Trevahn Wright, left, with Batavia HS Principal Paul Kesler, and Madeline Dennison graduated from high school at the Batavia City Schools Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday night.
Both recently completed their course work and passed their regent's exams making them eligible in April to receive their degrees.
Terelle Spinks, winner of Mr. Batavia 2019, presents a check for $2,776.50 to Stacy Squire, a volunteer with Volunteers for Animals, Spinks's charity for the annual event at Batavia High School.
This year, the Mr. Batavia competition brought in $5,553, bringing the seven-year total of funds raised for local charities to $25,743.
The event is student organized and run.
Sam Rigerman, first runner-up, presents a check for $1,388.25 to Jaylene Smith-Kilner, Habitat for Humanity.
Griffin DellaPenna, second runner up, presents a check for $1,388.25 to Laurie Napoleon, for the Michael Napoleon Memorial Foundation.
The seventh annual Mr. Batavia show is set for 7 p.m., March 21, at Batavia High School in the Auditorium.
There are 12 seniors in this year's competition, each representing a different charity in the community.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the winner's charity. Last year, $4,400 was raised and in seven years the student-run event has raised $20,190.
Tickets are $8 and are available at the school's main office and tickets will also be available at the door until sold out.
This year's contestants and their charities are:
The Batavia High School Production Club presents the musical "The Sound of Music" in three performances starting tonight at 7 o'clock.
There are also shows at 7 p.m. tomorrow and at 2 p.m. Sunday in the high school's auditorium.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors.
Cast list:
The Batavia High Lady Blue Devils’ season came to a resounding halt Friday night as defending champion Midlakes rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit and cruised to a 79-66 victory in the Section 5 Girls’ Basketball Tournament Class B1 championship game before a packed and raucous crowd at Caledonia-Mumford High School.
With the win, Midlakes, now 20-3, moves on to face Dansville for the unified Class B title next Tuesday at a site to be determined.
The loss ends Batavia’s fine campaign at 19-3 overall, with its two previous losses to teams in higher classifications.
At the outset, Coach Marty Hein’s Lady Devils rode some sharp long-range shooting to stay in front of the Screaming Eagles.
After sophomore guards Bryn Wormley and Mackenzie Reigle each hit a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes, senior guard Ryann Stefaniak found the mark for four three-pointers, including a buzzer-beater off the glass on a nice assist from sophomore guard Tess Barone, to give the Lady Devils a 20-14 lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as Stefaniak hit a pair of threes to give Batavia its biggest lead at 26-18. Midlakes quickly managed to pull within four, but baskets by Stefaniak and Reigle gave the Devils a 32-24 halftime lead.
Stefaniak scored 20 points in the first half – one more than her average – and outplayed Midlakes’ 23-point-per-game scorer, senior guard Alaina Forbes, who had 10 points.
The Eagles came out in a press to open the second half and Forbes and senior forward Macy Kisner each scored to make it 32-28.
Batavia responded, however, as Stefaniak drove the length of the court after a Midlakes’ miss, sank a layup, got fouled and made the free throw to put Batavia up 35-28 with 6:40 left in the third quarter.
From there, the wheels fell off for Batavia, which found itself consistently watching Forbes, Kisner and sophomore guard Cara Walker beat the defense for easy layups.
Midlakes scored eight straight points – on two free throws by Walker, a three-pointer by Forbes and two layups by senior center Sydney Passalacqua -- to tie the game and then scored 19 of the game’s next 25 points to take a 54-41 advantage into the final period.
Forbes had eight of those points, all on uncontested layups.
Both teams scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, with Batavia unable to get any closer than 11 points down.
Forbes scored 11 points in the period, often on layups after accepting long outlet passes as she laid back on defense. She also hit a key three-pointer and proceeded to play up to the Midlakes’ crowd which roared its approval.
Stefaniak added two more three-point baskets in the fourth quarter and finished her outstanding high school career with 35 points.
Wormley and Reigle had 16 and 11, respectively, while junior forward Emma Krolczyk tallied four points.
For Midlakes, which will face Class B2 champion Dansville for the combined Class B title next week, Forbes led the way with 35 points while Walker scored 20, Kisner 12 and Passalacqua eight.
