Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Running with the Irish 5K Run/Walk is back for its second year and is set to take place on March 11.

The event will kick off with a Kids Fun Run for children under 11 years old at 9 a.m., followed by the 5K run/walk starting at 10 a.m. The course will start behind the school and take runners north on Richmond Avenue, around the VA facility, and up and down Redfield Parkway before returning to the school.

All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the athletic department at Notre Dame.

Participants in the Kids Fun Run can register for $10, with prizes being given to all participants. T-shirts for the kids can be purchased separately. The 5K registration fee is $25 and includes a cotton long-sleeved T-shirt with the race logo.

Awards will be given to the top overall male and female runners, as well as the first-place winners in the following age categories: 14-Under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+. There will also be awards for the local school with the most registered runners, the business with the most registered runners, and the family with the most registered runners.

Registration for the Notre Dame Running with the Irish 5K Run/Walk can be found online at runsignup.com or on the ND website at www.ndhsbatavia.com.

The race is held in close proximity to St. Patrick's Day to celebrate Notre Dame's Irish pride. Last year's event had 125 participants, and the organizers are hoping to see even more runners this year.

(Based on press release).

Press release:

The track surrounding the playing field at Notre Dame High School’s Bill Sutherland Field has been completely redone through the efforts of long-time Notre Dame PE Teacher/Coach Eric Geitner and Barre Stone Products.  The condition of the track had deteriorated due to a variety of issues, including COVID-19 and a canceled Eagle Scout project.  Athletic Director Mike Rapone asked Coach Geitner to head the restoration project with the goal of having the track available for the Spring Track & Field season. Using his expertise as well as help from Barre Stone Products, Coach Geitner exceeded expectations providing our athletes with a practice facility that will help them maximize their talents for many years to come.

Thank you and God Bless all associated with this project. 

Amelia McCulley led all scorers with 26 points to help Notre Dame to a 53-38 win over Elba on Tuesday.

She also had eight rebounds. Avelin Tomidy scored 16 points and had five rebounds. Emma Sisson had 11 rebounds.

For Elba, Sydney Reilly scored 16 points. Kennedy Augello scored eight points and had eight rebounds.

Elba had six straight wins coming into the game. The Lancers fall to 8-8 on the season. The Irish are now 14-1.

Girls Basketball on Tuesday:

• Alexander beat Holley, 60-35. Alyssa Kramer scored 26 points. Laurel Kania scored 11 and Melanie Pohl scored nine.
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Kendall, 50-29.  Brooke Reding scored 15 points. Caitlin Ryan scored nine and Alea Groff scored nine.
• Byron-Bergen beat Lyndonville, 58-39. Ava Wagoner and Zoey Shepherd scored 14 points.  MacKenzie Senf scored 10 points, and Olvia Senf scored nine.
• Brockport beat Batavia, 45-29
• Perry beat Le Roy, 67-52. Kenna MacKenzie scored 14 points. Abby Allen scored 10.  Corina Dunn scored nine and had 10 rebounds.
• Pembroke beat Attica, 48-44. Karli Houseknech scored 15 points. Elle Peterson scored 11.

In Boys Basketball:

• Alexander beat Holley 70-40. 

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here. 

Notre Dame prevailed over Oakfield-Alabama in Girls Basketball on Friday, 48-41.

Amelia McMulley scored 18 points, putting her over 300 on the season, and had seven rebounds and our steals. Avelin Tomidy scored 14 points and had six rebounds. Emma Sisson scored eight points and had six rebounds.

There are no stats available for the Hornets.

Also in Girls Basketball on Friday:

Lancers top Attica, 47-31

• Pavilion beat Warsaw, 58-24. Lauren Kingsley scored 20 points, had six rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Karlee Zinkievich scored 18 points and had six rebounds and three steals. Kylie Conway scored eight points and had four steals. Ella Tillotson had 11 assists.
• Byron-Bergen beat Kendall, 56-21. Dayanara Caballero scored 17 points. Ava Wagoner scored 10.  Kendall Phillips and MacKenzie Senf scored nine each.
• Le Roy beat Arcadia 59-57, Lindsey Steffenilla scored 16 points and had eight rebounds. Abby Allen scored 15 points. Kenna MacKenzie scored 11 points. Corina Dunn scored eight and 13 rebounds.

In Boys Basketball:

• Batavia lost to Bishop Kearney 67-58. Sawyer Siverling scored 19 points and Rasheed Christie scored 12. Ja'vin McFollins scored nine.
• Warsaw beat Pavilion, 79-55

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

 

Oakfield-Alabama beat Genesee Region rivals Notre Dame on Thursday in Boys Basketball, 75-49.

