batavia

Photo by Steve Ognibene of resident DEA agent-in-charge John Flickinger. 

Morgan Brittany Axe came from a good family with friends and relatives who loved her. She played volleyball and became a cheerleader. She had relatives here who attended Batavia High School. She traveled the same streets we travel.

"She looked like you," her mother, Deanna Axe, told the crowd gathered Monday afternoon in the BHS auditorium. "She is you."

But Morgan died in December at age 24 from an overdose after losing a four-year battle to overcome heroin addiction. She was pregnant with Deanna Axe's grandson, Isaiah Douglas Lee Mathis, at the time of her death and the unborn baby died, too.

The heart-wrenching story was shared with students and about 100 community members at a forum called "Pay Attention: Addressing Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Addiction in Our Community."

Morgan's downward spiral was triggered when a young man she loved committed suicide while talking on the phone with her. She was devastated by the loss and a doctor prescribed Xanax. Later someone suggested "Try this, you'll feel better. And she did."

But in that one moment, everything changed. The pain was gone but only fleetingly. Then came the numbness, sadness, isolation, truancy, poor grades, joylessness, more drugs.

"The first time you choose, the second time the disease chooses you," Deanna said. "And the disease takes over. You can't get back no matter how hard you try."

Jail. Institutions. Death.

"Deal with life on life's terms. ... There's no situation in your life that can be overcome by taking drugs," Deanna said. "When you wake up tomorrow after the drugs have worn off, you have the same problems."

The Rachel Platten song "Stand By You" provided the soundtrack to a brief video showing highlights from Morgan's life. The cute little girl. The young adolescent cuddling the chocolate-colored puppy. The happy-go-lucky teen taking candid selfies with friends. The beautiful young woman with long dark hair and a winning smile. 

"(Addiction) will knock you to your knees. ... Please don't take this path," Deanna said. "It will lead to disaster."

In addition to the first-hand account about the Axe family, the forum featured an overview by William J. Hochul Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York (spanning 17 counties), and input from law enforcement personnel from Batavia PD, Le Roy PD, and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. It was sponsored by a coalition of community volunteers known as Act Genesee, which promotes "healthy and safe choices through education and action." Representatives from the county, the Prevention Resource Center, State Police, GCASA, Batavia Urgent Care and others on the front lines of the opioid-addiction epidemic were also there.

Hochul said the United States has 4 percent of the world's population, but consumes 99.9 percent of the planet's hydrocodone. (A semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from codeine.)

"Either we have more people in pain here than the rest of the nations put together," Hochul said, "or something went wrong..."

Whether addiction starts with prescribed pain meds that become indispensable, pilfering pills a family member or friend's medicine cabinet, smoking marijuana laced with heroin, experimenting with synthetic opioids, or snorting or shooting heroin outright, the ultimate effect on the body and brain chemistry is the same, Hochul said. The road to addiction is typically sure and swift. It's also multifaceted and complex so a conversation about addiction to prescription painkillers needs to include the once-taboo topic of heroin.

The tragic irony is that once someone experiences that first high, they spend the rest of their days trying in vain to recapture the euphoria. If they can't get the prescription they want for pain meds or can't afford to pay $50 for a pill on the black market, they go for the cheaper stuff, and that's how heroin and synthetic opioids have come to grip so many.

(A PBS Frontline documentary which premiered Friday called "Chasing Heroin" artfully delves into the gritty reality of the national crisis. (Search Google and view online free.) Not to be confused with the 2010 documentary about an addict's world called "Chasing the Dragon," which was highly recommended by yesterday's panel.)

"This isn't the usual anti-drug message," resident DEA agent-in-charge John Flickinger said. "We're here because people are dying. This is different. It's mentally and physically addicting. After one hit, you are 'chasing the dragon.' People feel addicted for life. ... This truly is a drug that if you try it once, it may be the only thing you ever do. ... This is not something you want to experiment with -- it's too addictive."

Drug traffickers know this and they'll do anything to make a buck and get a customer for life, Flickinger said.