Hein said Midlakes’ experience (with three senior starters) made the difference, especially in the way the Eagles exploited Batavia’s efforts to crash the boards in attempts for offensive rebounds.
“They’re a seasoned team which has been here before; they didn’t get to the states last year by accident,” Hein said. “They controlled (the second half) and did what they needed to do while we we’re kind of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”
Hein said they talked about how Forbes liked to release early and thought his team did a good job in the first half.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the one girl on top to get back on defense (after intermission),” he said. “I don’t like losing but I’m not disappointed with our effort throughout the 32 minutes. It came down to (Midlakes’) wisdom, knowledge and experience.”
Hein said he believes the returning players "will be much stronger from this" and is optimistic about this team's chances next year with the return of Reigle, Wormley, Krolczyk and their supporting cast.
Stefaniak and Reigle were named to the All-Tournament Team along with Midlakes’ Kisner, Walker and Forbes, the latter being named Most Valuable Player.
Batavia seniors Meghan Houseknecht and Jenae Colkey have been chosen to play in the Exceptional Seniors game next Thursday at Greece Athena High while Stefaniak will play in the Ronald McDonald charity contest on March 23.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Photos by Steve Ognibene.
The Blue Devils squad was on a mission in the first half to control the game over visiting Palmyra-Macedon of the first round of class B1 sectionals last evening at Batavia High School.
Opening minutes were led 10-5 by senior Mason McFollins and junior Jake Humes. Tanner Thompson for Pal-Mac scored five. Blue Devils led 23-10 after the first quarter.
Second half Pal-Mac could not stop the Devils' rush as Camden White added six points. Blue Devils' Joseph Martinucci, Andrew Francis, McFollins and Luke Grammatico also contributed points to dominate the half 44-18.
Batavia then opened the floodgates rolling through the next eight minutes as Cayden White and McFollins added another 16 points combined along with points from Francis and Tyler Hale.
In the final minutes of the third quarter, both teams pulled their starters, Batavia led 69-27.
Senior Tyivon Ayala scored nine points in the fourth to close out the quarter as Batavia wins the game 87-41 and will travel to play this Saturday at #2 Newark Reds, 2 p.m. tip off.
Top photo is Batavia's Zach Gilebarto defending Pal-Mac's Paul Goodness.
To view or purchase photos click here.
Girls indoor track teams from Le Roy and Batavia, and the boys team from Batavia came away with sectional titles after competing at meets at RIT on Friday and Saturday.
Le Roy garnered 78 points, far outpacing second-place Warsaw at 38 points in Class D.
In Class C, the Batavia girls team also finished well head of the next closest team with 132 points to 47.5 points for Palmyra-Macedon.
For the boys, they notched first with a dominating 152 points to 56 points for Wayne Central.
First-place showings for Le Roy:
The Le Roy Boys Track Team finished second to East Rochester with 43 points to 53 points.
First-place finishes for Batavia girls:
First-place finishes for Batavia boys:
Batavia Coach Nick Burk also sent along this meet report:
The Batavia Indoor track and field team competed in Sectionals last night at RIT and came away with the double championship (boys and girls) for the third year in a row. The boys team won their eighth overall Sectional Championship and seventh title since 2008. The girls' team won their 15th Sectional Championship in 17 years with this being their sixth consecutive title. Both teams came into the meet very confident and excited to continue the high level of excellence that our program has developed.
For the boys' meet, our dominance in the throws continued with Alex Rood winning the Shot Put (53-10), while Jaheim Smith (48-7.25) and Evan Bartz (44-4.5) took second and fourth, respectively. Not to be outdone, our boys' Weight Throwers were even more impressive taking the top four places with Matt Grove (51-2.25) winning the event, followed by Evan Bartz (50-0.75), Alex Rood (49-11.25), and Cody Eisenberger (48-6.75).
Batavia's distance crew certainly shined in this meet, particularly Garrick Havens who won the 3200m (10:25.96), the 1600m (4:46.34), and was part of the winning 4x800 Relay (9:03.44) with Zak Jantzi, John Bruggman, and Mario Rosales. Zak Jantzi also won the 1000m (2:40.24) and Mario Rosales took second in the 1000m (2:43.32) and fourth in the 1600m (4:57.67). John Bruggman finished in fourth in the 600m (1:28.77).
