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It takes two overtimes for Notre Dame to lock up Section V championship

By Howard B. Owens

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Man, the last 12 minutes of basketball played in Letchworth last night were tense.

With about four minutes left in regulation, the Lady Irish of Notre Dame looked like they had the game well in hand. A double-digit lead and good command of the game over the previous three-and-a-half quarters. Then the wheels sort of came off.

Turnovers, mental errors, penalties -- York managed to tie the game by the end of the fourth quarter.

That meant overtime. 

And at the end of overtime, the two teams fighting for the Class D1 Section V championship were tied again.

"I'm proud of the heart that they showed, not just tonight, but along this whole run," said Head Coach Tom McCulley said. "I’m amazed at the effort they put out."

Finally, at the end of the second OT, there was a final score. Notre Dame beat York 64-59.

McCulley is in his first season as head coach of the Lady Irish, replacing Dave Pero, who led Notre Dame to Section V titles and a state championship. McCulley said getting this far in his first season has been "surreal," but gave all the credit to the girls.

"These girls have been motivated and worked hard in practice and we had a tough schedule that really challenged us," McCulley said. "These girls have been battle tested since the middle of December. That’s why they were able to keep their cool and pull out the victory."

During regulation play, you could sort of watch things unravel slowly. Not only did Notre Dame lose the lead, in the second overtime, Notre Dame found themselves down by a point with less than two minutes to play.

"That can demoralize some teams," McCulley said. "Our team, we’re not built that way. They showed character and they fought through.

"We were gassed," McCulley added. "Both teams were gassed. It was a full-court, man-to-man the whole way. It was like a prize fight. At some point, somebody’s going to give. They got into foul trouble. A couple of girls fouled out. I knew it was wearing them down, so I knew once we wore them down we could get the ball to the spots so we could score relatively easily."

The win sets up what promises to be a classic confrontation -- Notre Dame, the Class D1 champs, vs. Elba, who won the Class D2 championship earlier in the evening at Letchworth. These are two powerhouse girls basketball programs with a long history of winning (both have won state championships this decade) and a long history of wanting to beat each other more than any other team -- other than the one right in front of them. Notre Dame and Elba will play at 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Cal-Mum to consolidate the Class D championship so one of the teams can go on to represent Section V in the Far West Regionals, the next step toward a possible berth in the state championship Final Four.

The last time the two teams met in post-season was 2013 when Notre Dame upset Elba in a semifinals game on its way to an eventual state championship. Elba hadn't won a Section V title since 2012 when they went on to become state champs.

Callie McCulley, tournament MVP, scored 20 points. Margaret Sutherland scored 16, Natalie Thornton 13, Hannah Bowen got nine and Morgan Rhodes, six.

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Lady Irish get Section V playoff win over Lyndonville

By Howard B. Owens

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Margaret Sutherland posted a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) to help lead Notre Dame's Lady Irish to a 55-23 victory over Lyndonville in their opening Section V playoff game Wednesday night.

Callie McCulley scored 15 points. Morgan Rhodes added nine points to go with seven steals. Hannah Bowen and Emma Finch each scored six and Bowen also had six steals.

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Hockey: Notre Dame 2-1 over Geneseo-Livonia

By Destin Danser

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The Fighting Irish traveled to Geneseo Tuesday night to take on Geneseo-Livonia. Notre Dame dominated the first two periods, entering the third with a 2-0 lead. Geneseo rallied a comeback attempt in the third, but despite several scoring opportunities were unable to overcome the two-point deficit, leading to a 2-1 victory for the Fighting Irish. 

Photos by Destin Danser Photography. Click here to view more or purchase prints.

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Notre Dame announces two staff appointments

By Howard B. Owens

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Notre Dame High School (www.ndhsbatavia.com) announced today that Tom Woodruff (Batavia, NY) and Emily Patrick (Alexander, NY) have joined the administrative team.

Tom Woodruff is Director of Academic Advisement, College Placement, and Career Connections and comes to Notre Dame High School with over forty years of experience in education.  Most recently, Tom served as principal of Caledonia-Mumford High School where he worked with the Board of Education, administrative team, faculty, and staff to expose their students to a comprehensive education program that was the catalyst for each child feeling challenged, supported, and ultimately stronger positioned to realize their dreams.

