.”
United scored four goals in the first eight minutes of the second period to go from down by two, two up by two.
“Executing on the power play like we did there in a second period gave us a huge boost," Staley said. "We are going to be a difficult team to beat if teams are going to take penalties against us.”
The Storm were called for three penalties in the early portion of the 2nd period, and BND capitalized on all three.
Senior Cooper Hamilton scored on the power play only 29 seconds into the period, followed by another power-play goal from sophomore Brady Johnson. A mere five minutes later, Junior forward Joe DiRisio buried a rebound and made it three power-play goals on three chances.
“Specialty teams are huge in hockey nowadays," Staley said. "We converted three of our four chances on the power play, and we killed off all five of the penalties called against us. I thought the kids did a great job executing in the big moments.”
Junior goaltender Frankie Falleti made 21 stops on 24 shots against. Also scoring for BND was sophomore Ivan Milovidov, sophomore Jameson Motyka, and sophomore Brady Carney, who registered his first ever Varsity goal.
Senior, Ronin Hofmaster linished with three assists on the evening.
Junior, Defensman, O’Rian Lama chipped in two assists as well.
United out shot the Storm during the game 37 to 25.
“Greece has an excellent program and they are a huge school district," Staley said. "All four of their high schools combine to create one varsity team. I’m really proud of our kids for going into their home barn and coming away with a victory. This is the bounce back we needed after the loss to McQuaid, and hopefully this gives us some nice momentum heading into “The McCarthy” this weekend”
BND United will be hosting the annual David McCarthy Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday. Iroquois/Alden (4-1) will face off against Niagara/Wheatfield (5-0) at 6 p.m. on Friday evening. Following this game BND (4-1) will take on WFL Geneva (0-3) at 8 p.m. The consolation game will take place at noon on Saturday, with the championship game scheduled to face off at 3 p.m.
United won the Tournament last year fending off a tough Webster Schroeder squad 5-4.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Photos by Steve Ognibene
The Batavia Blue Devils girls volleyball team beat Eastridge for the second time this season Tuesday evening, with scores of 25-11, 25-22, 25-23.
Olivia Shell led the Devils with nine kills, seven digs, and four aces.
Ella Bromsted had two kills, 18 assists, and three aces.
Clara Wood had two kills, six digs, and two aces.
Emma Bigsby had four kills, four digs and two aces.
Ava Anderson had six kills, seven digs and four aces.
"This team has taken the necessary steps to improve overall as a program and has been competitive all year," said Coach James Patric. "Our seniors and returning players set the goals for the team at the start of the season to compete for a Class B sectional championship. We have been playing well in our recent games and have been peaking at the right time heading into sectionals.
The Blue Devils play their final regular season game tonight at home against HFL. Game time is 6:30 p.m. The game includes a first-ever teacher appreciation night.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Photos by Steve Ognibene
Batavia dominated long-time rival Livonia in their home opener at Van Detta Stadium on Friday night, beating the Bulldogs 42-6.
The Blue Devils are now 2-0 in the young season.
Batavia scored midway through the first quarter on Javin McFollins' quarterback sneak.
The score was 14-0 at the end of the opening quarter after Carter McFollins snagged a touchdown pass tossed by Javin McFollins
Just before the half, Livonia made it 14-6 on a Kyle Wetterings run (the two-point conversion attempt failed).
After the kickoff by Livonia to start the second half, Carter McFollins took the ball on the first play from scrimmage and dashed 65 yards to score the Blue Devils third touchdown.
Minutes later, Javin McFoolins hits Cole Grazioplene for a 31-yard TD. The half ends 28-6
Late in the third quarter Mehki Fortes made an interception to give the ball back to Batavia with three minutes left in the quarter. Cam McCliniic scored on a 9-yard run to increase the lead 35-6.
on a 4-yard run, Aavion Bethel scores Batavia’s sixth touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Julia Petry was 6 for 6 on extra point coversions.
Javin McFollins was 5-6 passing for 118 yards and two TDS Cam McClinic rushed for 62 yards and a TD on seven Carrie's Carter NcFollins gained 73 yards and scored on three carries. He also had 63 yards and a TD on two receptions. Aiden Anderson gained 72 yards on five carries.
in addition to the interception, Mekhi Fortes had seven tackles.
