basketball

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.

The Oakfield-Alabama Hornets had little trouble with Lyons at Victor Hight School on Friday on their way to a Section V Class C2 championship.

Final score: O-A 55, Lyons 29.

Kam Cusmano scored 18 points for the Hornets, with Gaige Armbrewster scoring 13 and Kaden Cusmano scoring 10.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

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:

• Notre Dame (#2) vs. Filmore (#1), 8 p.m., at Letchworth, Girls Class D1
• Oakfield-Alabama (#2) vs. Lyons (#1), 7 p.m., at Victor, Boys Class C2

Saturday:

• Alexander (#7) vs. East Rochester (#1), 3 p.m., at Rush Henrietta, Girls Class C1
• Pavilion (#1) vs. Gananda (#6), 1 pm., at Rush-Henrietta, Girls Class C2
• Notre Dame (#1) vs. Elba (#2), 11 a.m., at Letchworth, Boys Class D2

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

Pavilion's girls basketball team will get a third straight shot at a Section V title on Saturday after a come-from-behind win against Kendall on Wednesday.

Kendall made it tough on the Golden Gophers in the first half of the Class C2 semifinal at Honeoye Falls/Lima. 

Pavilion jumped out to an early 6-0 lead but Kendall's aggressive defense along with Pavilion's cold shooting held the team down to only five points scored over more than a 10-minute span, giving Kendall a 19-9 lead at the half.

But the Gophers came out of the locker room ready to take charge in the second half.

In the end, Pavilion came out on top 44-40.

Karlee Zinkievich scored 21 points for Pavilion. Lauren Kingsley, 14, and four blocked shots. Shea Amberger, three points along with six assists and seven rebounds. Paige Landers, five points and six rebounds.

Elizabeth Snyder led Kendall in scoring with 17 points. She also had 12 rebounds.

The Oatkan Knights season came to a disappointing end on Wednesday with a 52-48 loss to Myderse Academy in the Class B2 sectional semifinal in boys basketball.

Merritt Holly, Jr., scored 22 points for Le Roy, and Fin Shelby scored 15.

Le Roy came into the game as the #2 seed and Myderse is the #3 seed.

Photos by Ed Henry.

The Alexander Trojans Girls Varsity Team beat the Addison Knights with a buzzer-beater finish to secure a one-point victory, 51-50, and advance to Saturday’s sectional finals.

The Trojans took the first-half lead 25-21 but began to slip scoring only eight points to the Knights 11 points while still maintaining a 1 point lead.  

Both teams rallied in the fourth quarter with the lead changing 4 times, ultimately ending with a shot with 1.1 seconds left on the clock by Natalie Whitmore, scoring 2 points to bring Alexander the win.  

Alyssa Kramer lead the team with 21 points, four two-pointers, three three-pointers, and four free throws made.  Melanie Pow and Natalie Whitmore scored nine, and seven points respectively.

Next up for Alexander, the #7 seed in the C1 bracket, the #1 seed, East Rochester Bombers at Rush Henrietta High School, Saturday at 3 p.m.

Top photo: Alyssa Kramer (5) with a lay-up

Coach Hirsch lays out the gameplay for the Trojans

Melanie Pow (32) reaching for a shot from the corner of the backboard

Natalie Whitmore (32) drives with her eyes on the basket past an Addison defender

Alexander fans celebrating an incredible win after making the 60-mile journey to Canandaigua High School

The Batavia Blue Devils' post-season surge came to an end Wednesday night with a 55-46 loss to Palmyra-Macedon.

Batavia (9-14) entered sectionals an underdog as the #8 seed in Class B1 but kept their season alive with wins over Livonia (the #9 seed) and #1 seeded Northstar.

On Wednesday, Javin McFollins, Mikey McKenzie, and Tanner Mountain each scored nine points, and Cam McClinic scored eight.

Photos by Erin Staley.

Oakfield-Alabama turned on the jets in their Class C2 sectional semifinal, running away from cross-county rival Pembroke for a 61-31 victory.

For the Hornets:

• Gaige Armbrewster, 18 points, five rebounds, eight assists
• Kam Cusmano, 12 points, four rebounds, three assists
• Kaden Cusmano, 11 points 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks
• Kyle Porter, eight points
• Jordan Schlagenhauf, seven points

For the Dragons, Tyson Totten scored six points and Cayden Pfalzer scored five.