They often cut their product with "China white," a synthetic heroin called fentanyl, which comes from China and is very inexpensive but is 20 to 30 times more powerful than plant-based heroin. By cutting this into their product, they can stretch their resources and make more money. It just takes three or four grains (think as in grains of salt) in a dose or "fix" of heroin to amp up the high. But the traffickers plop it all in a household blender and mix it up, get the stuff packaged and out the door. They don't really know, or care, if there are three grains of fentanyl per dose or 23. It's all about the money, Flickinger said. 

This is NOT a just a teen problem. It's way too big. The number of people killed every year from heroin and prescription drug overdoses exceeds those killed from violent crime, including gang-related deaths, and car wrecks combined.

In Erie County in 2015, more than 250 deaths are attributed to opioid overdose, Hochul said, noting that during the same year there were 40 homicides.

In addition, 650 people in Buffalo were categorized as "Narcan saves," said Act Genesee President Anita Strollo, meaning they would likely have died if not for law enforcement or medical technicians dosing them with the anti-opioid nasal spray Narcan, thereby reversing the effect of drugs in the users' system and keeping them alive.

In other words, the grim statistics would be greatly multiplied. But even the use of Narcan has become problematic, according to Le Roy Det. John Condidorio, who said the dope out there is so powerful nowadays instead of the one or two doses of Narcan that used to work, now three or four doses are required to pull someone back from the brink of death. 

Sometimes the same people get a second chance more than once.

Condidorio said he's sick of being at the scene of a 14-year-old who overdosed, or a 16-year-old.

A women in the audience said during a Q&A session afterward that her child is struggling with heroin addiction. Her family is hurting, fearful, ashamed.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do," she said about parenting an addict. 

But she praised the addiction-treatment drug Vivitrol (naltrexone), which costs $1,800 for a month's supply, for bringing hope their way. For the past two years, it has been working.

It was also working for Morgan Axe. She was doing great taking Vivitrol and getting a handle on her life. But after she became pregnant at some point she decided to stop taking her medication out of concern for her unborn child. Then came the second most fateful decision she would ever make: to use once more; to get high just one more time.

She found her connection on Facebook and didn't have to drive to some dark alley in a big city; the goods were delivered right to her door. She used again, and died.

"Don't let this be your story," Deanna said. "Choose life. Choose reality. Okay?"

Panelists urged parents to keep tabs on their children's use of technology.

"If you aren't on your kids' social media and monitoring their cell phone calls every day, you're missing out on where they spend 90 percent of their time," Hochul told the audience.

He gave an example of a teenage girl who, along with friends, found ways online to "reverse engineer" so-called tamper-proof pills so they could get high. Hochul said if they had scanned the teens' browser history, they would've seen what they were up to.

Parents were also encouraged to read:

• "The Secret Life of Teens: Young People Speak Out About Their Lives" [Gayatri Patnaik, Michelle T. Shinseki]
• "The Secret Lives of Teen Girls: What Your Mother Wouldn't Talk About But Your Daughter Needs to Know" [Evelyn Resh, MPH CNM]

For family members or friends struggling with an addict, a new adult Nar-Anon group meets on Monday nights at 6:30 at Horizon Health Care -- Batavia Recovery Center, 314 Ellicott St., Batavia. March 7 will be the third meeting.

Addicts are welcome to attend the Narcotics Anonymous meetings three times a week at The Salvation Army, 529 E. Main St., Batavia. They are at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays; 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays; and 7 p.m. on Fridays.

"You are not alone," Deanna told the audience. "If you want help, there is help for you."

A winter weather advisory for Genesee County has been issued by the National Weather Service in Buffalo and is in effect from 4 p.m. today through 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Hazards include a mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet. Ice accumulation of up to a third of an inch is expected, with the greatest accumulation from Buffalo to Batavia. Snow accumulation of one to three inches is also predicted.

Winds will be 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph.

Snow and ice accumulations will result in extremely slick road conditions, making travel difficult.

Todd A. Berkemeier, 46, of 61 Walnut St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Berkemeier allegedly sent an inappropriate message through Facebook to a child less than 17 years old. The alleged victim is a Village of Le Roy resident and Berkemier was arrested by Le Roy PD.