Batavia's next game is home against Monroe next Thursday night at VanDetta, with kickoff 6 p.m.
Photos by Steve Ognibene
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Mike Rapone is going out as he came in, the coach of a team that won a Section V title.
He coached the 1981 champions and today, in the final Section V championship game of his career, the Fighting Irish seized the block again, this time keeping it away from cross-county rivals Elba with a 59-46 win.
The title is the 10th sectional title of Rapone's legendary career, a Section V record. It is win number 728 for Rapone, also a Section V record.
Leading the way for the champions was Colin McCulley, who scored 19 points. Jordan Welker scored 13, Ryan Fitzpatrick scored eight, Jimmy Fanara, seven, and Cody Henry, five.
For Elba, CJ Gottler scored 15 points, Zack Marsceill, 12, Scott Connor, six, and Jake Walczak and Mike Long, five each.
There are six Genesee County basketball teams competing for a coveted Section V trophy in five boys and girls basketball games this Friday and Saturday.
Here is the schedule:
Friday:
Saturday:
Section V officials are expected sellouts at the boys games and tickets for the boys games must be bought in advance online.
Announcement from Section V:
“Based on input from our membership, Section V will be utilizing digital ticketing exclusively for our boys’ basketball FINALS and the games played to determine who will represent Section V at regionals in Section VI. Our championship games will be held at high school facilities which have limited seating capacity. There will be NO on-site tickets to purchase, and all digital tickets will be pre-sale only. Section V will ensure that each program involved in the championship games have first priority for pre-sale tickets. About 24 hours prior to any championship game, any unsold tickets will be made available to the general public to purchase digital tickets. We look forward to providing our student athletes the opportunity to play for a championship in the presence of all their friends, families, and communities. All championship games will be live streamed and available to all for viewing at no cost.”
To purchase tickets, follow this link: https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAV
The Batavia Ski Team competed Saturday in their first race of the season at Swain Ski resort. In Giant Slalom the girls team was led by sophmore Lily Wagner who finished 17th overall with a combined time of 1:51:07.
In Slalom, Sophia Minuto was the top skier finishing 17th with a time of 1:11.15. Abby Bestine and Quinn Woeller also were the teams finishers.
The boys top finishers were Ben Stone in 25th in GS with a time of 1:45.77. Ethan Bradley finished 25th in Slalom with a time of 1:09.71.
There was thick fog at the start of the race but conditions were good overall for the first race of the season said head coach Matt Holman.
The teams next race is this Wednesday night. Start time 5:30p.m.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Photos by Steve Ognibene
High school sports playoff games involving local teams this weekend are as follows:
FOOTBALL
Section V Championship
Class B
Tonight
No. 2 Batavia 22, No. 1 Honeoye Falls-Lima 14. Batavia (10-1) advances to Far West Regionals against WNY Maritime Charter/Health Sciences (Section VI) at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 20 at Williamsville South High School.
Class D
Friday
No. 1 Oakfield-Alabama/Elba 26, No. 2 Avon 21; O-A/Elba (11-0), Section V, advances to the Far West Regionals against Randolph (10-0), Section VI, at 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at Jamestown High School (Strider Field)
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Far West Regionals
Today at Le Roy High School
Class C
Portville, Section VI, def. Le Roy, Section V, 25-9, 25-12, 25-18. Portville advances to the state tournament next weekend in Glens Falls.
Class D
Pavilion, Section V, def. Chautauqua Lake, Section VI, 25-23, 25-10, 26-24. Pavilion (25-0) advances to the state tournament next weekend in Glens Falls.
GIRLS SOCCER
NYSPHSAA Final Four
Today
Class C
Carle Place 2, Byron-Bergen 0. Carle Place (Section VIII) advances to Sunday’s title game at 10:30 a.m. at SUNY Cortland.
High school sports playoff games involving local teams this weekend are as follows:
FOOTBALL
Section V Championship
Class B
No. 2 Batavia (9-1) vs. No. 1 Honeoye Falls-Lima (10-0), 6 p.m. Saturday at Pittsford Sutherland High School (WBTA Radio AM 1490, 5:45 p.m.)