Emily Patrick is Advisement Director and Grant Writer. Emily comes highly recommended to Notre Dame and is looking forward to working with the board, administrative team, alumni, and current families. Her energy, professionalism, and willingness to serve the multiple constituents of Notre Dame will help to develop innovative and exciting ways to celebrate Notre Dame’s past while continuing the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of the future.

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About Notre Dame High School

Notre Dame High School has served the community as a Catholic, coeducational high school for over fifty years. With a focus on academic excellence, strength of character and developing leaders who serve Notre Dame has been recognized as the #1 co-ed high school in the Genesee, Wyoming, and Orleans area for the ninth consecutive year by Buffalo Business First. 

Notre Dame proudly develops its academic programs to meet the needs of current students, offering over 55 courses, including 31 college and AP level courses.  In addition, Notre Dame offers 18 interscholastic athletic teams and 15 academic clubs, ensuring their graduates emerge as well-rounded and fully developed young adults, ready to manage the next step of college or work. 

Notre Dame, Rapone honored, girls V win boys V lose

By James Burns

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Notre Dame High School celebrated on Saturday by thanking Mike Rapone for his outstanding dedication to the students of Notre Dame and his achievement of being inducted into the Sec V Basketball Hall of Fame.

He was inducted as the all-time winning coach in history. Not bad at all, some might say downright impressive. Rapone wouldn’t. He would tell you it’s the players' achievement not his. Notre Dame celebrated the fete with basketball, fittingly with four games against Rapone’s hometown of Le Roy.

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The Lady Irish varsity team dominated Le Roy and finished with a score of 41 to 33.

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The Notre Dame boys varsity fought a playoff-intensity fight against Le Roy, that was back and forth for the first three quarters of the game. Notre Dame lost by a score of 48 to 65 when the game got away from them in the fourth quarter. 

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Notre Dame edges Alexander, 34-33

By Howard B. Owens

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Even with a couple of key players out because of colds, the Alexander Lady Trojans gave Notre Dame a fight for four quarters, falling short at the end when Callie McCulley sunk a pair of free throws to give the Irish a 34-33 victory.

The home team ended the first and second quarters with leads, but Notre Dame's defense helped keep the game within reach.

McCulley finished with 10 points to go with 10 from Margaret Sutherland and five from Natalie Thornton.

For Alexander, Marissa Scharlau, Jordan George, seven, Maci Riggs and Caylin Walton each had six.

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Cal-Mum dominates in 2017 Rotary Tournament final to take title

By Howard B. Owens

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Cal-Mum won the annual Rotary Basketball Tournament at Genesee Community College on Friday night with a 51-34 win over Notre Dame.

Gillian Flint of Cal-Mum was the tournament MVP. She scored 20 points in the final.

For Notre Dame, Callie McCulley scored 14 points and Natalie Thornton scored 11 points.

In the consolation game, Batavia beat Attica 61-55 in overtime. For the second game in a row, Ryann Stefaniak scored a season-best point total, after getting 26 on Wednesday; she scored 31 last night.

Stefaniak, along with Notre Dame's McCulley and Margaret Sutherland, were named to the All-Tournament Team.

To purchase prints, click here.

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Notre Dame holds on to win against Attica in round 1 of Rotary Tournament

By James Burns

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Notre Dame’s Lady Irish met Attica at Genesee Community College for the second game of the Batavia Rotary Club Girls Basketball Tournament. Coming into the game, Notre Dame was the favorite, but very quickly the game was in doubt for them as Attica came off the bench and started strong. By the end of the first quarter, Notre Dame had scored just two points on free throws and Attica led by 13 to 2. 

The second quarter was not that much better, even though Notre Dame tripled the amount of points they scored in the first quarter. Half time began with a score of Notre Dame 6 Attica 17.