Daemon Konieczny had a phenomenal meet as well winning the High Jump (6-1), placing third in the Pole Vault (12-0), and fourth in 55 Hurdles (8.52). Also in the Pole Vault, Andrew Lin placed fifth (11-0) and Matt Adams placed sixth (11-0).
Senior Taiyo Iburi-Bethel had a very impressive meet with a fourth-place finish in the 55m (6.76) and second-place finish in Long Jump (20-11). Other scorers for Batavia were Joey Gefell finishing fifth for Triple Jump (38-9), Terrez Smith finished fifth in the 55m (6.78), Troy Helsdon finished fifth in the 3200m (11:12.23), Brock Every finished sixth in the 600m (1:31.89) and the 4x400 Relay with Joey Gefell, Colton Martin, Leo Liang, and Zack Anderson finishing fifth (3:49.80).
Batavia's boys finished first out of 17 scoring teams with 152 points, followed by UPrep with 71 points and Wayne with 56 points.
The Batavia girls' indoor track team had a truly gritty performance last night led by a group of seniors that have been a part of our success for a long time. Liz Cohen had an incredible meet placing second in the 55 Hurdles (9.20), second in the Pole Vault (9-0) and third in Triple Jump (33-3.5). Emily Caccamise earned a repeat championship in the 1500m Racewalk (9:04.69), Jalesa Smith placed second in the High Jump (4-6), second in Long Jump (16-4), and fourth in the Weight Throw (32-8.75), and Caitlin Kingston placed fourth in the 600m (1:45.96) These four athletes finish their indoor track careers having never lost a Sectional meet and contributing 56 points toward last night's team championship.
Arianna Brown earned a Sectional Championsip in the High Jump (4-8) while also running on the 4x200 Relay with Sarah Adams, Jadin Vasciannie, and Caitlin Kingston, which placed third (1:56.04). Sarah Adams also place second in the Triple Jump (34-0.5). The girls' 4x400 Relay of Caitlin Kingston, Noelia Ventura, Aurelia Colby, and Piper Harloff finished third (4:30.43), and the 4x800 Relay of Sadie Loria, Maddie Taggart, Sam Davis, and Makayla Andolora finished sixth (11:14.87).
The girls' Throwers also had a tremendous meet! Along with Jalesa Smith's fourth-place finish in Weight Throw, Maggie Andersen finished in second (41-7.5) and Rebekah Daniszewski finished sixth (32-2.25). Rebekah also earned a second-place finish in the Shot Put (32-2).
Other scorers for the Blue Devils last night were: Melanie Quinones-Santiago, who finished fifth in the 3000m (12:05.91) and fourth in the 1500m (5:40.03); Sydney Konieczny, who finished fourth in the 1000m (3:20.56); Elizabeth Kingston, who finished fourth in the 1500m Racewalk (9:22.23); Gavin Konieczny, who finished third in Pole Vault (8-6); and Camryn Buck, who finished third in High Jump (4-6).
Batavia's girls finished first out of 19 scoring teams with 132 points followed by Wayne with 72 points and Pal-Mac with 47.5 points.
This performance really demonstrates the tremendous effort by our Blue Devil athletes and also the guidance from our incredible coaching staff. Dan Geiger (Throws), Rich Boyce (High Jump/Distance), William Buckenmeyer (Hurdles/Distance), Eric Allen (Jumps), Alex Veltz (Sprints), Wayne Wadams (Pole Vault), and Brandon Stevenson (Sprints) provide our athletes with the essential skills and motivation necessary to continue our very successful tradition of track and field at Batavia High School.
Between indoor and outdoor track, we've been blessed with so many great athletes and great individual performances, which have directly led to 33 Sectional Championships (Indoors and Outdoors) for our program since 2003. Batavia's Indoor Track Team rose to the occasion once again to represent our community and our school as a tough and dedicated team! Go Blue Devils!
Submitted photos.
With a 55-49 loss to Eastridge on Thursday night, the Batavia Blue Devils finished out their season with a 10-10 record and ranked #7 in Section V Class B1 basketball.
