basketball

It's about sportsmanship. It's about understanding. It's about working together for a common goal. It's about giving opportunity to those who might not otherwise get an opportunity.

That's why Pembroke has, for the second season in a row, brought together a Unified Basketball team and held an Assembly Game at the end of the team's regular six-game schedule so the whole school can join in and cheer for fellow students who don't often get opportunities to hear the applause and pep songs rooting them on.

The Unified Basketball team is comprised of students with intellectual disabilities and students who do not have those disabilities so they can all enjoy competing together.

"I think it teaches them understanding," said Pembroke HS Principal Nathan Work, who is also one of the team's coaches. "I think it teaches them commitment. I think it teaches them to help one another."

The players on the unified team gain popularity during the season because of the recognition they get.  Their baskets after games are announced over the PA system at the school. They get to wear jerseys.  They know what it means to represent their classmates.

"It's palpable on campus," Work said. "You can feel it. Some of the students are mostly in self-contained classrooms, but they walk around the halls, and they're legends right there with the announcements of their scores.  You see the other players in the stands today. They're cheering for kids that otherwise wouldn't have a chance to wear the Pembroke uniform or the Pembroke colors."

On Thursday, the Unified Dragons played in front of the entire school against the City Honors Centaurs from Buffalo. The game had all the hoopla of a homecoming game with the pep band, cheerleaders, and the school's mascot.

Pembroke Superintendent Matthew Calderon said the Assembly Game is an amazing event.

"It's one of those events that you root for both sides, no matter what happens," Calderon said. "You know, kids with special needs are important. We're happy that we've got some people willing to invest the time and make this happen for them."

Right now, Pembroke competes against teams from Section VI because there aren't enough schools in Section V participating in this program of the Special Olympics.  He's hoping that will change.  Work and the other coaches recently made a presentation about the program to Genesee Valley BOCES, and Calderon said he thinks other schools in Genesee County are considering forming united basketball teams.

"Because of Pembroke's leadership, other teams are getting interested," Calderon said. "Hopefully, if every school in  Genesee County gets involved, we could be closer together and play each other and have like a Genesee Region League.  I think that could happen in a couple of years."

Photos by Howard Owens.

Submitted photo and information.

Notre Dame's Amelia McCulley made first-team All-Greater Rochester for the 2022-23 basketball season.

McCulley, a senior, will be attending Hobart/William Smith in the fall.

The only other player from the GLOW region to make the AGR first team is Kylie Buckley, from Livonia, who will be attending Niagara in the fall.

In her senior season at Notre Dame, McCulley led Section V Girls Basketball with 88 three-point shots, which is the second most all-time in the section.  She was fourth in points per game with 24.4 and fifth in steals with 104.

In her career at Notre Dame, McCulley scored 1,449 points, which is the second-highest total in school history in Girls Basketball.

Photo from the Ronald McDonald All-Star Game. Photo by Luke Photography.

Two members of the Section V Champion Pembroke Dragons were honored on Wednesday night at the team's season-ending banquet.

Cayden Pfalzer, left, was recognized for becoming the team's all-time leading scorer with 1,180 points and the team's all-time leading three-point shooter with 180 baskets from behind the arc.  Jon Suro was also recognized for becoming the school's all-time assists leader with 360.

Photo and info submitted by Coach Matthew Shay.

Amelia McCulley's dominance on the basketball court is certainly part of the reason she will enter William Smith this fall, but it is her academics that won her scholarships to the liberal arts school in Geneva.

McCulley signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to play basketball for the Herons.

In her senior season at Notre Dame, McCulley led Section V Girls Basketball with 88 three-point shots, which is the second most all-time in the section.  She was fourth in points per game with 24.4 and fifth in steals with 104.

In her career at Notre Dame, McCulley scored 1,449 points, which is the second-highest total in school history in Girls Basketball.

Photo: McCulley after signing the letter with her mother, Amanda, and her father, Tom McCulley (also Notre Dame's head basketball coach for the girl's team). Back row, Athletic Director Mike Rapone, brother Matthew McCulley, and John McCulley, her uncle and AAU coach.  Photo by Howard Owens.

Pavilion's 42-40 loss came down to the closing minute of play against Randolph in the Class C Far West Regional Championship game at Buffalo State Sports Arena.

Karlee Zinkievich hit a three-pointer with 40 seconds left in the game to tie the score at 40-40. 

The Girls Basketball title game on Saturday, which determined which Class C team would advance to the state semifinal game, was decided on a two-point basket by the Cardinals with 12.3 seconds left.

The Batavian did not receive statistics for the game.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

While the Pembroke Dragons are Class C2 champions in Boys Basketball, their season ended on Thursday in the state qualifier game, consolidating Section V's Class C trophy winners into one team that advances.

The Dragons lost to Lyons 59-56.

No statistics were submitted for the game.

Photos by Jessica Pfalzer

The Golden Gophers took a step closer to a state tournament berth in Girls Basketball with a 43-22 win over Oakfield-Alabama on Tuesday.