Class D
No. 1 Oakfield-Alabama/Elba (10-0) vs. No. 2 Avon (9-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Van Detta Stadium, Batavia (WBTA Radio AM 1490, 6:45 p.m.)
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Section V Class D Finals Tonight
Pavilion def. Fillmore, 25-12, 25-18, 24-14.
Far West Regionals
Saturday at Le Roy High School
Class C
Le Roy, Section V (22-1) vs. Portville, Section VI (19-2). 2:30 p.m.
Class D
Pavilion, Section V (24-0) vs. Chautauqua Lake, Section VI (17-0), 4:30 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
NYSPHSAA Final Four
Class C
Byron-Bergen, Section V (19-3) vs. Carle Place, Section VIII (8-4-1), 10 a.m. Saturday at Homer High School. Winner advances to Sunday’s title game at 10:30 a.m. at SUNY Cortland.
Batavia defeated Newark on Senior Night 28-20, but it did not come easy with Newark’s senior running back Travontay Murray. Both teams were in a seesaw battle to get the first touchdown.
After a scoreless first quarter Rez Smith scored for the Blue Devils less than 10 yards out. Newark answered back with a 68-yard run from running back Travontay Murray.
Following halftime, Smith and Murray each scored again to keep the game still tied up at 14. Smith’s score was an eight-yard run and Murray scored in the air on a 77-yard touchdown reception.
Alex Hale caught an interception a few plays later that gave Batavia the ball back, and Jesse Reinhart threw a 21-yard pass to Hale to give Batavia the lead 21-14 before the end of the third quarter. Hale caught two passes for 59 yards and a TD, Tyler Budzinack finished with four receptions for 42 yards.
In the fourth quarter Aidan Anderson opened up scoring inside the 15-yard line for the Devils to increase Batavia’s lead to 28-14. Anderson finished with an interception, seven carries that went for 88 yards and a touchdown and five tackles on the night, which helped lead his team to get the win.
Mathew McWethy recorded six tackles to lead the Batavia defense, while junior linebacker Kaden Karucci added five tackles. Hale, Budzinack and sophomore Jagger Owens each came away with an interception for the Blue Devils.
Smith finished with a team-high 132 yards on 28 carries, including the two TDs, while Reinhart completed eight of 17 passes for 111 yards and two scores to go with two interceptions.
Newark’s Murray totaled 186 yards on 23 carries with 83 receiving yards on two catches and three total touchdowns.
“We overlooked this team and having coasted all week; we need guys to step up to be a playoff contender. We had some struggles that will be addressed, watch our film and move forward,” said Batavia Head Coach Brennan Briggs.
Batavia moves to 4-0 on the season and plays home next Wednesday at Van Detta Stadium versus Midlakes at 7 p.m.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Top-seeded Palmyra-Macedon held off the gutsy, determined and undersized Batavia Lady Blue Devils tonight to capture the Section V Class B1 girls’ basketball tournament crown on the Wayne County school’s home court.
Despite a decided height disadvantage, Head Coach Marty Hein’s team scrapped and clawed its way back from a double-digit deficit to pull within three points with 2 ½ minutes to play, but could get no closer – eventually falling by a 49-38 score.
The loss was Batavia’s second in as many years to Pal-Mac, which defeated the Lady Devils, 58-48, in the 2020 sectional quarterfinals.
It also marked the end of the Mackenzie Reigle and Bryn Wormley era (from right to left in photo above) that saw both star guards come up to the varsity as seventh-graders and, less than two weeks ago, saw both reach the 1,000-point mark for their careers.
As would be expected, both were inconsolable for several minutes after the final buzzer sounded.
“We had a great season. It didn’t end how we wanted it do; we came up short but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Reigle, the team’s point guard who scored18 points against the Red Raiders’ strong man-to-man defense. “I love this team. It sucks coming up short but it was a fun season considering the circumstances.”
While the loss was disappointing in itself, Reigle said she is saddened by the fact that about nine years of bouncing the ball with Wormley have come to an end.
“There’s nothing I’ll miss more than playing with Bryn. We’ve been playing together since the third grade and I hope we’ll get a chance to play against each other in college,” she said.
