Skip to main content

basketball

Laureano makes history, scores 51 points to lead Kendall to victory

By Brian Hillabush

Notre Dame guard Kevin Francis was awarded the Genesee Region League Player of the Year award this week. Kendall's Josh Laureano and his coach, and brother, Justin both thought he deserved to share that honor.

You can call that a little added motivation as the fifth-seeded Eagles kicked off the Section 5 Class C2 playoffs with a 77-74 win over No. 12 Cuba-Rushford Tuesday.

Laureano scored 51 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead the way.

"We were disappointed that Josh didn't get Co-Player of the Year in the GR," said Justin, the older brother and coach. "Josh and Francis are so much alike, very similar. I won't take anything away from Francis because he's a big-time player, but Josh is just as good."

 "I talked about it with Francis when we played them," Josh said. "There was a big fight on Section 5 Talksback saying I said all these things about him, and I didn't. He is a great player. But I just think people should give me as much credit as he gets."

Cuba-Rushford sat in a 3-2 zone, which basically played like man-to-man for Laureano because the guards were too wide. Justin knows that not many players can go one-on-one with his brother.

"I had to beg him to please go by (the defender) until they stop you," Justin said. "Everything he scored tonight was going to the basket. He went 17-of-19 from the floor."

 Laureano's night is going to go down as one of the best in Section 5 history, not just Kendall history. 

He hit a fade-away 3-pointer in the second overtime to clinch the win. He beat former Division I and professional player Roosevelt Bouie's school record of 47 points, and pulled a team and school together.

The 51 points is believed to be the second-highest in Section 5 history, only behind Matt Kerkey's 57 points for Mynderse in 1992.

"I enjoyed it because it made me happy to do what I was doing, and it was making everybody around me happier," Josh said. "Everybody that was in the gym was having fun, not just me."

Laureano is one of the most prolific scorers in the GR, but 51 is a number that is rarely seen in Section 5. And his teammates have no problem with their go-to option.

"If I would just let Josh go, he'd probably have some pretty high scoring games," Justin said. "I try to restrain him because as a coach, it is always team first. And we truly do have a team. There is zero infighting, zero jealousy and everybody is rooting for each other."

Colt Tooley added 14 points for the Eagles (14-9), who will play No. 4 Dundee (13-8) on Friday.

"We have talked about how winnable our bracket it and if we want to win it, we can," Josh said. "We didn't play our best game tonight because we had it in our head that we should have won because we were a higher seed. We shouldn't have been like that."

 (It was originally reported that Laureano scored 53. The results were later changed and the total was 51. Still amazing)

UPDATE: Laureano's total is actually third all-time in Section 5. Prattsburgh's Brian Putnam scored 51 points in 1991 for the second highest total in a game. 

Attica's Wolfley now has four starts at Iona

By Brian Hillabush

 The Iona men's basketball team has lost two straight games and is just 12-16 with two games left before the MAAC Championship, but Attica graduate Derek Wolfley is continuing to progress.

The Genesee Region League's second-ever Division I scholarship basketball player has now made for starts for the Gaels, averaging 7.5 minutes per game.

Wolfley is scoring 1.1 points per game and has nine blocked shots and six steals on the year. He is also averaging about one rebound per game.

HS girls highlights for Monday

By Brian Hillabush

Third-seeded Notre Dame jumped out to a 31-4 lead after the opening frame and wound up plastering visiting No. 14 Mount Morris 79-28 in the first round of the Section 5 Class DD playoffs Monday.

Nichole Hart hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points with six steals for ND, which improves to 17-4.

Carly Pike had 14 points and five steals with Jill Marshall adding nine points.

Anna Brado scord 16 points to lead Mount Morris (1-20). 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The game was between an eighth and ninth seed in Class B, but looked more like a No. 1 vs. No. 16.

No. 8 Marcus Whitman had the edge in the first three quarters and blew out No. 9 Le Roy 61-39.

Jessica Deal led all scorers with 14 points and Hannah Barnett added nine points and eight boards for Whitman (4-17), which will face No. 1 Bishop Kearney on Thursday.

Megan Robson added 12 points.

Rachael Hayward had 12 p;oints and Allison Macomber added nine for the Oatkan Knights, which end up 2-19.

Defense leads Batavia over Brighton in Class A opening round

By Brian Hillabush

Brighton may have been just 8-12 going into Monday night's Section 5 Class A girls basketball playoff game with host Batavia, but one of those wins came against the Blue Devils. And several of the losses came to Monroe County League Division I and II schools.