Mason McFollins scored 28 points, hitting five three-point jumpers. Camden White scored nine points and Andrew Francis scored six.
The Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead and edged Eastridge 12 to 9 at the end of the first quarter continued to lead at the half 21-18.
Batavia's undoing, perhaps, was starting the second half without scoring for seven minutes. The team's only points came on a McFollins' three-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter.
Eastridge scored 22 points in the third.
For Eastridge, Jahmel Demery scored 14 points, Jordan Capers, 12, and Jalen Rose Hannah scored 10.
Photos by Steve Ognibene.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
There were times Wednesday night when it seemed like Honeoye Falls-Lima just couldn't miss three-point shots but even with that hot streak, the Batavia Blue Devils kept the game close.
Batavia pulled to within three points in the closing seconds but the home team still came up short, losing 62-56.
HF-L's shooters hit nine three-pointers, with Patrick Lustik hitting four (22 points) and Hayden Smith hitting three (11 points).
Batavia's Mason McFollins answered with four three-pointers of his own and a total of 24 points and Andrew Francis scored 17 points.
Photos by Steve Ognibene.
To purchase or view photos, click here.
Dom Grazioplene became the latest Batavia High School Art student with a solo exhibit at GO ART! this week with a well-attended opening reception last night at Seymore Place. In the video, Grazioplene talks about his approach to art.
Also hosting an opening reception Thursday was Don Fryling, a Redfield Parkway resident, and fine art photographer.
Dom Grazioplene
Don Fryling
Sources of Strength is a suicide prevention program at Batavia High School that trains volunteer students to provide peer-to-peer assistance or help guide students who might otherwise be unwilling to talk with an adult to guide them to the right adult.
Currently, at Batavia HS, there are 10 adult advisers and 43 peer leaders.
Five of those peer leaders made a presentation about the program to the Board of Trustees Tuesday night.
The program also brings in campus speakers from Mental Health, GCASA, the Youth Bureau, and the YMCA.
Last month, peer leaders volunteered at the NYS Veterans Home, making Christmas cards with residents for armed service members overseas.
Training was provided by founders of the organization from Denver.
Students participating in the presentation Tuesday were Lily Whiting, AT Thatcher, Gavin Tucker, Stephanie Dibble, and Ben Best, with adult advisers Kelly Deneka and Heidi Meides.
Photos and article submitted by Coach Matt Holman.
It was a good day for ski racing on Saturday, cold with an overcast sky and no wind. A packed-powder race course turned slippery in the afternoon slalom and tested each racer's ability and the sharpness of their skis.
It was a good day for the Batavia Varsity skiers as they turned in some of the best runs of their season and careers. Led by Junior Aubrey Towner, who finished 13th, followed by Sophomore Lily Whiting, who finished 18th in the morning single-run Giant Slalom race. The afternoon brought a two-run slalom race in which Towner finished 12th and Whiting finished 14th, both career bests. The first time Batavia has had a pair of girls in the top 15 finishers in many years.
Zach Wagner also finished 12th in the slalom on the boys' side, a career best for the sophomore, 26th place finish in GS.
The Modified Team continues to improve with Lily Wagner taking the top team spot in GS. Ethan Bradley was Batavia's top slalom skier with Ben Stone finishing one spot behind.
The teams will next compete on Wednesday at Swain in a two-run GS race.
Team Picture: L to R: Ben Stone, Aubrey Towner, Lily Whiting, Lily Wagner, Ethan Bradley, Zach Wagner, Coach Matt Holman, Assistant Coach Bill Bradley
Zach Wagner
Aubrey Towner
Lily Whiting
Photos and article from BHS Coach Matt Holeman:
It was a cold, blustery snow globe kind of night for a ski race at Swain Resort for a two-run Giant Slalom Race.
The Batavia Girls Team took fourth place with the top finishers of Lily Whiting (18th), Aubrey Towner (20th) and Tessa Cerefin (23rd) overall. Aubrey improved by almost 4 seconds on her second run that moved her up three places in the second-run standings.
Zach Wagner took 19th place overall for the boys, improving on his second run by a second moving him up six places in the second-run standings.
The Modified Team took fifth place with Ethan Bradley, Lily Wagner and Ben Stone as the top finishers.