Joshua J. Nilsen, 28, of Hilltop Drive, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and having an obstructed driver's view. Nilsen was stopped by Le Roy PD following a complaint of an erratic operator on South Street Road. The reported vehicle was located on Route 19 in the Village.

Press release:

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) has been selected to be a hub of inspiration and resources for those who wish to explore their artistic side, with an emphasis on disability-friendly activities. Following the official unveiling at 2 p.m. on Wednesday March 2nd, in the lobby of ILGR’s 113 Main St. office, Batavia, an ARTcovz self-serve kiosk will be available to all who want the packets of free art and literature supplies. The booth’s pockets, hooks and shelves will offer: colored pencils, watercolor pencils, drawing (graphite) pencils, watercolor/ drawing paper, craft paper, origami paper, polymer clay, and art-oriented audio books on CD. Eventually, artists with disabilities will come to ILGR to offer workshops and display examples of their work.

This opportunity is being made possible thanks to the North-Buffalo-based University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), a group of artists that serve as a driving creative force and educational resource to make a positive difference in people’s lives through the arts. Each ARTcovz booth caters to the demographic it serves; UHAA has partnered with ILGR to expand their outreach to people with disabilities.

Please contact Rae Frank at (585) 815-8501, ext. 406, or e-mail her at rfrank@wnyil.org with any questions.

ARTcovz is part of UHAA’s ARTboothz program, which offers sit-down art projects to passersby at community events. Each mini-art kit contains materials and a set of directions for completing a project, a link to further UHAA resources, including online databases of additional projects, and a schedule of upcoming programs. Designed/fabricated by sculptor/furniture maker Lawrence Kinney of UHAA, each ARTcovz includes a bin at the bottom of the booth to accept donations of art materials.

ARTboothz program served 2,427 people of all ages in 2015 at farmer's markets, festivals, community centers, and special events throughout Western New York. University Heights Arts Association plans to unveil a total of 10 ARTcovz in 2016. UHAA members offer donations, devise projects, put kits together at a series of "Potluck Packaging ARTraiser" events. These events are open to the public or anyone wishing to help or contribute supplies.

The Warming Center is open tonight and Tuesday from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for women and children in need of shelter at the United Methodist Church, Lewiston Road, Batavia.

For assistance, call (585) 993-6371.

There will be pickups at both McDonald's locations in Batavia.

Light meals will be served.

Rochard Joseph Tomaino, 28, of Wheatfield Street, North Tonawanda, is charged with: unlawful fleeing a police officer; speeding; no/inadequate plate lamps; obscured plate; failure to yield the right of way to emergency vehicles; aggravated unlicensed operation; failure to stop at a stop sign; reckless driving; criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and resisting arrest. Tomaino was arrested following an alleged police pursuit that started in the Town of Batavia at 1:36 a.m. Saturday on Pearl Street Road, proceeded through the City of Batavia and continued back to the west, ending in the Town of Darien at the Erie County line. The Sheriff's Office was assisted by Batavia PD, State Police and the Erie County Sheriff's Office. Tomaino was jailed without bail pending his next court appearance. (Initial Report)

Cody Patrick MacNaughton, 25, of Weatherwood Lane, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and registration / plate display violation. MacNaughton was stopped after allegedly being observed speeding in the Village of Bergen at 8:06 a.m. Sunday by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Carl Daniel Blackmon, 43, of Stewart Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Blackmon was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 2 p.m. Friday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Richard Schildwaster.

A 16-year-old resident of Mill Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, menacing, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. The youth was charged following a domestic incident reported at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The youth was jailed on $500 bail.

Paul Konieczny, 51, of Harvester Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Konieczny was arrested by Batavia PD following an investigation into a reported domestic incident at 12:21 a.m. Thursday. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Ryan James Wetsell, 22, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Wetsell was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a police investigation into a reported burglary at his residence.

Michael T. MacCowan, 42, of Meadow Farm North, North Chili, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and passed red light (two counts). MacCowan was stopped at 2:20 a.m. Sunday on Clinton Street by Officer Eric Foels.

Frank L. Morrison, 34, of East Avenue, Medina, was arrested on a warrant. Morrison was arrested by a deputy and turned over to Batavia PD on a City Court warrant.

