A frustrated, double-teamed Justin Smith making a pass. Smith was held to 10 points in the first half. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Batavia made a game of it in the first half, but a talented Pittsford Sutherland team ran away with the game in the second half to deliver the Blue Devils, now 4-5, their second straight home loss, 62-37, on Friday.
Justin Smith and Gavin White each scored 12 points, and Carter Mullen scored 10.
The Blue Devils host Honeoye Falls/Lima at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Also on Friday:
Merrit Holly scored 47 points to lead a comeback win for Le Roy over Rochester Prep 55-52. The 47 points ties a single-game scoring record for Le Roy. The record was set in 1963 by Tim McCulley. The Knights trailed 51-47 with less than two minutes to play when Holly went on an eight-point unanswered scoring run to secure the win. Holly had 18 rebounds and was 18-23 from the field.
Alexander beat Pembroke 50-48. Dylan Pohl scored 16 points for the Trojans. Trent Woods, 14, and Kingston Woods, 12. For the Dragons, Tyson Totten scored 24 points and had five assists. Avery Ferreira scored seven.
Angelo Penna scored 27 points on Wednesday to spark an 81-31 Elba Lancers win over Lyndonville.
Kevin Marsceill scored 17 points, hitting five three-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter.
Also on Wednesday,
Pembroke beat Maryvale, 57 to 41. Tyson Totten scored 27 points and had 16 rebounds. Avery Ferreira scored 15 points and Jayden Bridge had nine rebounds.
Eastridge beat Batavia 70-49. Justin Smith scored 14 points for Batavia. Carter Mullen scored 10.
Pembroke will play for the Rotary Tournament championship on Thursday after knocking off Notre Dame in a first-round game on Tuesday, 50-43.
Elle Peterson scored 15 points, and had five assists and four rebounds to help lead the Dragons to the win in the Girls Basketball game.
Seneca Calderon scored 11 points and had four assists and five rebounds. Jaden Hootman scored seven points. Morgan Conibert scored six and blocked three shots. Regan Schneider grabbed seven rebounds while scoring four points.
For the Irish, Nina Bartz scored 15 points, Emma Sisson, 10, and Sofia Falleti, eight.
Senior Emma Sisson led the Lady Irish offense scoring 12 points. Photo by Steve Ognibene
The Notre Dame Lady Irish picked up some extra Section V girls’ basketball points this afternoon by defeating Lyons, 47-33.
Coach Vinny Falleti’s squad improved to 4-2 and moved up in the Class D standings with the non-league win over the Lions, who fell to 4-3 in Class C1, a division consisting of larger schools than Notre Dame.
ND jumped out to a 15-7 first-quarter lead and never looked back, holding a 27-14 halftime edge and a 34-25 advantage heading into the final period.
Senior Emma Sisson led the Irish with 12 points and nine rebounds while Sofia Falleti added 10 points and 16 rebounds. Nina Bartz and Ali Tomidy chipped in with eight points each.
Falleti said he was impressed with his team’s ability to control the pace of the game.
“We came ready to play a tough Lyons team on their court,” he said. “We jumped out to an early lead and kept the momentum throughout. This was a big win for us.”
Batavia displays the championship trophy following a close victory over Attica in the Batavia Lions Club Tournament Large School bracket on Friday night at Genesee Community College. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Junior guard Carter Mullen’s three-point basket with 43 seconds to play broke a 49-49 tie, and Batavia High went on to defeat Attica, 56-52, in a battle of Blue Devils to win the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament Large School bracket on Friday night at Genesee Community College.
The stage was set for Mullen's heroics when senior Joey Marranco hit a three-point shot with 1:45 left on the clock, giving Batavia a 49-44 lead. Attica's Jack Janes responded with a three-point shot and then followed a missed shot with a layup to knot the score at 49-49.
After Mullen's big bucket, which was launched near the sideline in front of the Batavia bench, Attica turned the ball over with 30 seconds left. That led to a free throw by junior forward Justin Smith. Attica made another errant pass at the 18-second mark, giving the ball back to Batavia.
Mullen then made a foul shot to make it 54-49 before Janes swished another three-pointer to cut the lead to two with eight seconds remaining.
Marranco was fouled with six seconds left and sank both free throws to secure the victory for Batavia, now 4-3, heading into some tough Monroe County League competition.