Reigle will be attending Geneseo State College and Wormley has enrolled at St. John Fisher, and both intend to continue playing the sport they love.
Wormley, who scored 10 points tonight, including a three-point shot that sliced Pal-Mac’s lead to 39-36 with 3:27 to play, called it a “blessing that we were able to play together for so long.”
“That was something really special and I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” she said.
Hein said Reigle and Wormley set their bar high, giving it all to get to 1,000 points and then striving for a sectional title after watching, as seventh-graders, “two of the best players that Batavia has had in Tiara Filbert and Maddie McCulley when we won the sectional title in 2016.”
Calling it “heartbreaking that we’re coming home in second,” Hein said he appreciated how hard this team, which includes seven seniors, worked during this short season to reach the finals. Batavia, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, finishes with a 10-5 record.
“I watched everyone of these girls progress,” he said. “Tess (Barone) and Bella (Houseknecht) are two of the hardest working players in basketball. Haylee (Thornley) suffered through two ACL injuries and it took two years away from her basketball and to see how far she has come after that devastation. Kennedy (Kolb), we had for four years on varsity.”
Hein said he plans to return for an eighth season at the helm, but looks forward to a night or two with no games on the schedule to be able to watch Reigle and Wormley in collegiate action.
As far as tonight’s game, senior guard/forward Sophie Lyko scored 13 of her game-high 23 points in the first quarter as Pal-Mac took a 15-10 lead, and added four more points in the first four minutes of the second quarter to spark the home team to a 23-12 advantage.
Batavia rallied, however, as Reigle sank two three-pointers in the last minute to cut the deficit to 26-20 at halftime.
A 15-footer by Thornley and a driving layup by Reigle to start the third quarter made it 26-24, before the Red Raiders outscored Batavia 9-3 the rest of the way to stretch the lead to 35-27.
There was no quit in the visitors, however, as Reigle scored two baskets and Kolb swished an 18-footer to pull Batavia within two at 35-33 with 4:40 to play. Grace Seither and Lyko scored inside to make it 39-33 before Reigle hit from beyond the three-point line.
Pal-Mac’s Tatum Smyth got a friendly bounce off the front rim at 2:55 before Barone converted a pass from Reigle to make it 41-38 with 2:35 remaining.
Unfortunately for the Lady Devils, that was the end of their scoring as they missed five shots down the stretch. Pal-Mac controlled the boards – holding Batavia to one shot on each trip down the floor while grabbing three offensive rebounds that led to a layup by 6-foot-1 junior Ryley Trail and game-sealing free throws by seniors Seither and Lyko.
“Our lack of size kind of plagued us all season,” Hein said. “We help and we overcommit with the help and now on the weak side, we’re too far underneath the basket and we’re not taller than anybody so we’re losing that fight. We just give up those weak side rebounds and that hurt us a bunch.”
Wormley agreed that Pal-Mac’s length made a big difference.
“When you’ve got three girls at 6 foot or taller and we play small ball – we started all guards (with the tallest at 5-8) – sometimes against those big girls, there’s not much you can do about it,” she said. “We played well in spurts but against those big girls, you can box them out all you want but it’s tough.”
Pal-Mac Head Coach Dan Harris also mentioned that his girls asserted themselves on the boards and “that led to some offensive rebounds and second and third chances, and that obviously was the difference.”
He was quick to point out the Lady Devils’ tenacity in its pressing defense and the team's athleticism.
“Those kids are very well coached and they had a lot of returning players that, unfortunately, their careers are over, but they play so hard, so well. And they’re so athletic and they have great basketball skills, too, which is a dangerous combination,” he said.
Reigle had six assists and five rebounds to go with her 18 points while Wormley grabbed six rebounds and Thornley had four points and four rebounds.
Reigle on the fast break, ahead of Pal-Mac's Grace Seither (14) and Tatum Smyth (2) and teammate Bryn Wormley.
Wormley stretching out as she battles Pal-Mac forwards Sophie Lyko (21) and Ryley Trail (22).
Lyko and Batavia's Haylee Thornley jockey for position.
Head Coach Marty Hein draws up a play late in the game.
Bottom four photos by Steve Ognibene.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
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