We've seen Buddy Brasky celebrate sectional championships before, but he seemed to relish Sunday's 64-57 win over Wilson with a little more gusto.

"This was a very emotional one," Brasky told reporters after the game. "In a lot of ways, this was the hardest one. We had a lot of ups and downs during the season, but we came together at the right time, got into a little roll at the end."

The Blue Devils are now 16-7, and those seven wins are unusually high for a Brasky-coached team and a sectional championship and reflect the up-and-down nature of Batavia's 2015-16 season. There were certainly a couple of points during the course of the year that even making it to the postseason seemed in doubt.

"It's a little bit more special because it wasn't expected," Brasky said.

One challenge this year was the Blue Devils lacked what Brasky called that "go-to-guy," the guy who scores in bunches and the other team knows they have to account for him at all times. Last year, it was Jeff Redband. Before that, Jalen Smith. Before Smith, Andrew Hoy and prior to Hoy, Mike Chmielowiec.

The current edition of the Blue Devils learned over the course of the season, they had to call on each other and pick up each other to be successful.

"The good thing about this (no standout scorer) is that when one person is off, we've got other people to go to and they really step up when it's time," said senior forward Malachi Chenault.

That even attack was certainly evident over the 32 minutes of the championship game. Four players hit double figures in scoring and a fifth was just a point short. TeeSean Ayala led the way with 17 points, hitting four three-pointers, with Jake Schrider adding 13, Ryan Hogan, 12, Chenault 11, and Trevor Sherwood, nine. Chenault also snagged 11 rebounds, with Schrider and Hogan picking up seven apiece, Sherwood, six, and Ayala, five.

"It's kind of fitting that it was spread out like that today because that's the kind of team we were," Brasky said.

It was the type of game where it seemed Batavia was in control all the way, and most of the time, especially from about midway through the first quarter, they held the lead. Sometimes it was by 10 or 11 points, sometimes, only two or three. They held on, but not so tightly that the specter of a Wilson run didn't hang heavy over the court.

"That's the way it's been for us all year and one reason it's been that way is we struggle to score," Brasky said. "We can never put a team away. We get up six, seven, eight, nine points, even 12, and we have trouble delivering the knockout punch."

There was a point about midway through the third quarter when it looked as if Batavia was about to let Wilson make a run and Brasky called a time out.

"They were saying, 'we can't fold, we can't fold,' and I told them, 'You're not going to fold,' " Brasky said. " 'You're not going to fold. All you've got to do is relax, take a deep breath and you're in control of this game.You're not going to fold,' and they didn't. They handled the pressure. They made a lot of clutch free throws down the stretch and did what is needed to win down the stretch."

It was a well-timed timeout.

"Sometimes you wait too long because you want to save your timeouts for the end of the game, but sometimes you've just got to call them and I thought it was time, so I called it and it stemmed the tide, I guess," Brasky said.

As meaningful as the championship was for Brasky, it also meant a lot to the players, who endured the same ups and downs during the season as their coach.

"We had a goal coming in to win a sectional championship," said Ryan Hogan. "When it came time to start sectionals, we had to turn it on, and we knew that. The seniors had to step it up and we did."

Sherwood agreed.

"We knew we just had to work together and play as a team and that's what we did tonight and it paid off," Sherwood said.

Chenault, a senior who joined the varsity squad in eighth grade, just before that team headed into the postseason, said winning with the seniors he's practiced with throughout his basketball life was something special.

"It's just a great feeling, you know, with the squad we have and the effort we put into it," Chenault said. "It's about due that Batavia won one again. This is my senior class and going it with them is a wonderful feeling."

One reason the team was able to pull together, Brasky said, is that the team held together as a team, even in the down times.

"They all really cared about each other, and that's what kept us afloat, too," Brasky said. "Through ups and downs, they really cared about each other."

To purchase prints, click here.

Press release:

It’s been a long time coming, but Superintendent of Schools Christopher Dailey received a letter from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) stating that, once the State makes its official review visit in the early part of March, the District and Batavia Middle School will be off of the NYSED District/Focus School list in 2016-2017. Middle School staff were invited to a brief meeting Friday morning for the announcement.