The Hornets are now 21-1 on the season.

"Getting to this point in the season is something special," said O-A Head Coach Ryan Stehlar. "You have to make the most of your opportunities and I felt we did that tonight against a very good team.  Coach (Matt) Shay is a great coach and prepares his teams so well.  We had to be locked in defensively from the start.  The boys made that their main priority.  I loved the energy they brought and the focus they had on both ends of the floor.  The crowd and support at GCC was fantastic and made for an exciting game.  I can't thank our fans and community enough for their constant support.  We are going to enjoy this game tonight but will need to get back to work tomorrow for the next step."

The next step is against Lyons (21-1) at 7 p.m., Friday, at Victor HS.

Photos by Karly Smith.  For more, click here.

Notre Dame forced 34 turnovers, often snatching the ball from opponent's hands mid-dribble and covering the steal into a score, leading to 72-39 win over Romulus in the Class D2 bracket.

The win sets up a dream match-up for local basketball fans with a rivalry match for the D2 boys' championship on Friday against the Elba Lancers.

"Our defense carried us tonight," said Head Coach Mike Rapone. "Offensively we missed a lot of the shots that we normally make and we didn't do well at the free-throw line either but our defense was excellent we carried us all night long got us a lot of easy shots in transition and the kids played hard and they've done it all year. They battled. They weren't having the best shooting night but they worked their way through it and I'm just proud of the approach that we had."

Colin McCulley, who recently returned to the lineup from an ACL injury, led the team with 23 points. Jimmy Fanara scored 16, Cody Henry, 10, and Jordan Welker, seven.

Saturday's championship match with Elba is at 11 a.m. at Letchworth.

In a close matchup two girls' semifinalist teams, #2 Notre-Dame and #3 Genesee Valley made a game of it for a chance to play this week for Class D1 championship.

Notre Dame came away with a five-point victory 31-26. 

After a slow first quarter down by 4 after the opening quarter, the Irish got some buckets from Emma Sisson who finished with a game-high nine points on the night.

Genesee Valley's Mary Hamer dropped eight points in the first half and 14 total on the night.

The two teams were tied at 12 at the half.

Notre-Dame rallied in the third with points by Avelin Tomidy, Judah Macdonald, and Lindsey Weidman to take the lead 23-16 after three-quarters of play.

Maylee Green had six points, Tomidy, MacDonald, and Weidman, five each.

The Irish kept the pace to maintain the lead and ball possession right to the end and win and advance to the finals.

Notre Dame will take on #1 Filmore at 8 p.m., Friday at Letchworth.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

In girls basketball:

• Alexander (#7, 13-9) vs. Addison (#6, 14-8), at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Canandaigua HS, C1 bracket
• Pavilion (#1, 17-2) vs. Kendall (#4, 16-5), at 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, HFL, C2 bracket
• Notre Dame (#2, 16-5) vs. Genesee Valley (#3, 16-5), at 6 p.m., Monday, at Letchworth, D1 bracket
• Elba (#3, 15-6) vs. Andover/Whitesville (#2, 17-3), at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Dansville, D2 bracket

In boys basketball:

• Batavia (#8, 9-13) vs. Palmyra-Macedon (#4, 15-7), at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, at Bloomfield HS, B1 bracket
• Le Roy (#2, 15-6) vs. Myderse Academy (#3, 13-8), at 7 p.m., Wednesday, at Marcus Whitman HS, B2 bracket
• Oakfield-Alabama (#2, 20-1) vs. Pembroke (#3, 15-6), at 7 p.m., Monday, at Genesee Community College, C2 bracket
• Notre Dame (#1, 18-3) vs. Romulus (#4, 12-9), at 7 p.m., Monday, at McQuaid, D2 bracket
• Elba (#2, 14-7) vs. Jasper-Troupsburg (#6, 10-9), at 7 p.m., Monday, at Warsaw, D2 bracket

Oakfield-Alabama, the #3 seed in Class C2, was upset Saturday by #6 seed Gananda, 47-45 ending the Hornets' hopes of a sectional title in 2022.