So Bill Wade knew his team was going to have their hands full.

Even with a sloppy ending, that including many missed layups and free throws, Batavia escaped with a 44-39 win to advance past the opening round.

"I'm very happy," said Wade, whose team beat the Barons by two and lost by one in the regular season. "One of the things I said when I took over coaching the team was that I was going to enjoy every win our team gets - and I'm enjoying this win. We do have to fix some things. But if we didn't win, we weren't going to get a chance to fix them."

 Wade also notes that Brighton's record is deceiving. The team had some injury problems to key players that were factors in the losses.

The five point victory was the biggest margin of victory either team has had in the three matchups this year and the reason was because of the Batavia defense.

When the Blue Devils had a 51-50 win in January, Brighton hit nine 3-pointers in the win. The 12th seeded Barons did not hit a shot from beyond the arc against the fifth seeded Blue Devils Monday. Wade gives a lot of credit to the defense of Brittany Hein, who he calls one of the best defensive players he's ever coached.

"We tried to give them different looks," Wade said. "We normally play a 3-2, but we were almost in a 2-3 tonight. They run one in and four out and they are very wide. (Leanna) Brooks is a good post player and driver, and we had a hard time adjusting to her last time. We tried to contain her drive so we didn't have to help on other girls, then we tried to be in their vision on every shot."

Wade is also looking towards his senior leaders in these playoffs. And Brittany Mazurkiewicz didn't disappoint.

She converted 8-of-9 free throw attempts and scored 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half.

"She started taking the ball to the basket," Wade said. "We used a little pick-and-roll play and she was taking the ball to the basket and getting fouled."

 Jaycee Shirk had four points and eight rebounds with Hein pitching in four assists and Brittany Wormley scoring six points.

Brenna Bauer had 15 points to lead Brighton (8-13).

Batavia (15-6) will get another home game on Thursday because No. 13 Aquinas surprised No. 4 Sutherland 69-59 Monday.

"Since I took over, I've talked about changing the culture," Wade said. "First I wanted to get kids to want to come out and play, and second, I wanted them to believe they can win a big game. If we win or lose, the next game is going to be a step in the right direction in changing the atmosphere if we play a good game."

Oakfield-Alabama grad Matt Novak on ESPN U

By Brian Hillabush

ESPN U was looking for a Syracuse student to talk with and test his knowledge on how the NCAA selects teams to play in the NCAA Tournament in March.

They picked a pretty knowledgeable freshman to talk with after Syracuse's loss to Villanova on Sunday. 

Oakfield-Alabama graduate Matt Novak was picked for the interview and knew how the process works. 

Novak was the "ultimate fan" of basketball while at Oakfield-Alabama, where he was the captain of the O-A Crazies, which is the school's student cheering section.

Novak's knowledge of sports has also been shown on Section 5 Talksback, where he has posted over 5,200 times and works as a moderator. 

The interview will appear on ESPN U either tonight or tomorrow night between 7 and 10 p.m.

Here is some video footage of the interview, which was taken by a friend. One of the guys stopping to get on camera during Novak's interview is Syracuse starter Arinze Onuaku.

 

HS girls highlights for Saturday

By Brian Hillabush

The 11th seeded Oakfield-Alabama girls basketball team had a 20-6 advantage in the fourth quarter and defeated No. 8 Canisteo-Greenwood 48-44 in the opening round of the Section 5 Class CC playoffs.

Brynn Perfitt hit two foul shots with about 2 minutes left in the game to put the Hornets ahead for good. She scored 12 points in the game.

Hillary Bates scored a career-high 16 points to lead O-A (11-10) and Lindsay Chatt added seven points.

Reagan Ryan scored 20 points for Canisteo-Greenwood (15-6).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kelsey Lewis dropped in the game winning basket late in the fourth quarter as No. 8 Pembroke topped No. 9 Caledonia-Mumford 37-36 in the opening round of the Class CC tournament.

Lewis scored five of her seven points in the frame.

Nicole Sharick had eight points and five rebounds with Jackie DuBois and Katie Hackett scoring eight points apiece for the Dragons (13-8).

Christina Harmon had 16 points for the Red Raiders, who end the year 11-10.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top-seeded Alexander cruised past winless Red Creek 67-29 in the first round of the Class C playoffs.

The Trojans are 15-4.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dundee tipped Kendall 40-28 in the first round of Class C.