“We wanted you to be the first to know,” Dailey said. “Even though this was always viewed as a district-wide process, most of the efforts were concentrated here, and we appreciate all your hard work. So, thank you, and congratulations.”

The process began several years ago, going into the 2012-2013 school year, when the District was notified that it had not met New York State’s proficiency benchmarks for one subgroup of students and, as a result, had been identified as a Focus District that was required to choose at least one school on which to focus efforts toward improvement for this subgroup. Because the Middle School had the greatest number of students in the specified subgroup, it was named as the Focus School.

The District then assembled a school improvement committee which, from that point forward, reviewed data, recommendations, and survey input to develop annual school improvement plans built around six tenets identified by NYSED’s Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness as aligning with research-based proven practices of effective schools: 1) District Leadership and Capacity, 2) School Leader Practices and Decisions, 3) Curriculum Development and Support, 4) Teacher Practices and Decisions, 5) Student Social and Emotional Developmental Health, and 6) Family and Community Engagement.

The criteria for being removed from the list included (1) meeting State participation requirements for all accountability groups for ELA and math; (2) meeting State achievement goals for the specified subgroup for two consecutive years; (3) meeting State achievement goals for averaged scores of all students in grades 3-12 for two consecutive years; and (4) having no subgroup fall below the minimum State achievement benchmarks during that time period.

Batavia Middle School Principal Sandy Griffin, noting several positive outcomes not numerically measurable, said “Our faculty has increased collaboration and the use of data to inform decision making. They have a deeper understanding of the Common Core Learning Standards and have been more actively involved in writing curriculum.

"Throughout the building – faculty, students, and staff – have a renewed commitment to and enthusiasm for the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) initiatives and to working as a team to create the best environment for learning and growing.”

Says Dailey, “This is a tremendous accomplishment by the administrators and staff of the Middle School and District. Together we have created a community of learners that pushes themselves to improve each day. We have taken a very positive approach to improvement that has paid off by our change in status with NYSED.”

UPDATE Feb. 29: Following a reader's inquiry about which subgroup triggered the inclusion on the focus list, we contacted the school district. We were told that:

"In the 2010-2011 school year, the Middle School missed the State Performance Index (PI) by 4 points with the African-American subgroup."

Press release:

YWCA of Genesee County's Women of Distinction Committee is seeking nominations for those outstanding people deserving of one of six Women of Distinction awards this year. The deadline for submitting nominees is March 14.

Recipients will be honored during the annual Women of Distinction Awards Celebration June 18 at Genesee Community College, 1 College Road, Batavia.

Local YWCA officials have been striving to incorporate a more direct relationship between award recipients and the nonprofit's endeavors, including the Domestic Violence Crisis & Prevention Services program, Care & Crisis Helpline, Children and Family Services and Healthy Relationships course in the schools. No matter how big or how small, or whether it's a man, woman, youth or business, all of those efforts have tremendous potential to assist with our goal to empower women and eliminate racism.

These awards are one way to publicly acknowledge the good works of others that have ultimately contributed to the well being of our Genesee County population, Executive Director Jeanne Walton said.

"Our agency has been mirroring YWCA USA in that it is constantly evolving to meet community needs and share its strengths," Walton said. "This year the national organization released a new brand to emphasize that we're on a mission. YWCA of Genesee County's mission is to reach out to women and families with our domestic violence and childcare services while recognizing that we can't do it alone. The Women of Distinction Awards Celebration is a wonderful way to give a nod of thanks for the dedicated generosity of our supporters."

The selection committee is looking for nominations of women, companies and organizations that have gone above and beyond in the following categories:

Racial Justice: Supporting diversity through one's initiatives, philosophies and/or programs. This may include service in a leadership role, with commitment to racial justice and a high standard of courage, integrity and commitment to YWCA's mission to empower women and eliminate racism.

Economic Empowerment: Helping women to face the challenge of economic inequality or hardship. This is done with programs or initiatives that create opportunities for women to lift themselves from their current circumstances and gain more options to improve their lives.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Making a continuous effort to recruit, develop and promote a diverse work force and foster an inclusive  environment where women leaders thrive.

Military/Veteran: A veteran or related agency that has worked on behalf of veterans and continues to serve through civic, personal and/or professional improvements.