The next race is a double race (both Slalom and Giant Slalom) on Saturday, Jan. 12, also at Swain.
Top photo, Zach Wagner; bottom, Lily Whiting.
Results from Batavia Ski team’s first meet at Swain Ski Resort, Swain, from this past Saturday.
Slalom:
Boys Varsity Zach Wagner finished 16th overall -- time 44.22
Girls Varsity Aubrey Towner finished 15th overall 47.44, Lily Whiting finished 16th overall -- 47.65, Tessa Cerefin, DNF
Batavia Modified members Ethan Bradley (17) 1:08.34, Lily Wagner and Ben Stone both DSQ
Giant Slalom:
Batavia Girls finished fourth overall, team time 5:28.80
Lily Whiting (17) 1:45.90, Aubrey Towner 1:49.16 (18), Tessa Cerefin (19) 1:53.74
Batavia Boys individual finish Zach Wagner, 26th overall 1:42.83
Batavia Modified team – No team score
Individual results:
Lily Wagner 2:50.49, Ben Stone 3:07.22, Ethan Bradley first run 1:25.74, DSQ
If your interested to join Ski Team contact Coach Matt Holman at Batavia High School or email him at mholman@bataviacsd.org
To view or purchase photos, click here.
ROTARY CLUB CHAMPIONS: The Batavia High School Varsity Girls Basketball Team with Rotary Club Tournament trophy, from left, Bella Houseknecht, Kennedy Kolb, Meghan Houseknecht, Ryann Stefaniak, Emma Krolczyk, Jenae Colkey, Bryn Wormley, Mackenzie Reigle, Tess Barone and Haylee Thornley.
It was only fitting that senior Meghan Houseknecht dropped in the winning basket in Batavia High’s exciting 59-57 victory over Wellsville in tonight’s championship game of 30th annual Rotary Club Tournament at Genesee Community College.
Houseknecht was a freshman in the Lady Devils’ basketball program in January of 2016 when her father, well-known Batavia businessman Michael Houseknecht, died at the much-too-young age of 38.
With her mother, sister, grandparents, relatives and friends looking on during the closing moments of a hard-fought battle, Houseknecht, a 6-foot center, gathered in a pass from tourney MVP sophomore guard Bryn Wormley and laid the ball over the rim and through the hoop with :06 on the clock.
When teammate Kennedy Kolb broke up Wellsville’s last attempt to tie the game, Batavia had escaped with its seventh win in eight outings this season.
Batavia Coach Marty Hein relished taking the Rotary Club trophy but said he was doubly proud of the way his squad handled the adversity of losing three starters, including their top scorer, senior guard Ryann Stefaniak, who departed with her fifth foul at the 5:12 mark of the final quarter.
“Looking on the bench, we had a lead, I’m thinking we need defense,” Hein said. “ 'OK, Tess (Barone) go in'; Tess plays hardnosed defense and she did a nice job for us to finish the game. And Kennedy Kolb came through.
“I would have rather had Ryann and Kenzie (Reigle) in the game but it turned out that it was a nice win where everyone contributed down the line.”
He also spoke of the way Wormley has stepped up her game this season – “she’s blossoming and it’s fun to watch,” he said – and called Houseknecht’s late heroics “just rewards.”
“Remembering three years ago, it (her father’s passing) was heartbreaking,” he said. “Meg’s an awesome girl; I love her to death and it’s kind of fitting that she makes the shot to win the game.”
The game was close throughout as the teams were never separated by more than seven points.
Wellsville, now 7-2, was up by seven with two minutes left in the third quarter before Batavia ended the period on an 11-1 run with key hoops by Wormley, Reigle and Stefaniak.
Batavia grabbed its biggest lead, 48-43, on a basket by Wormley to open the fourth-quarter scoring, but Wellsville, which kept Batavia off balance with accurate long-distance shooting, pulled ahead 51-50 with 3:45 to play on a three-point shot by senior guard Taylor Adams.
Wellsville made it 53-50 on a pair of free throws by senior guard Jana Whitehouse, but Wormley responded with a three-pointer at the 2:55 mark to tie it at 53-53.