Pavilion's Karlee Zinkievich scored 18 points.  Lauren Kingsley scored 12, and Makayla Washburn scored eight.

For the Hornets, Ava Groff scored six points, and Caitlin Ryan scored six.

With a 19-2 record, Pavilion moves on to the Class C Far West Regional Champoinship, where they'll face Randolph (19-4) at Buffalo State on Saturday at 3 p.m.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

The Pembroke Dragons are Section V champions in Boys Basketball, beating York in the Class C2 final at Blue Cross Arena on Sunday, 62-59.

The game was close for all four quarters, with York leading most of the way in the first half, but Pembroke regrouped in the third quarter and held onto a slender lead at the end when time ran out on York.

Scoring:

• Tyson Totten, 16 points
• Cayden Pfalzer, 12 points
• Avery Ferreira, 13 points
• Jon Suro, 14 points
• Chase Guzdek, 7 points, 15 rebounds

"York is a great team, and Ed (Orman) does a really good job with his squad year in and year out," said Coach Matt Shay. "Our kids showed a lot of resilience responding to how York jumped on us early. We came out really tough in the third and made a nice run, but when you get to this level, teams are going to make runs on their end as well. York did that by switching to a press and a 2-3 zone. I was really proud of how some of our guys stepped up tonight. Avery, Jon, and Chase really came up huge for us today. This group has worked really hard, and they deserve this."

The Dragons get a bye in the first round of regionals. Pembroke will play the winner of Lyons vs. Northstar Christian on Thursday, March 9, in the Quarterfinals, location TBD.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

After winning the championship, the team bus was escorted by the Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department from Batavia to the school. Video by Jessica Pfalzer.

Photos below by Jessica Pfalzer. For more photos, click here.

The Fighting Irish found themselves in a tough match for the Class D1 title against Avoca/Prattsburgh on Saturday at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.

At 16-5, Notre Dame was the #3 seed in the class; at 19-2, the athletes were ranked #1.

Haden Abbott's 28 points helped lead Avoca to a 93-67 win.

For Notre Dame, Jay Antinore scored 17 points, Ryan Fitzpatrick, 15, Jaden Sherwood, 15, and Jordan Welker, 11. 

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

Submitted story.

In a game that saw 15 lead changes, Elba needed one more they couldn't get, falling 58-55 to Andover-Whitesville in the Class D2 sectional finals Saturday night.

Andover-Whitesville's Vanessa Hall tallied a game-high 28 points, including six points in the last 39 seconds to seal the win for the Panthers.

Hall struggled in the first half shooting 4-for-15 from the floor for 10 points but turned it around in the second half on 8-of-16 field goals for 18 points. The senior made several tough inside shots, and a few nice interior passes to set up Panther teammates as well. Hall was named the Class D2 tournament MVP.

Sixth-seeded Elba (13-11) played tough throughout, grabbing an 11-10 lead after one quarter. Maddie Hall nailed a 3-pointer to get the scoring started for the Lancers, while freshman Lydia Ross and sophomore Sydney Reilly both scored four points in the opening stanza.

Reilly, who leads Elba with over 16 points per game, picked up her third foul just one minute into the second quarter. Elba would not relinquish the lead in her absence. Mariah Ognibene and Ross netted two-point baskets before Kennedy Augello got hot. The junior guard sandwiched an inside basket between two 3-pointers to give Elba the 23-21 edge at the half.

Elba's Hailie Scouten led the charge to start the third quarter. The junior forward swished a 3-pointer from the right wing to start the quarter and then 30 seconds later knocked a trey in off the board to give Elba its biggest lead of the game at 29-21. Scouten added one more basket later in the quarter and finished with nine points, 13 rebounds, three assists and five blocks.

Ross, who finished with a team-high 13 points and spear-headed the Lancers all night, added four points in the third quarter. Reilly, who came back in with 30 seconds left in the frame, and Hall added three and two points, respectively, in the quarter.

Andover-Whitesville's Hall paced her team with 10 points in the third quarter, and Graci Lewis-Ellison added five. Both teams scored 17 points resulting in a 40-38 Elba advantage after three.

The Panthers started the fourth quarter with six straight points to take a 44-40 lead. Then both Ross and Ognibene scored on putbacks for Elba to tie the game once again at 44-44 halfway through the final quarter. A free throw by Scouten gave the Lancers their final lead of the game with three minutes left.

Hall gave Andover-Whitesville the lead right back on the very next possession slicing into the lane for a tough inside bucket.

Ognibene would tie the game once more with her own free throw with 2:30 left, but Panthers senior Gabby Terhune netted a layup on a nice assist from Hall seconds later to put Andover-Whitesville up for good. Two Panther free throws and two more baskets from Hall put Elba down 54-49 with just 30 seconds remaining.

Reilly made an off-balance basket and was fouled on the Lancers' next possession. The following free throw made it 54-52 in favor of the Panthers. Foul shots from Hall, Terhune and Lewis-Ellison increased the lead to 58-52 with 11 seconds left in the game.