Attica led 13-11 after the first quarter, but Batavia rallied to take a 23-19 lead into the locker room. Batavia led 40-33 after three quarters as Smith scored six of his game-high 16 points on his way to being named the tournament MVP.
He was joined on the all-tournament team by Mullen (14 points), Attica’s Cole Harding (12 points) and Clayton Bezon (13 points), Le Roy’s Merritt Holly Jr. and Royalton-Hartland’s Dan Aquilina.
Marranco finished with nine points, and Estavon Lovett added eight for Batavia, while Carter Gorski had 11 and Janes 10 for Attica, now 6-2.
Batavia Coach Buddy Brasky credited Lovett for “doing a great defensive job” on the 6-foot-4 Harding.
“That was one of the keys to the game,” he said. “Secondly, I thought we executed our offense pretty good. Carter Mullen’s three there at the end was a huge shot. They’re a good team; we’re a good team. It was just a real competitive game.”
Attica Coach Rob Crowley said his team was tentative in the first half and missed several open shots.
“I felt we played well defensively in the first half, but we sort of hurt ourselves on offense. We held on to the ball a little too long and missed several opportunities,” he said. “It looked like we were tense because the ball wasn’t going in, and we forced it a bit. We obviously played much better in the second half.
“But it’s not like Batavia’s a bad team. I knew this would be a toss-up game, and I think if we played 10 times, we’d each win five.”
In the Large School bracket consolation game, Le Roy turned back Roy-Hart, 64-45, using an 18-0 run in the third quarter to break the game open. Holly Jr. scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Matthew Hockey added 13 points to lead the Knights.
Justin Smith goes for a layup. Smith was named Tournament MVP. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Attica's Carter Gorski scoring for the Blue Devils. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Carter Mullen going for two points for Batavia. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Estavon Lovett driving to the paint. Photo by Steve Ognibene
All-tournament team, from left, Merritt Holly Jr. of Le Roy, Cole Harding and Clayton Bezon of Attica, and Carter Mullen and Justin Smith of Batavia. Photo by Steve Ognibene.
Alexander captured the Batavia Lions Club Small School bracket championship on Friday night at Genesee Community College by defeating Notre Dame, 61-49. Photos by Deb Reilly.
The Alexander Trojans used a 17-0 spurt at the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to break open a close game and went on to defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 61-49, for the Small School bracket championship of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.
The game took place on Friday night at Genesee Community College, prior to the Large School title contest that was won by Batavia, 56-52, over Attica.
Tournament MVP junior center Dylan Pohl scored 21 points for Coach Jalen Smith’s Trojans, doing most of his work close to the hoop, while junior guard Kingston Woods added 14 points, mostly on hard drives to the basket.
Woods joined Pohl on the all-tournament team along with Notre Dame’s Jay Antinore and Jaden Sherwood, Oakfield-Alabama’s Avery Watterson and Elba’s Michael Long.
ND led 13-6 after the first period before Alexander rallied to take a 23-21 lead on a layup by Pohl following a nifty pass by Trenton Woods. Antinore sank two free throws for the Irish to make it 23-23 before two buckets by Kingston Woods gave the Trojans a 27-23 halftime edge.
Alexander caught fire over the first three minutes of the third quarter, scoring the first 13 points of the period on baskets by Pohl, Kingston Woods, a pair of three-pointers by Paul Schmidt, and another by Trenton Woods to make the score 40-23.
The Trojans’ advantage ballooned to 54-33, with Jacob Brooks providing five points on a three-point shot and a turnaround jumper to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
Notre Dame employed a full-court press to start the fourth period, came up with several steals and created some turnovers to close the gap. A steal and layup by Sherwood made it 58-48 with just over two minutes left before a three-point shot by Brooks with 1:18 to play sealed the outcome for Alexander.
“Our game plan was to be patient on offense and look inside as much as we can because our big man (Pohl) is one of the best in the league,” Smith said. “It was all about ball security and taking care of the ball. The more we did that, the better we got on offense.”
Smith, in his first year at the helm, said he is excited about the progression of his team, which upped its record to 6-2.
“From the start, new principles and rules came in because of new coaches, and honestly, we’ve been getting after it every day, and the guys are starting to learn what we’re expecting and looking for and starting to get the job done.”