After a free throw by Wellsville’s freshman guard Marley Adams, Batavia scored four straight on a driving layup by sophomore guard Reigle and two foul shots by Wormley to take a 57-54 edge with 1:06 to play.
A pair of free throws by Adams on separate trips down the floor pulled Wellsville within a point and a free throw by senior guard Quincy Buckley with 15 seconds left made it 57-57.
Batavia inbounded the ball, with senior forward Jenae Colkey managing to escape pressure to get the ball to Wormley, who drove down the left side of the lane before lobbing it in to Houseknecht for the decisive bucket.
“The play was to get the ball to Bryn because she was the facilitator at the point in the game – the person who could either make the right pass or get into position to score,” Hein said.
Houseknecht said she was able to get free underneath by virtue of a screen from Kolb and was able to complete the play.
“When I cut through I saw I had a mismatch as the girl was shorter, and Bryn made a good pass to me,” she said. “I knew when I got the ball that I had to shoot it (right away), and fortunately it went in.”
Ironically, the basket was Houseknecht’s only two points of the game and touched off a wild celebration from the Batavia fans.
“All week we were super-excited to play in the tournament and then after winning on Wednesday (against Caledonia-Mumford) to play in the championship game,” Houseknecht said.
Stefaniak led the Batavia scoring with 19 points – five of them in the closing seconds of the first half to pull her team within two at 29-27 at intermission.
Wormley tallied 16 while Reigle and junior forward Emma Krolczyk, who both fouled out in the game’s closing minute, added 13 and nine points, respectively.
For Wellsville, Buckley led the way with 17 – including four three-point baskets -- and junior center Regan Marsh added 13. All told, Wellsville sank eight three-pointers.
We knew that they were an outside shooting team, we were worried more about Winehouse – and Buckley was popping them,” Hein said. “We knew what we were up against … We didn’t close out soon enough – they were popping.”
Stefaniak, Adams and Buckley made the all-tournament team along with Notre Dame’s Callie McCulley (ND defeated Cal-Mum in the consolation game) while Reigle earned the Sportsmanship Award.
Photos by Thomas Ognibene. To view or purchase photos, click here.
There will be no rematch of last year's final between Cal-Mum and Notre Dame for the Rotary Championship after both teams fell in first-round games on Wednesday at Genesee Community College.
Notre Dame fell to Wellsville in the first game and Batavia notched a convincing 55-28 win over Cal-Mum, who lost to Notre Dame last year, but won the championship in 2017.
Bryn Wormley scored 15 points and Ryann Stefaniak scored 14 to lead the Blue Devils. Kenz Reigle added 10 and Emma Krolczyk and Jenae Colkey added six each.
For Cal-Mum, Elyse Van Auken scored 12 points.
Batavia Coach Marty Hein said he's been working with his team on their defense, which needs to improve for the team to advance and will be key if the team is to win Friday against Wellsville.
"They (Wellsville) have some outside shooters," Hein said. "They have people from the outside and they can also drive and penetrate. Our defense has to be, somebody has to play shutdown on the ball and we've got to steer it one direction and the other. People have to be willing to jump off and shut down driving lanes down as well as knowing who's the shooter and get out there them to close out them."
Game time Friday is 7:30 p.m. in the Anthony Zambito Gym at GCC.
Photos by Thomas Ognibene. To view or purchase photos, click here.
It's a whole new ballgame for the Batavia Blue Devils now that the team's full squad is showing up ready to play on game night, and Friday Attica got a taste of what a healthy Batavia can put on the court.
After jumping out to a 10-1 lead to start the championship of the larger schools' bracket of Lions Club Tournament in the Anthony Zambito Gym at Genesee Community College, Batavia pretty much controlled the game the rest of the way for a 70-50 win.
Mason McFollins is back in the lineup and the difference is noticeable.
"He's offensively talented and so that helps us out because we were struggling to score while he was out," Coach Buddy Brasky said. "Now, by him scoring it opens up other things for us and it makes it easier for some of the other guys to score. He's a big piece of it because he's our number one option offense."
McFollins, the tournament MVP, scored 19 points against Attica. He hit three shots from beyond the arc.
Joe Martinucci continued his strong play in the painting, scoring 12 points.