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Notre Dame's Head Coach Tom McCulley had a short meeting with his team in the locker room and they returned to the court to get ready for the second half. Whatever he said must have been effective because Notre Dame quickly took control of the game at both ends of the court. They were able to score consistently and shut out Attica’s offense. At the end of three quarters, Notre Dame led 23 to 17. 

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Callie McCully (pictured above) led the scoring in the third for Notre Dame and continued the trend into the fourth quarter, ending the night with 15 points. Attica threatened to come back with a few nice plays but was not able to sustain a rally. Final score: Notre Dame 33 Attica 25.

Notre Dame moves on in the tournament to face Cal-Mum Friday. More pictures of the game are here.

For coverage of the Batavia -- Cal-Mum game, click here.

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Notre Dame HS to host hoops extravaganza honoring Coach Mike Rapone on Jan. 28

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Saturday, Jan. 28th will be all about basketball at Notre Dame High School.

All four basketball teams will play against Le Roy, starting with the JV Girls team at noon, followed by the JV Boys team at 1:30 p.m. Varsity teams tip off at 5 p.m. with the girls' game followed by a ceremony around 6:30 p.m. honoring Coach Mike Rapone, Section V Basketball Hall of Famer and winningest coach in Section V Boys’ Basketball history. Then Coach Rapone and the Boys Varsity team take the court at 7 p.m.

A tour of the renovated school is scheduled for 4 p.m. and there will be a gathering after the Boys Varsity game in the cafeteria to congratulate Mike.

Coach Rapone was inducted into the Section V Basketball Hall of Fame in November, 2016. He has led Notre Dame Basketball to an incredible 30 Genesee Region League Basketball Championships, capturing nine Section V titles, six Far West Regional Championships and two New York State Championships. He has been honored as Section V Coach of the Year three times and Genesee Region Coach of the Year four times.

Batavia tops Notre Dame to take another Lions' title

By Howard B. Owens

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In a game that was never really close, the Batavia Blue Devils won the annual Lions Tournament at GCC, beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 60-29.

Tee Sean Ayala scored 19, despite a cold hand in the first half. He hit four three-pointers over the course of the game.

Antwan Odom, the tournament MVP, scored 14. He hit three threes. 

It was another big game for Notre Dame's Ryan Moffat, who hit three threes on his way to 15 points.

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Section V reverses decision on hockey players

By Howard B. Owens

Press release from Notre Dame High School:

“After considering the information presented to the Section V Executive Committee at the administrative hearing held on Dec. 19, the Executive Committee has ruled that there has been no violation of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (“NYSPHSAA”) sport standard #24 -- RECRUITMENT AND UNDUE INFLUENCE by Notre Dame of Batavia High School.”

Notre Dame is relieved for these three students, their families, and our hockey coach, Mr. Marc Staley.

It was unfortunate that our students, families, and staff, had to face these unfounded allegations of wrongdoing. Whether in the classroom, on the ice, or through community service, Notre Dame remains committed to instilling in our students the faith, knowledge, and confidence they will need to succeed in an ever-changing world. We are thankful for the thoughtful deliberation and time the Section V Executive Committee gave Notre Dame in making this decision.   

Notre Dame and Batavia open Lions Tournament with wins

By Howard B. Owens

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Batavia and Notre Dame will meeting in the Lions Tournament final on Thursday at Genesee Community College after the Fighting Irish knocked of Roy-Hart 47-41 and the Blue Devils topped Albion 60-43.

For the Irish, Nico Zambito scored 14, including a pair of threes, Ryan Moffat had 13 points, including three triples, and Anthony Gugino hit a pair of threes for six total points.

In the nightcap, Tee Sean Ayala dropped seven three-point shots for 21 points on the night and Antwan Odom added 16 points.  

For Albion, Lamar Chambers had 19 points.

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Fighting Irish start season with win over Elba

By Howard B. Owens

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In their first meeting of the season, Notre Dame prevailed Wednesday night at home over archrival Elba, 43-34.

Margaret Sutherland led all scorers with 21 points and Calli McCulley added 16 for Notre Dame.

For the Lancers, Emily Reynolds scored 12 and Madison Howard scored 6.

It was the first win for new Head Coach Tom McCulley.