Scoring for the Hornets: 

• Kyle Porter, 17 points, 7 rebounds
• Noah Currier, 13 points, three steals
• Brayden Smith, 13 points, 10 rebounds
• Colton Yasses, 11 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks
• Avery Watterson, 9 points, four  rebounds

For the Irish:

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 11 points
• Jaden Sherwood, seven points
• Jordan Welker, seven points

"Tonight was a battle against a solid team," said O-A Coach Ryan Stehlar. "Their gym is never an easy place to play in, and Coach (Mikey) Rapone always has his team ready. I'm glad the boys locked in early. They really focused on defense and made big plays down the stretch. This is good momentum for a tough week coming up in our schedule."

The Hornets are now 12-2. The Irish are 11-5.

Other games in Boys Basketball on Thursday:

• Dansville beat Le Roy 65-58. Merritt Holly scored 27 points. Holly now has 395 points on the season.
• Attica beat Elba, 63-43
• Pembroke beat Kenmore East, 83-34

In Girls Basketball:

• Elba beat Batavia, 60-44. Sydney Reilly scored 17 points and had five steals.  Mariah Ognibene scored 10 points and had nine rebounds. Halie Scouten had six blocks. Madison Thompson had seven rebounds. After losing seven of their first nine games, the Lancers have won five straight.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Notre Dame improved to 8-1 on the season in Girls Basketball with a 47-32 win over Holley.

Amelia McCulley scored 20 points for the Fighting Irish, hitting two three-pointers along the way, and coming up with five rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

Avelin Tomidy scored eight points and had six rebounds. Emma Sisson scored seven points and had five rebounds.

Also in Girls Basketball on Wednesday:

• Alexander beat Elba 58-53. Alyssa Kramer scored 32 points for Alexander. Laurel Kania scored 13, and Melanie Pohl scored 10.  No stats reported for Elba.
• Byron-Bergen beat Pembroke 52-40. Kendall Phillips scored 19 points for the Bees. Karli Houseknecht scored 11 points for the Dragons.

In Boys Basketball:

• Batavia beat Vertus 74-71. The Blue Devils improved to 7-2 on the season. Ja'Vin McFollins scored 19 points for Batavia. Carter McFollins scored 17. Aiden Bellavia scored 15. 
• Le Roy beat Letchworth 67-49. Merritt Holly, Jr. scored 26 points for the Knights.
• Pavilion lost to Mount Morris, 67-52.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

It's part of Notre Dame's mission statement for the students, faculty, and staff to help others, and Principal Wade Bianco said on Friday evening to see the school come together to raise $486 for The Chasing M's Foundation, a charity set up by Damar Hamlin.

Hamlin is a second-year defensive back with the Buffalo Bills who went into cardiac arrest during the Bills' game against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Monday night.

CPR was performed on Hamlin, and he was transported to a Cincinnati hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition.  He is recovering well, according to news reports.

But his plight drew attention to his charity, and the folks at Notre Dame wanted to join forces, and express support for Hamlin, the Bills, and the community.

Kristen Gomez and Kate Edwards helped organize Friday's fundraiser, Bianco said.

It was "Wear Blue and Red Day."  For a $2 donation, students could ditch their school uniforms for the day and wear the colors of the Buffalo Bills.  Their donations were supplemented, Bianco said, by donations from faculty, staff, and alumni for usually more than $5 and $10 each.

There are currently 230 students enrolled at Notre Dame.

That afternoon, the whole school gathered and formed a #3 in honor of Hamlin for a school photo.

"The whole idea was to honor #3 and to honor Buffalo," Bianco said. "We wanted to say, 'we love you. We pray for you. And we're going to support you to the best of our ability.'"

Bianco said he was proud to see everybody come together and "do what's right."

"Doing what’s right is a big sell, especially nowadays, when a lot of people don’t want to do what’s right," Bianco said.

The $486 from Notre Dame is now part of more than $8 million that has been raised through Hamlin's GoFundMe page, with donations pouring in from all over the country.  The money is used for toy drives, back-to-school drives, kids camps, and more, according to a statement on the page. The 24-year-old player is from McKees Rocks, Pa.

"How fortunate we are to live in a community that cares about each other and extends our care beyond our city limits to the entire Western New York community," Bianco said.

Submitted photo.

 

Thursday's Rotary Girls Basketball Tournament championship game was everything hoops fans could hope for -- timely shooting, aggressive defensive, top players playing hard, and a final outcome that wasn't certain until the buzzer at the end.

Notre Dame beat Pavilion 44-43.

"It's been a while since we've had a nail-biter like that," said Tom McCulley, head coach of the Fighting Irish. "You've got two good teams that are well coached and with some players that can do special things and who are competitors, so at the end, you know you never feel comfortable as a coach with a two-point lead with 10 seconds left. It's never over in that situation."