Twin brothers Caeden White and Camden White also missed the start of the season but are back on the court causing problems for opposing defenses; Caeden always a danger to hit from the outside and Camden adding strength under the boards.
Caeden White scored eight points and was named to the All-Tournament team and Camden White scored six points.
They're very committed to basketball," Brasky said. "They come to everything we offer in the off-season. They are great kids, very coachable. And Caeden can really shoot it. Camden is a force inside. You wouldn't know they were twins just by looking at them. But it's kind of nice inside outside punch for us."
Camden White and Martinucci give the Blue Devils and nice inside rotation, Brasky said.
For the most part, Batavia was able to shut down Attica's big man, Dawson Nelson, except in the third quarter, when he scored 15 of his 19 points.
"We were trying to front them and trying beat them to across the lane not let them cut in front of us," Brasky said. "They like that high-low look where they flash the one forward up high and then he tries to dump it in low. We were trying to apply some more pressure to the passer to make the pass harder. I thought we did a decent job early, but in that third quarter we couldn't stop Dawson. He kind of took the game over in the third quarter."
McFollins, the Whites, Andrew Francis and Martinucci aren't all Batavia has going for them this season, Brasky said.
"Jake Humes is shooting the ball well for us," Brasky said. "Luke Grammatico is doing a lot of nice things for us. He hit a big three in the corner there when they're making a little bit of a run. So you know, they do some things on the court that don't maybe necessarily show up on the scoreboard but did their part.
"We've got like eight-man rotation going right now and they're part of their rotation and it's important that they can get (Andrew) Francis and Caeden and McFollins some rest."
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Batavia ran away with its opening round game against Roy-Hart in the larger schools bracket of the Lions Club Tournament at Genesee Community College on Thursday night, winning 73-27.
Mason McFollins, recently returned to the lineup, scored 15 points. Tyivon Ayala scored 13 points, all in the fourth quarter, and Caeden White, also recently cleared to play, scored 12 points. Camden White scored eight.
The Batavia Blue Devils tip off against the Attica Blue Devils in the larger school bracket at 8:30 tonight.
Photos by Steve Ognibene. To view or purchase photos, click here.
The Blue Devils, missing a couple of key players to start the season, dropped to 0-2 with a loss in their home opener to Athena, 64-51.
Andrew Francis scored 15 points for Batavia and Jake Humes added 11, with nine coming on three-pointers. Cam White scored six points. White also had three rebounds.
Joe Martinucci had seven rebounds and scored three points.
Ethan Biscaro, who suffered a knee injury in the state championship football game, Mason McFollins, and Caden White did not play.
For Greece Athena, Melvin Council Jr. scored 17 points and Kelvin Reaves Jr. scored 14 points.
The Blue Devils travel to Pittsford Sutherland for a game Tuesday.
In other boys basketball action Wednesday, Pavilion beat Letchworth 52-39.
In girls basketball: Attica beat Byron-Bergen 61-44; Oakfield beat Holley, 64-33; Alexander beat Pembroke, 43-36; Elba beat Wheatland, 65-45.
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Genesee Ice Devils visited Geneseo Ice Knights last evening at SUNY Geneseo State College. Both teams were exchanging possession but remained scoreless through the first period.
Senior Jackson Backus found the back of the net three minutes into the second period; assist by AJ Versage.
Both teams had a wide variety of penalties until eight minutes into the third period when Genesee's Evan Dusky tied the game 1-1 off a pass from Noah Martin that finished the game through regulation.
Genesee started the overtime down two players from penalties, but defense protected goalie Alexander Hunt who was a star saver for the Ice Devils that stopped 43 shots. Isaac Sweet made 25 saves.
Genesee Ice Devils Head Coach John Kirkwoods said following the game, "I’m proud of our team tonight after dropping a tough game on Tuesday. This past week was a focus of a few tough practices.
"I preach to our guys all the time that we are a very hard working team, we don’t quit and we keep coming at you, no matter the score or the situation. Our squad is a coming together to be a very competitive team.
"I am very proud of our guys. Tonight improved our abilities to overcome challenge teams like Geneseo. It was a step forward for us for our program."
Next game for Genesee is at home against Aquinas this Tuesday night, Dec 11th, at Falleti Ice Arena at 6 o'clock.
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