Advocacy/Civic Engagement: Working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. Promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.

Peace: Striving to make the world a better place by emphasizing the importance of kindness, compassion and peace.

Nominations are due by March 14 and may be e-mailed to: jwalton@ywcagenesee.org or sent to YWCA of Genesee County, 301 North St., Batavia, NY, 14020. Please include your name and contact information, the award category, name of nominee, some background and your reasons for nominating this person, organization or business.

For more information, call (585) 343-5808.

A burglary in progress was reported at 4 Mix Place in the city and police have a manhunt perimeter set up and the canine unit on scene. Law enforcement has switched to a secure communications channel.

UPDATE 11:20 a.m.: Police have searched and cleared the house but no burglar(s) found. Whether a burglary actually took place has not yet been determined.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: Batavia PD has put out a statement about the situation this morning. The police say following a report of a burglary in progress by a resident on location, police observed suspicious circumstances outside the residence. A K-9 and State Police were requested to the scene for assistance. A search was conducted, and though the residence was in disarray, no subjects were located inside the residence. There is an active investigation and anybody with information are asked to contact Officer James DeFreze by calling (558) 345-6350 or the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.

A two-car accident with minor injuries, possibly wrist pain, is reported at West Main and North Lyon streets. It is blocking traffic. City fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

It's been 26 years since Jeanette Filbert played in a sectional title game. In her senior year at Batavia High School, the Lady Blue Devils came into the final with a 19-0 record and high hopes of winning the school's first championship in girls basketball.

The girls didn't win that year. Pittsford-Mendon, a perennial powerhouse, dashed the dreams of hardwood glory for the girls and Filbert never forgot what that was like, and for 26 years, she's watched from the sidelines as Mendon came out on top game after game and blocked Batavia's path to the Section V trophy it lacked.

But history doesn't always repeat. Sometimes, life comes full circle and dreams do come true.

Friday night, Batavia finally -- and perhaps for the first time ever -- beat Mendon, winning the long-coveted Section V Class A2 trophy by a score of 53-42.

It was sweet revenge.

"I'm impressed," Filbert said. "They (Mendon) always have a good program. They are well coached always, and being from Batavia, a small town, coming here to play in a Rochester district, it always felt a little unfair, but I'm very proud of our girls. I can't express how I truly feel. They're a well-coached team and these girls in Batavia, they deserve this."

The girls on the 2016 championship team include a basketball prodigy, arguably the best female player in Section V, and that would be Tiara Filbert, Jeanette's daughter.

"First, I give all honor to God," Jeanette said. "We are truly blessed with her talent, but there are no words to describe how I feel right now. Like I said, this was 26 years in the making and to be able to be here and to have my daughter be a part of the team that brought them here ... again, it's not about her, it's about the team effort. She couldn't do what she did without the team helping her."

What Tiara did was score 27 points, grab 18 rebounds and notch five steals on the way to being named tournament MVP.

Tiara being Tiara, even when asked pointedly about her performance, didn't take any credit herself.

"We all came in with a positive mindset," she said. "We knew we were going to do everything we can to win. I know I had to come in and play my game and I knew our team, we were going to come together and be able to play 32 minutes of basketball."

And that they did. It never really felt like Mendon had a chance. Oh, they would claw back from 12 and 14 point deficits, but then Batavia would put together another 10- or 12-point run and pull away again.

Filbert said Mendon never managed to get the team rattled, even when they got within a point or two of the lead.

"We all know it's part of basketball," Tiara said. "You've got to keep going on to the next one no matter what happens in a game. You've got to keep an optimistic outlook on things, and we knew our defense was going to take care of our offense for us."

Head Coach Marty Hein said he had a lot of confidence in his seniors, especially Tiara coming into the game.  

"If she's not the best girl in Section V, she's second place," Hein said. "Out of 115 teams in Section V, if I've got the second best player, anything can happen. Mendon's a great team. Taking nothing away from Mendon, nothing away from Todd, but having that type of caliber player, it's going to take two, three girls to even come close to stopping her."

Speaking of team effort, there would be no sectional title in Batavia today if not for the play of Sam Cecere, whose double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) was crucial to Batavia's success.