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Elba dominates in home opener against Notre Dame

By Howard B. Owens

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Three Lancers scored in double digits Monday night in the home opener for Elba against archrival Notre Dame, a game won by Elba, 72-34.

Tucker Bezon put up 19 points and Henry Pflaumer had 17 and Shane O'Halloran added 12. Pflaumer knocked down four three-point baskets.

For Notre Dame, Ryan Mukkat scored 11 points, anchored by a trio of three-point baskets.

Tonight, the Notre Dame girls host the Elba girls in their newly renovated gym. Game time is 7 p.m.

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State kicks decision on status of Notre Dame hockey players back to Section V, but clears them to play now

By Howard B. Owens

None of Notre Dame's hockey players will need to sit out the 2016-17 season, at least to start the year, state officials determined after hearing an appeal by school officials on a Section V ruling on eligibility requirements for two or three players.

Officials with NYSPHSAA kicked the appeal back to Section V to reconsider after finding irregularities with the initial ruling.

Wade Bianco, principal for Notre Dame, said he hopes to know by the end of the day today when the school and Section V officials will meet again.

He said he doesn't know what the impact would be on this season if Section V officials again reach an adverse decision based on new perimeters.  

"This their first time through this process and it's our first time through it all, so it's really something for the lawyers to work out," Bianco said.

Bianco said a top priority is protecting the students, the integrity of the coach and the school.

The names of the involved players have not been released, but in early November, Section V officials issued a decision after a hearing that at least two players were deemed ineligible for this season, citing possible violations of recruitment rules.

Officials with NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High school Athletic Association) were out of the office today and not available to provide more information.

Photos: Notre Dame's 1969 champion basketball team reunited

By Howard B. Owens

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Members of Notre Dame's basketball team from 1969, which won a state title known as the Manhatten Cup, were together once again last night for the school's Hall of Fame dinner. In the picture above, they pose in front of a case which holds a replica of the 1969 trophy.

For more on the inductees, click here.

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Notre Dame to honor 1969 basketball team that won 'Manhattan Cup'

By Howard B. Owens

In 1969, the Notre Dame High School Boys Basketball Team won its one-and-only Manhatten Cup in basketball and that team will be honored along with other Hall of Fame inductees Saturday.

There will be a tour of the newly renovated school at 4:30 p.m., followed by a picture of the 1969 team members in front of a replica trophy.

The actual Hall of Fame event begins at 5:30 p.m.

Press release:

1969 Boys Basketball Manhattan Cup Championship Team: First and only Manhattan Cup championship team. Also were the Smith League Champions for the first time. Many believe this to be the greatest championship in school history due to the format of this tournament, which involved schools of all sizes much like the Hickory championship in the movie “Hoosiers."

Tony Cinquino ’69: Outstanding wrestler during our era of dominance in Smith League Wrestling. Three-time All-Catholic who ended his wrestling career on a 61-match win streak. Three-sport athlete who also ran X-C & track. X-C senior season went 7-1 and the wrestling squads he was on won three Smith League titles and two All-Catholic Championships with one second-place finish.

Dan O’Connor ’69: 1969 Athlete of the Year who earned All-Catholic recognition in football, wrestling & track. Led Smith League in rushing his senior season and the wrestling squads he was on won three Smith League titles and two All-Catholic Championships with one second-place finish.

Tom McGrath ’76: 1976 Athlete of the Year. Tom was an exceptional all-around athlete who excelled at four sports: football, basketball, baseball and golf. He led the Varsity Football team in receptions, was the boys Varsity Basketball team’s leading scorer and the MVP of the Varsity Baseball team his senior year.

Phil Pangrazio ’79: 1979 Athlete of the Year. Phil was a GR All-Star in football who also was a top track performer earning All-Catholic in the discus. Played basketball & wrestled.