Caitlin Ryan scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds along with 5 assists. Brooke Reding scored 10 points, Emma Wray, eight, and Kelsey Schlagenhauf had seven rebounds at three assists.

Photos by Karly and Brayden Smith.

The Elba Lancers, seeded #3 in the Section V D2 bracket, will continue their quest for another sectional title after beating Hammondsport on Saturday 61-49.

Dakota Brinkman scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Adrianna Long scored 10 points and Kennedy Augello, nine.  Haile Deville had 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Lancers (15-6)  face #2 seeded Andover/Whitesville (17-3) at 6 p.m., Tuesday in Dansville in a semifinal match.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

The Golden Gophers beat Warsaw on Saturday to advance .. 

Pavilion's 46-23 victory was keyed by Lauren Kingsley's16 points and 11 for Karlee Zinkievich. Shea Amberger scorednine.

Pavilion (17-2), the #1 seed in C2, will play #4 Kendall (16-5) at 7:45 p.m., March 2, at a site to be determined in the sectional semifinal.

The Batavia Blue Devils, who entered sectional play as the #8 seed, with a losing record (7-13), upset #1 ranked Northstar Christian in the Class B1 quarterfinal at Northstar.

Batavia won 81-71.

Carter McFollins was on fire, scoring 34 points.  Javin McFollins scored 20 points, hitting six three-pointers, and Sawyer Siverling scored 10.

The Blue Devils, now 9-13, will face #4 seed Palmyra-Macedon (15-7) on March 2 at a time and site to be determined.

Merritt Holly, Jr., dominated and Le Roy advanced Section V Class B2 bracket with a 67-50 win over Haverling.

Holly scored 31 points.  Mitchel Hockey scored 17 points.

The Oatkan Knights are ranked #2 in the bracket and are now 15-6.  They take on #3 seed Myderse Academy (13-8) on March 2 at a time and location to be determined.

Photos by Jim Burns.

It was a see-saw game from the start and both #4 Byron-Bergen and #5 Keshequa entered the game with a 15-5 record in a battle for Class C3 in girls sectional game.  

The Bees lead after the first quarter by three and were down three at the half.  After the third quarter, Keshequa led by one and what appeared to be a neck-and-neck battle that could go into overtime did not.

The fourth quarter was all Keshequa, which played a scrappy defense to get the ball and score to secure for themselves for a victory and advance to the semifinals.

• Keshequa Libby Benner scored 12 points, Julia Wilkins 11, including a pair of three-pointers and three free throws.
• Byron-Bergen's Ava Wagoner scored 10 points. Dayanara Coballero scored eight.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

The Hornets are moving forward in their quest for a Section V Class C2 title after their win Friday over Kendall, 82-40.

Next up for the #2 seed Hornets (20-1), neighbors Pembroke (15-6, #3) at a time and place to be determined on Monday.

For Oakfield-Alabama:

• Kam Cusmano, 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
• Gaige Armbrewster, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals
• Kaden Cusmano, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• Brenden Wescott, 12 points
• Kyle Porter, 9 points

"I was proud of the focus and effort of the team tonight," said Head Coach Ryan Stehlar. "We went up against a solid team and a great coach in Coach Zimmer.  He always has his boys prepared and ready to compete.  I have all of the respect in the world for him and the program he has built. We will enjoy this victory, but get back to work tomorrow and focus on the next game."

Angelo Pena and Mike Lang each scored 14 points to help lead the Elba Lancers to a D2 sectional quarterfinal win over Andover/Whitesville 67-30.

CJ Gottler scored 12 points and Zak Marsecill scored 10.

The Lancers will take on Jasper-Troupsburg at a time and site to be determined on Monday.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

Photos below by Debra Reilly. For more, click here.

In boys basketball on Friday, Notre Dame took a quarterfinal playoff game over Houghton 79-31.

The Fighting Irish (18-3, seeded #1) will take on Romulus (12-9, #4) in a D3 semifinal game on Monday at a time and site to be determined.

Notre Dame led 50-15 at the half.

Ryan Fitzpatrick had 18 points while breaking the school record for three-point shots in a season, previously held by Mike McGee and Spencer Misiti. Jordan Welker scored 14 while Colin McCulley and Cody Henry each had 11. 

Photos by Jim Burns.