For Notre Dame, now 6-1, Sherwood was the top scorer with 12, while Ryan Fitzpatrick tallied 11, Antinore 10 and Makyell Walker nine.
ND Coach Mikey Rapone said the game turned when the Trojans got hot from three-point range,
“Basketball is a game of runs, and they went on one there in the second half,” he said. We tried to make some adjustments … but once they started hitting from the outside, we weren't able to give help against (Pohl) inside.”
All in all, he said he was “proud” of the way his players fought back and hopes they use it as a learning experience.
“Either you springboard (from) this and realize the things we need to work on … or you feel sorry for yourselves and go on a spiral. It was good to see that fight and ‘no quit.’”
In the Small School bracket consolation game, Oakfield-Alabama downed Elba, 47-35, as Gavin Armbrewster scored 11 points and Avery Watterson and Kyler Harkness 10 apiece. Michael Long had 15 for Elba.
Photos by Deb Reilly.
Tournament MVP Dylan Pohl goes up for two of his 21 points over ND defenders Ryan Fitzpatrick (2) and George Woodruff.
Sophomore Kingston Woods played a key role in the Trojans' victory, scoring 14 points.
Jay Antinore flies in for two of his 10 points for the Fighting Irish.
Jaden Snyder looks for a driving lane as Fitzpatrick defends.
Selected to the all-tournament team, from left, Dylan Pohl, Kingston Woods, Jaden Sherwood and Jay Antinore.
Batavia's Justin Smith and LeRoy's Jean Agosto scrapping for the ball . Photo by Steve Ognibene
Junior forward Justin Smith scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter and Batavia withstood a 37-point barrage by Le Roy’s Merritt Holly Jr. tonight to advance to the championship game of 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.
Coach Buddy Brasky’s Blue Devils turned back the Oatkan Knights, 68-62, at Genesee Community College, and now will take on Attica for the Large School bracket crown at 8:15 p.m. Friday at GCC.
Le Roy will face Royalton-Hartland in the consolation game at 3 p.m., also at GCC.
Holly, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, scored 11 points in the first quarter for Le Roy, now 4-2, but Batavia countered with long-range shooting from Cruze Rapone (two three-pointers), Joey Marranco and Carter Mullen (each with a three-point shot) as the teams played to a 20-20 tie.
Three more three-point shots – from Rapone, Marranco and Lovett – sparked the Blue Devils to a 15-9 edge in the second quarter as they held Holly to two points.
Batavia outscored the Knights, 13-12, in the third quarter, with Rapone and Mullen connecting from beyond the arc to offset Holly’s 10 points.
Holly scored 13 of Le Roy’s 21 points in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough as Smith came through with four shots from the field and a couple free throws and Mullen and Mazur sank foul shots down the stretch to keep Le Roy at arm's length.
Mullen and Rapone tallied 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Batavia, now 3-3, while Adam Woodworth scored 10 points and Jean Agosto eight for Le Roy. Holly grabbed 13 rebounds to go with his 37 points.
BATAVIA LIONS CLUB BOYS’ BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE VARSITY WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27 Large School Bracket Attica 67, Roy-Hart 55 Batavia 68, Le Roy 62 Small School Bracket Alexander 52, Oakfield-Alabama 35 Notre Dame 63, Elba 31 FRIDAY, DEC. 29 3 p.m. -- Large School consolation game – Roy-Hart vs. Le Roy 4:45 p.m. -- Small School consolation game – Elba vs. Oakfield-Alabama 6:30 p.m. -- Small School championship game – Alexander vs. Notre Dame 8:15 p.m. -- Large School championship game – Attica vs. Batavia -------------------- JUNIOR VARSITY FRIDAY, DEC. 29 1:30 p.m. -- Small School championship game -- Alexander at Notre Dame 1:30 p.m. -- Large School championship game -- Attica at Batavia
Carter Mullen driving to the hoop for two points. Photo by Steve Ognibene
LeRoy's #30 Merritt Holly scored 37 points for the Knights. Photo by Steve Ognibene
LeRoy #2 Tommy Condidorio going to the paint. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Batavia boxing out LeRoy, looking for the rebound. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Cruze Rapone prepares a pass towards the hoop. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Isabella Walsh goes up for two points. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Alivia Day scored 23 points, including five three-point shots, to lead host Rush-Henrietta to a 56-33 victory over Batavia in Section V varsity girls’ basketball action Tuesday night.