By her own admission, Cecere has struggled a bit lately scoring. In the semifinal game three nights ago, she missed her first 10 shots before scoring six in the second half. In practice this week, she worked hard on getting in position a bit quicker and finishing with the ball in the bucket.

"The feeling (of winning the title) is just unreal," Cecere said. "Four years ago, I was in this gym as a freshman and we lost a sectional final and from that point forward, I was motivated to get a trophy and make it ours. The fact that we got here and got a great win just feels unreal. It's amazing."

The win was especially meaningful because it came against Mendon, Cecere said. 

"It feels good to give them a taste of their own medicine, really," Cecere said. "We've always lost to them as long as I've been on varsity and they've always been hard games. They always have players who are so good, but this time, we were the better team and that feels amazing."

There was a time early in the season when even the most confident of coaches and the most rabid of Blue Devil fans might have a flicker of doubt that this truly would be the year the girls would win their first sectional title, and that was in January, when the Lady Devils lost a key component of the team's offense. Maddy McCully's season ended during the Rotary Tournament when she suffered an ACL and MCL injury.

There were no post-game All-Star trophy's for McCully, who cheered her teammates from the bench dressed in her jersey with a black calf-to-thigh brace on her leg, but Hein said her contribution to the team can't be understated.

Even injured, McCully grew as a senior leader, Hein said. 

"Maddy's growth made Taylor's (Stefaniak) growth," Hein said. "Watching last year's film against Mendon, she looked like a freshman, completely like a freshman. Ryann (Stefaniak), who is a freshman now, in the second game of the season, when we lost to Mendon, looked like a freshman. You know, she didn't look like a freshman tonight. That all goes to Maddy's help, all the time talking with the girls."

While neither of the Stefaniak sisters made it into double digits on scoring Friday (they scored five apiece), they both played with confidence and helped with ball movement on offense and were key parts of Batavia's successful defense.

"They definitely stepped up big time for us after Maddy went down," Tiara said. "They had big games against Notre Dame in our tournament. They came out strong. They kept coming back. We just had to keep them in a positive mindset and they came out here and they handled their business."

Top photo: Tiara Filbert.

Always fearless in the paint, Ryann Stefaniak did get tagged with an offensive foul in the second quarter.

Sam Cecere was dominate in the low post.

Filbert, as usual, was a threat inside and out.

Taylor Stefaniak with a layup in the fourth quarter.

Sam Cecere's father was ebullient (see slideshow below) and emotional in the final minutes as it became increasingly clear his daughter's team was about to win a championship.

Post-game celebration.

The team bus received a police and fire escort down Main Street when the team returned to Batavia.

Back at the high school.

To purchase prints, click here.

A vehicle is reportedly refusing to stop for police in the city.

We're not sure where the pursuit started, but a police officer observed, "he looked right at us and is refusing to stop."

The vehicle headed south over the bridge at South Lyon and then onto South Main, then to South Pearl.

A deputy was attempting to get a spike strip down. It's unclear if they were down in time or at the location that the vehicle continued.

The vehicle has been clocked at 95 mph leaving the city and city units are backing off.

Another deputy is attempting to get in position ahead of the vehicle, which is westbound on Route 33.

The vehicle has slowed to 50 mph.

UPDATE 1:38 a.m.: The vehicle is a green Chevy Suburban registered to a female in North Tonawanda.

UPDATE 1:44 a.m.: The vehicle hit spikes near the Corfu Fire Hall on Route 33. Both front tires were punctured and the vehicle is continuing on just rims. We think we heard a description of the driver as a white male in a hoodie. The vehicle has reached the Erie County line and may have hit an Erie County patrol vehicle.

UPDATE 1:48 a.m.: A deputy reported the suspect may have a possible hand injury. A medical evaluation is requested.

UPDATE 1:50 a.m.: Darien's ambulance is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 2:17 a.m.: Suspect in custody, being transported to the jail.

The Batavia High School Girls Basketball Team just won the Sectional V Class A2 game against Pittsford Mendon. Final score: 53 to 42.

More T/K, including photos.