Casi Strait had 16 points and Niki Muoio pitched in 10 for Dundee, which improves to 11-10.

Meghan Fahy scored 12 points and Samantha D'Agostino had 11 for the Eagles (7-13). 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

No. 3 Avon had little trouble in knocking Byron-Bergen out of the Class CC playoffs with a 58-31 win.

Marcy Manning had 13 points and 10 boards to lead the Braves (19-2).

Kizzy Heale had eight points for the Bees (9-12).

Notre Dame boys get top seed; Rapone set to make more history

By Brian Hillabush

 Notre Dame coach Mike Rapone will accept Notre Dame's 11th top seed in sectionals Saturday night.

You might think that even though the other 10 plaques are in his basement, because of a lack of room to display them, this one doesn't mean anything. But it does.

"It is nice because it is a nice accomplishment," Rapone said. "I always use the expression, and the kids never get it, that the top seed a $1.61 will get you a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts. All it does is put a bulls-eye on your back. It is a nice accomplishment, but it makes you the No. 1 target."

Even though the Genesee Region League has had some strong teams, as have Le Roy and Batavia, this is the only local team to earn a top seed in the boys tournaments.

The Fighting Irish are 17-3 and have been tested, playing strong GR teams like Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke, Elba and Kendall as well as non-league foes like Prattsburgh and Houghton.

"I think my goal is always to get as competitive a regular season as I can," Rapone said. "You want your team to be ready for what the future brings. I think our schedule this year was one that will have us ready."

This postseason could be historic for Notre Dame as Rapone is nearing second on the all-time wins list in Section 5. With just one win, Rapone will tie Scio's Roger Rigby for second on the list with 527 career wins.

Ed Nietopski from Cardinal Mooney leads the Section 5 wins list with 545.

"You don't sit down when you start coaching and say this is what you want to do," Rapone said. "As I get closer, I realize that it is a great accomplishment for the school and our basketball program, as much as for myself. It is also about all the players I've coached over the years. They are the ones winning the games."

Notre Dame's top player right now is senior point guard Kevin Francis, who has been on the team through a top seed and two No. 2 seeds that didn't win titles.

"In the last couple of weeks he's been a little more vocal in terms of what we need to do," Rapone said. 

Rapone has seven sectional championships and is looking for an eighth this season. Standing in his way could be fourth-seeded Elba (11-9), which knocked the Fighting Irish out of the playoffs in the semifinals last season.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oakfield-Alabama won the GR Division I title with a 17-3 record, but are only a third seed in Class C1.

This might be the best team O-A has ever had, but Avon (19-1) and East Rochester (18-2) are the top seeds in what might be the toughest bracket from top to bottom.

Pembroke went 13-7 and are a ninth seed in that class while Byron-Bergen went 4-16 and are ranked No. 15.

The Batavia boys squad went 17-3 and are relegated to a second seed in Class A1. The Blue Devils are behind Aquinas (17-3) in a very competitive group.

Attica (10-10) are the sixth seed in Class B1 and Le Roy (9-11) are the third seed in Class B2. Holley is 4-16 and ninth in the classification.

Kendall went 12-8 and is a fifth seed in Class C2, with a great shot at pulling an upset and winning a title. Alexander (8-12) is 10th and Lyndonville (1-19) is 16th.

Trojans enjoy rare honor, get top seed in sectionals; Elba also best in class

By Brian Hillabush

For Elba, getting the top seed in Section 5 Class DD isn't the biggest deal in the world, because that, and sectional titles have happened more than a couple of times. But for the Alexander girls basketball program, it is something that is beyond rare ... if it has happened at all.

The Trojans are the top seed in Class C and the division's Coach of the Year, Marcia Hirsch, doesn't know for sure but she thinks it might have happened in 1974. It is either the first or second top seed for Alexander.

"It is a really good feeling," said Hirsch, whose squad won the Genesee Region League Division I title with a 14-4 record. "We set goals at the beginning of the season and this wasn't one of them. We really hadn't given it a lot of thought."

Alexander's rise to the top of the division was never a given this season. 

A solid Perry (14-6) team was on their heels all season long and while the Trojans were mostly solid, they weren't able to beat GR powerhouses Elba and Notre Dame.

"(The race for the top seed) hadn't really affected me or bothered me," Hirsch said. "We can't worry about them, we just had to play. I told the girls that if we won out we would get the honor and be the top seed."