Augello swished one more three-pointer, her third of the night, as the buzzer sounded. She finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Ognibene ended with five points and a game-high 16 rebounds for Elba, while Reilly ended with 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Ross, who was named to the all-tournament team, also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals to go with her 13 points for the Lancers.

Elba's Hall tallied five points, while junior Ava Chatt rounded out the Lancers scoring with two points.

Andover-Whitesville's Lewis-Ellison ended with eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Bledsoe finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

Reilly, Lewis-Ellison and Bledsoe were also named to the all-tournament team.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Le Roy lost its Class B2 championship game to Wellsville at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester on Saturday, 52-43.

There are no game statistics available. 

Maveric McKenzie received the sportsmanship award, while Merritt Holley and Andrew Pocock were named to the all-tournament team.

Photos by Jason Coniber.

A balanced offensive attack and strong defense all season wasn't quite enough on Saturday for the Batavia Blue Devils to overcome Newark for the Class B1 title at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.

The Blue Devils lost 60-55.

Carter McFollins scored 16 points for Batavia. Carter Mullen scored 11, while Mikey McKenzie scored nine and Rashawd Christie scored eight.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

The Oatkan Knights put together a balanced attack against Dansville on Wednesday to advance to the finals of the Class B2 finals.

It was a close game, with Le Roy posting a final score of 49 points to 47 for Dansville.

Merritt Holly Jr. posted a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Pocock had 12 points and six rebounds. Maveric McKenzie had 10 points and four assists. Jean Agosto scored eight points.

The Knights play Wellsville at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Blue Cross Arena.

Photos by Jason Coniber.

Pavilion, who entered the Girls Basketball Class C2 Section V tournament as the #3 seed, beat #2 seed Notre Dame on Wednesday, 51-42.

The Golden Gophers face #4 seed Dundee/Bradford at noon on Saturday at Rush-Henrietta.

No statistics were submitted for the Pavilion team.

Amelia McCulley scored 34 points for Notre Dame. Emma Sisson had seven rebounds.

Four Blue Devils scored in double digits as Batavia beat Bishop Kearney 66-62 in the Class B1 Section V semifinal.

Scoring: 

• Mikey McKenzie, 16 points
• Ja'vin McFollins, 15 points
• Rashawd Christie, 14 points
• Carter McFollins, 12 points

The #1 seed in Class B1, the Blue Devils play at Blue Cross Arena at 9 a.m. against #2 Newark for the B1 title.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

Elba overcame foul trouble and walked away with a Section Class D2 semifinal win over Scio-Friendship on Tuesday, 47-34.

The Lancers, the #6 seed in the tournament, with a 13-10 record, will vie for a sectional trophy on Friday at 6 p.m. against #1 seed Andover/Whitesville.

Sydney Reilly had a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Kennedy Augello scored 11 points. Ava Chatt had 11 rebounds and Mariah Ognibene had eight.

The team recorded 18 fouls.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

A strong season by the Trojans ended abruptly on Tuesday with a 46-31 loss to Canisteo-Greenwood in the Class C1 semifinal game.

Emily Pietrzkowski scored eight points for Alexander, and Alyssa Kramer scored seven.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

Oakfield-Alabama came from behind on Tuesday to win their Section V Class C1 semifinal matchup against Bloomfield, 59-56.

Alea Groff scored 18 points. Caitlin Ryan scored 13. Piper Hyde scored nine. Emma Wray scored eight.  Brooke Reding scored seven.

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Photos by Steve Ognibene

Oakfield-Alabama fell just short in a double OT game of a chance to face rival Pembroke for the Class C2 sectional title with a 64-59 loss to York on Monday.

York came into the semifinal game with a 19-2 record compared to O-A's 18-3.

After falling beyond by double digits, the Hornets fought back and force the game into overtime and make York work hard to pull ahead in the second OT period.

Scoring for the Hornets:

• Kyle Porter, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
• Noah Currier, 16 points, 4 rebounds
• Brayden Smith, 8 points, 8 rebounds
• Colton Yasses, 7 points, 7 rebounds
• Aiden Warner, 6 points, 6 rebounds

"I was proud of the overall effort from this group tonight in a tough semifinal game," said Coach Ryan Stehlar. "Being down by double digits with a few minutes to go, I know many people thought we were out of it.  The boys, as they have done all year long, made a push to give themselves a chance.  When a game goes into overtime, you are hoping the ball bounces your way a few times.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen for us.  Much like most of the year, I know this team was counted out.  I'm proud of the season they had.  They made our program, school, community, and myself extremely proud.  That is all I can ask for."

The Pembroke Dragons will play for a Class C2 Section V title at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester on Friday after beating Bolivar-Richburg on Monday, 61-39.

Scoring:

• Cayden Pfalzer, 21 points
• Tyson Totten, 14 points
• Chase Guzdek, 9 points 11 rebounds
• Avery Ferreira, 8 points
• Jon Suro, 5 assists

"Bolivar-Richburg went into half up by one, then we used a great defensive second half holding them to just nine points to pull ahead," said Coach Matthew Shay. "I was really pleased with how we responded to adversity and stepped it up defensively in the second half."

Photos by Kristin Smith.