Avelin Tomidy won the tournament's Ray Shirtz Service over Self Award, and the two free throws she made with eight seconds left may have swayed a few judge's votes.  Those free throws gave Notre Dame a four-point lead. If she missed either shot, it may have been a different game. Karlee Zinkievich, who was already having a big night and a bigger second half, hit a three-point shot with four seconds left. The Gophers were out of position to foul to stop the clock on Notre Dame's inbound pass eliminating any hope, how small it might have been, of getting another possession.

"It makes it exciting for the fans and the players and gets my heart pumping a little bit," McCulley said.

Pavilion's head coach Ben Schwenebraten would like to have notched the win, of course, but it was an exciting game.

"We knew it would be tough playing against Notre Dame," he said. "Notre Dame is in our class this year, and they're really tough, so it's a good game. It came right down the end, and we had a chance it just didn't go our way a couple of shots. We missed a couple of shots, missed a couple of box outs, and they finished, so it was a good game."

Schwenebraten said he was proud of how his team overcame a 10-point half-time deficit.

"It's all you hoped for in a game, that you have a chance at the end," Schwenebraten said. "We wanted to battle back and be in the game, and the girls did go right back out in the third quarter and played hard and then we had a chance at the end."

A big reason Pavilion had that chance was the play of Karlee Zinkievich in the second half, who played fearless basketball.

"She's a workhorse," Schwenebraten said. "She drives the bus for us. Once she gets going it helps everybody else out and she really did in the second half. She played great. She was attacking on offense, driving to the basket, taking jump shots, and she made that shot at the end of the game."

The difference maker for Notre Dame on Thursday was Emma Sisson, who was named the tournament MVP.  

"We needed her," Tom McCulley said. "Amelia had a big night the other night, but she's been sick, and it really hit her today. Emma had the opportunities, and she took full advantage of them. I mean, she made big shots, and she drove to the basket, so we started to adjust the game plan a little bit because we couldn't run everything that we needed to run because another one of our starters was out sick. We kind of had to go a little bit vanilla tonight and just run some basic stuff. Emma did a really good job of freelancing and getting to the basket and getting us some big layups at some big times."

Notre Dame is now 7-1 and Pavilion is 6-2.

Notre Dame scoring: 

• Emma Sisson, 23 point
• Amelia McCulley, 10 points and four rebounds and four steals
• Avelin Tomidy, eight points, nine rebounds and nine steals

Pavilion scoring:

• Lauren Kingsley, 16 points
• Karlee Zinkievich, 15 points
• Kylie Conway, eight points

In the consolation game earlier in the evening, Pembroke beat Batavia 45-41.  

Pembroke scoring:

• Karli Houseknecht: 13 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
• Elle Peterson: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals
• Olivia Breeden: 8 points, 1 assist, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

Photos by Howard Owens.  For more, or to purchase prints, click here.

Emma Sisson was named tournament MVP. The all-tournment team was Anna Varland, Batavia, Karli Houseknecht, Pembroke, Amelia McCulley, Notre Dame, Lauren Kingslee, Pavilion, and Karlee Zinkievich, Pavilion. Avelin Tomidy received the Ray Shirtz Service Above Self Award.

Amelia McCulley scored 31 points to lead Notre Dame to a 62-19 win over Pembroke in a first-round game of the 33rd Annual Batavia Rotary Club Basketball Tournament at GCC on Tuesday.

Emma Sisson scored 14 points for the Irish, and Avelin Tomidy scored eight. Sisson also had ten rebounds and five steals. Tomidy had 11 rebounds and six assists. 

Olvia Breeden scored eight points for the Dragons.

Notre Dame will play in the championship game at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday at GCC.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photo by Steve Ognibene

Down 42-35 after three quarters, the deficit put the fight back in the Irish, spurring Notre Dame to a 29-point fourth quarter and a 64-55 win over Oakfield-Alabama in the small schools championship game of the Lions Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament at GCC on Thursday night.

Scoring for Notre Dame:

• Jay Antinore, 19 points
• Hayden Groff, 15 points
• Jimmy Fanara, 13 points

For the Hornets: 

• Kyle Porter, 18 points, 10 rebounds
• Colton Yasses, 9 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
• Brayden Smith, 8 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

Notre Dame beat Medina in its opening-round game of the Lion's Tournament at GCC on Tuesday, 67-37.

No stats are available for the game.

Photos by Pete Welker.

It was a big night of Notre Dame's Amelia McCulley but a bigger win for the Irish as the girls beat Elba 45-42.

McCulley scored 24 points, among those points, her 1,000th career point.

Emma Sisson scored nine points and snared 10 rebounds. Avelin Tomidy had 12 rebounds to go with her four points. Sisson also had four steals.

For Elba, Sydney Reilly scored 13 points, snagged 12 rebounds and had four assists. Kennedy Augello scored eight points.

The Irish are now 5-1 and Elba is 2-2.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more photos, click here

Story based on submission by BND  

BND started slow, but gained stream as the game went on exploding for six goals in 30 minutes to completely erase a 2–0 deficit after the first period.