Mark Wadams ’96: Three-sport standout (Football/Basketball/Baseball) was Notre Dame’s Athlete of the Year in both 1995 & 1996. Mark was a three-time Section V All-Star in basketball playing IN THREE Sectional Finals winning in 1995 and earned GR All-Star recognition in baseball, basketball & football. He was named First Team All-State in Basketball in 1996 and is the only player in school history to accumulate both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Dave Pero ’69: Longtime basketball coach who was on the bench for more state championships than any other coach (three). Dave served 12 years as a very successful JV boys basketball coach where he had an outstanding win/loss record developing players for future varsity success and was an assistant coach for two state championship teams (1992 & 2001). Took over as Girls coach in 2003 where he won a state title as a head coach in 2013. He also won two Western Regionals, four sectional titles, six GR championships and is ND’s winningest Girls Basketball coach.

Section V deems a player or players ineligible to play hockey at Notre Dame

By Howard B. Owens

Notre Dame may be looking at a 2016-17 ice hockey season without a player or players who Section V officials deemed was inappropriately recruited or influenced to attend the school.

Kathy Hoyt, executive director of Section V, confirmed Section V officials held a hearing on the eligibility of the player or players. She declined to discuss details. She said the school has appealed the decision and New York Public High School Athletic Association will consider the appeal next week.

A source said two players were affected. Another Section V official who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the section said he was aware that players had been deemed unduly recruited or influenced, but he didn't know how many players were affected.

Hoyt said regardless of the outcome of the process, Notre Dame will retain its 2015-16 Section V Class B crown. 

The only question is whether the players will be eligible for the 2016-17 season.

The Batavian received no response to our request for comment made via email yesterday and today from either Notre Dame Athletic Directory Mike Rapone nor Head Coach Marc Staley.

A source says the complaint that led to Section V holding its hearing came from a team outside of Genesee County.

The names of the players involved have not been released.

Five-week camp gives girls a good shot at success in basketball

By Howard B. Owens

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As many 50 young girls, grades 2 through 8, have just completed the new Fall Ball Training Camp run by Tom McCulley and Otis Thomas in the renovated Notre Dame High School Gym.

The camp was offered to girls attending either St. Joe's or Batavia City Schools.

"There’s not really a whole lot going on for girls this age," said McCulley, who takes over from Dave Pero as head coach at Notre Dame this season. "We thought this would be a way to get them ready for the upcoming season no matter where they may be playing."

The camp is designed to get the girls in basketball shape for the season, drill them in fundamentals and help them learn how to focus, follow directions and participate as a team member.  

McCulley said this training will help the girls as they move up to higher levels. It's a lot harder for a coach to work with an incoming freshman, say, who hasn't had this kind of experience.

The camp ran for five weeks.

This was the first year for the camp and given its success, McCulley expects it to become an annual event.

"The girls love it," McCulley said. "They’re excited about it. They show up every week, so obviously, they want to do it. It gives them a chance to compete and to learn how to compete, learn how to prepare and stay focused and take direction, so when they do get up to the higher levels, at least they have a foundation to build upon."

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Pembroke gets one more win for 2016 in Connors Ferris Bowl game

By Howard B. Owens

In Connors and Ferris Bowl play on Thursday, Pembroke notched one more victory for 2016, making it a total of four against four losses, by beating Notre Dame, 20-0.

In a rain-soaked game, there were only six pass attempts between the two teams, so the ground game dominated, and Pembroke dominated on the ground, with Zachary von Kramer rushing for 188 yards on 33 attempts and two TDs for the Dragons. Nick Clark added another 44 yards on a single run that went for a score. 

Jordon Weatherwax gained 51 yards on 16 carries for Notre Dame. 

Notre Dame's Caleb Wolcott led all defensive players with 12 tackles. Jim Zickl added seven tackles for the Irish.

For Pembroke, Von Kramer had eight tackles and Brian Seweryniak added seven and a sack. Jarrod Carrow had an interception.

In the area's other Connors and Ferris Bowl game, Perry/Mt. Morris beat Oakfield-Alabama/Elba, 27-0.

Section V playoffs begin tonight. The #1 seed in Class B, Batavia, hosts University Prep, coming in at #8, at Van Detta Stadium tonight. Game time is 7 p.m. Alexander, the #1 seed in Class D, also has a 7 p.m. home game against Lyons. 

Pembroke/Notre Dame game photos by Rick D. Franclemont. 

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