UPDATE 8:41 p.m.: The team bus will be arriving in town shortly. Starting from the Aldi's parking lot, the team will receive a police and fire escort down Main Street.

An attached garage is on fire at 3933 Pearl Street Road. Flames are showing. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding. The location is between Donohue Road and Treadeasy Avenue.

UPDATE 7:23 p.m.: Command reports the fire is under control. It amounts to "superficial damage to an overhead door."

UPDATE 7:38 p.m.: Fire is out. Command reports it started because a cooking grill was located too close to the garage door.

The premier GLOW Wedding Expo is this Sunday, Feb. 28, from noon to 3 p.m. at Batavia Downs Gaming, located at 8315 Park Road, Batavia. 

More than 200 brides are already registered to attend this debut expo featuring 33 vendors representing all aspects of The Big Day, including dresses, jewelry, venues, bridal showers, photography, beauty, engagement parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, limos, catering, invitations, rehearsal dinners, and more.

Meet with the experts inside the new Batavia Downs Paddock Room Event Center. These will include Stella's Bridal Boutique, of Le Roy, which is providing the day's fashion show at 1:30 p.m. featuring attire from the boutique, and Bloomz Florist, of Attica. T-JAM ENTERTAINMENT is in charge of the music. Also, representatives from the now-under-construction Batavia Downs Hotel will be on site to promote guest rooms that are expected to be available late this summer.

Participating vendors also include:

• Valle Jewelers (Batavia)
• The Mane Attraction Salon & Spa (Batavia)
• Mancuso Limousine
• Jay Terkel Photography (Corfu)
• The Spa at Artemis (Batavia)
• Deb's Bakery (Batavia)
• Huron Creek Acres (Alexander)

Visit glowweddingexpo.com to register.

For information call the Down's Marketing Department Group Sales Manager Mary Bucceri at (585) 343-3750, ext. 468.

Press release:

Brian Eller, COO of 1366 Technologies, the Massachusetts-based solar company and first tenant of the Town of Alabama's STAMP (Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park), will be the featured speaker at the annual meeting of the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) on Friday, March 4, at Batavia Downs.

Registration and networking begins at 11:30 a.m. and the event will conclude at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Other speakers include: 

·         New York State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer;

·         New York State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley;

·         Genesee County Legislature Chairman Raymond Cianfini;

·         Tom Kucharski, president and CEO, Buffalo Niagara Enterprise; 

·         Paul Battaglia, GCEDC Board chairman; and,

·         Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC

“We are excited to welcome Brian Eller of 1366 Technologies to speak at our annual meeting as the company invests its capital and resources right here in Genesee County, which is expected to create approximately 1,000 new jobs,” said Steve Hyde, GCEDC president and CEO.

“We look forward to celebrating the future economic impact of 1366 Technologies in our region, as well as recognizing our many public and private sector partners who have made played a critical role in helping us grow our local economy within the past year.”  

The GCEDC will unveil its 2015 report and announce the recipient of the annual Economic Development Partner of the Year Award.

Tickets cannot be purchased at the door, and seating is limited. For more information or to register please contact Rachael Tabelski at 585-343-4866or at rtabelski@gcedc.com.

YMCA PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION BEGINS FOR FALL 2016! Fall registration for the Batavia YMCA Preschool will begin March 1st. The YMCA offers educational programs for children ages 2-5, focusing on social, emotion and cognitive development. Smartboards, swim lessons, the kids' gym and our very rich curriculum are all sure to prepare your child for the early stages of learning. The YMCA is also partnered with Batavia City Schools, following NYS standards and classes are taught by NYS Certified Teachers. Stop by the YMCA to register as these classes fill quickly! Click here to visit our site.

Batavia High School's Production Club will present a musical product of Mary Poppins next week with Nick Piedmon playing Bert and Andrea Gilebarto as Mary Poppins.

Photos are from yesterday's rehearsal. 

Caryn Burk Wood is the director and Dan Grillo the musical director.

The cast includes Ross Chua as Mr. Banks, Chelsea Jensen as Mrs. Banks, Eryn Dunn as Jane Banks and Colin Dunn as Michael Banks.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m., March 4 and March 5, and 2 p.m., March 6.