Alexander has had some good squads and quality players under Hirsch's leadership, but this group is easily the best she's had. There are many quality players on the roster and Hirsch's fun approach to practice and the game of basketball has definitely given the team a fun attitude. The winning has given them a swagger that breeds more winning.

"These girls are always prepared," Hirsch said. "They always play hard. Usually we start quick and slow down in the second quarter. But we always find a way, we dig in and play hard. I never count us out of a game. These girls are ready (for sectionals)."

Alexander will open up the playoffs on Saturday with a game against 0-19 Red Creek. The Trojans will get a second straight home game in the second round before the semifinals are played at a neutral location.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Elba coach Tom Nowak has been one of the best in Section 5 for a long time and his squad has won numerous sectional titles and he himself has been named Coach of the Year 12-14 times, by his estimation.

But the Lancers only have about five top seeds going into sectionals, mainly because Nowak schedules the stiffest competition possible for his team during the season.

"We have won more sectional titles when we had lower rankings," said Nowak, who is the Class DD Coach of the Year. "We played in the Hilton Tournament years ago. We would lose one or two games and not get the top seed, but we played really good competition."

Nowak's squad is the top seed in the upcoming Class DD tournament and they've done it in an unconventional manner. The Lancers start five girls, then have five girls coming off the bench to replace them. This innovative style of coaching has given Elba fresh lungs and a better team late in games.

"This whole year has really been great because you tell a bunch of kids that they are making a sacrifice that is good for the team, and they are for it," Nowak said. "Often today, kids aren't willing to do that; it's all about their stats. My kids are all about the team and they sacrifice their own stats for the team."

Nowak didn't show his team the top-seed plaque at practice Thursday, and didn't have to. The sectional championship - and beyond - is the real prize.

"That isn't going to score us any points or get us any wins," Nowak said. "It is a piece of hardwood that is something we can remember down the road."

The Lancers get a bye in the opening round and will face the winner of Avoca and Bolivar-Richburg in the second round. But there is no easy way to a championship as Jasper-Troupsburg (19-1), Notre Dame (16-4) and two-time defending champion Romulus (12-8) are expected to be in the mix.

But the veteran coach likes his team's chances.

"You really have to be ready and play every game," Nowak said.

Nowak mentioned retirement a few years back, but that is nowhere near something he is thinking about right now. He should be around to compete for sectional titles for years to come.

"I tell everybody that life is a one day contract," Nowak said. "You wake up and hope to sign the contract and move on. I have enjoyed coaching, it keeps me young. Somewhere down the line I'll make a decision as to how long I'm going to stay in coaching. We have a philosophy on our team that you can't worry about things you don't control. We cross things when we get there."

------------------------------------------------------------------

While Alexander and Elba won top seeds, other local teams will be fighting for sectional championships.

Elba's biggest competition every year seems to be Notre Dame, which went 16-4 and earned the third seed.

Lyndonville (9-11) is the ninth seed in Class C and would love another crack at Alexander.

Pembroke had a solid 12-8 record, but is just the sixth seed in Class CC. Oakfield-Alabama (10-10) is 11th and Byron-Bergen (9-11) is 12th in the class.

Holley (5-11) is the fifth seed in Class B with Le Roy (2-17) coming in at the bottom ninth seed.

Attica (1-19) is the ninth seed in Class BB and Batavia (14-5) is the fifth seed in Class A.

 

O-A drops one spot in state rankings after loss; ND up one and Batavia stays the same

By Brian Hillabush

 The Batavia and Oakfield-Alabama boys basketball teams had losses this past week against tough squads and both dipped one spot in the newest New York State Sportswriters Association poll.

The Hornets had the lead for almost the entire game, but lost to Akron in the final minute of the Genesee Region/Niagara-Orleans League Showdown Saturday.

Because of the loss, O-A drops from No. 11 to No. 12 in Class C.

Batavia had matchup problems and lost to Class AAA Irondequoit in the opening round of the Monroe County League tournament Monday, but were not faulted in the rankings. The Blue Devils are still the No. 21 ranked team in the state in Class A.

Notre Dame beat Elba and Lima Christian and are bumped from No. 9 to No. 8 in Class D.

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). 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

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).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

---------------------------------------------------------------

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).

----------------------------------------------------------------

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).

-----------------------------------------------------------------

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).

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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).

--------------------------------------------------------------------

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).

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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.

Subscribe to basketball

Authentically Local