The senior guard tallied 15 points after intermission as R-H, now 2-2, pulled away after opening a nine-point halftime lead. Senior guard/forward Ashlyn Roberts added 13 points.
For Batavia, 4-2, Isabella Walsh scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds, recorded three assists and came up with five steals. Violet Lopez chipped in with 11 points.
In boys’ basketball at Akron, Pembroke defeated Alden, 67-61, in the Jack & Joyce Silvernail Holiday Classic.
Tyson Totten led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Avery Ferreira added 17 points and eight rebounds, Jayden Bridge 11 points and Sean Pustulka nine points and five assists.
Le Roy entered the second quarter in their Friday night Boys Basketball matchup against Dansville down 12-10 and then Aaric Luce got hot, Le Roy took the lead and never looked back.
Luce scored 11 points in the second quarter, hitting a trio of three-pointers to give the Knights a 30-21 halftime lead.
Le Roy went on to win 61-43.
Luce finished with 11 points. Merrit Holly scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds. Matthew Hockey scored nine points and had three assists.
Avery Watterson moving downcourt. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Oakfield lost by two points in closing seconds to Kendall on Friday in a Genesee Regional matchup at the Hornet's Nest, Oakfield.
Kendall stunned the squad opening up the quarter, scoring ten straight to lead 16-11 after the opening quarter.
The Hornets battled back halfway through the second to come within four. Oakfield's Kyler Harkness scored a bucket and got fouled to give momentum and maintain a four-point lead at the half, 29-25.
Both teams exchanged game leads in the third, and then Brent Mancuso scored a buzzer-beater to end the third, 48-45 Hornets.
In the fourth quarter, the lead increased by eight to 58-50, and the Hornets were looking to get away with the game but got into foul trouble. Kendall chipped away with two plays that positioned them with a two-point lead with 18 seconds left in game regulation.
Notre Dame picked upa 61-19 win over Wheatland-Chili in Girls Basketball on Thursday.
The Irish are now 2-1 on the season.
Sofia Falleti led the scoring with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds.
Luci Zambito scored 12 points, while Emma Sisson and Lucia Fiorentino contributed nine each.
“Tonight was a complete team effort as everyone contributed and got a balanced amount of play time for the win,” Coach Vinny Falleti said. “They executed well tonight and played like a team.”
Jamin MacDonald led the Lady Devils in points and rebounds to victory. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Batavia picked up its fourth win of the season with a 51-19 victory over Franklin/Northeast on Thursday.
Stats for the game:
Karizma Wescott, six points, four rebounds, six steals;
Julia Clark, two points, four rebounds;
Anna Varland, eight points, three rebounds, two assists;
Violet Lopez, five points and six rebounds;
Jaimin Macdonald, 18 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, four steals;
Julia Preston, four points and six rebounds;
Isabella Walsh, seven points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals;
"We were able to jump out to an early lead by changing up our presses and controlling the tempo," said coach John McCulley. "This team has learned from every game so far. We learned we need to hit the glass better, and they did that tonight."
Many teams have already played four or five games in the 2023/24 season, but the Pembroke Dragons didn't hit the hardwood for the first time until Wednesday night to take on an undefeated Byron-Bergen team led by early season hot shot Braedyn Chambry.
Chambry set a school record in a game this season by scoring 41 points. A couple of times, he's topped 20 points.
On Wednesday, the Dragons held him to nine points, sending the Bees (4-1) to their first defeat, 61-50.
For Pembroke, Tyson Totten scored 31 points, and Sean Pustulka scored nine.
Colin Martin led Byron-Bergen with 16 points. Noah Clare scored nine, and Brody Baubie scored eight.
"I was pleased with how we played defensively tonight, meeting our defensive goal 3/4 quarters," said Pembroke coach Matthew Shay. "I was also pleased with Jayden Bridge and Sam Pfeiffer and how they battled tonight defending Chambry along with our team defense limiting his touches. Roxanne always does a nice job with her squad, and I feel fortunate to come out of there with the win. Obviously, Tyson played really tough and controlled the game for us."