"This was the first time all season we were trailing at the end of the first period, and we were down by two," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "But the kids did a really nice job gathering themselves and starting fresh in the second period.”

United scored four goals in the first eight minutes of the second period to go from down by two, two up by two.

“Executing on the power play like we did there in a second period gave us a huge boost," Staley said. "We are going to be a difficult team to beat if teams are going to take penalties against us.”

The Storm were called for three penalties in the early portion of the 2nd period, and BND capitalized on all three.  

Senior Cooper Hamilton scored on the power play only 29 seconds into the period, followed by another power-play goal from sophomore Brady Johnson.  A mere five minutes later, Junior forward Joe DiRisio buried a rebound and made it three power-play goals on three chances.

“Specialty teams are huge in hockey nowadays," Staley said. "We converted three of our four chances on the power play, and we killed off all five of the penalties called against us. I thought the kids did a great job executing in the big moments.”

Junior goaltender Frankie Falleti made 21 stops on 24 shots against. Also scoring for BND was sophomore Ivan Milovidov, sophomore Jameson Motyka, and sophomore Brady Carney, who registered his first ever Varsity goal. 

Senior, Ronin Hofmaster linished with three assists on the evening.

Junior, Defensman, O’Rian Lama chipped in two assists as well.

United out shot the Storm during the game 37 to 25.

“Greece has an excellent program and they are a huge school district," Staley said.  "All four of their high schools combine to create one varsity team. I’m really proud of our kids for going into their home barn and coming away with a victory. This is the bounce back we needed after the loss to McQuaid, and hopefully this gives us some nice momentum heading into “The McCarthy” this weekend”

BND United will be hosting the annual David McCarthy Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday.  Iroquois/Alden (4-1) will face off against Niagara/Wheatfield (5-0) at 6 p.m. on Friday evening. Following this game BND (4-1) will take on WFL Geneva (0-3) at 8 p.m.  The consolation game will take place at noon on Saturday, with the championship game scheduled to face off at 3 p.m.

United won the Tournament last year fending off a tough Webster Schroeder squad 5-4.  

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Press Release:

The Batavia Notre Dame Girls Basketball teams are sponsoring a toy drive for Golisano Children's Hospital.

Toys have been donated by all Notre Dame staff and students to "Give Back." The toys are given to children spending their holidays in the hospital, and additional toys are used for the playrooms.

If you would like to donate to The Golisano Children's Hospital, contact Wendy Lane at 585-275-3028 or email wendy_lane@urmc.rochester.edu. 

Submitted photo

United carried a 2 - 1 lead into the third against McQuaid on Friday night but were unable to hang on for the victory at The McCarthy. 

Scoring for United were sophomores Jameson Motyka, and Ivan Milovidov. 

Goaltender Frankie Falleti made 21 saves on 24 shots.

McQuaid tied the game with just under nine minutes to play, knocking in a rebound goal to level the score at 2.  With only four minutes to play in the game, they struck again to take the lead, and eventually added an empty net goal to seal the game at 4-2.

Shots in the contest were virtually level at 25-24, with a slight advantage for McQuaid. 

BND was a perfect 4-4 on the penalty kill but was 0-2 on the Powerplay. 

“This is a good lesson for us early in the season," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "Against these top teams, all it takes is one or two mental mistakes, and they will punish you. We are learning.  3-1 through 4 games is not too bad.  But we were 8 minutes away from 4-0, with 2 huge wins on the road against state-ranked teams, that’s where the disappointment comes from.  But the good news is I don’t think I saw anybody handing any trophies out after the game last night. Our biggest games are still in front of us, this is going to make us better.”

BND will have Saturday and Sunday to rest, before returning to the ice for practice on Monday. 

“We have another tough test playing against Greece next Tuesday night at Lakeshore rinks in Rochester," Staley said. "Then we are very much looking forward to hosting the annual David McCarthy Memorial Christmas Tournament at our home rink next weekend.”

On Friday, Dec. 16, Iroquois Central (3-1) will face off against Niagara Wheatfield (4-0) at 6 p.m to kickoff the tournament. 

United (3-1) will face WFL Geneva (0-2) at 8 p.m.  The consolation game will be played at noon on Saturday, with the championship game set for 3 p.m. 

A special number-retiring ceremony will take place at 2:30 p.m. prior to the championship game.  Former captain David McCarthy’s #6 will be officially retired and hung in the arena.  Many of David’s family, friends, teammates, and coaches will be in attendance. 

“It’s going to be a very special and emotional afternoon, no doubt," Staley said. "Aside from Dave being a wonderful hockey player, and a great captain, he was a beloved son, brother, husband, and father to three amazing children.  He was a dear friend to my brother Jack and I, and this is something I’m honestly not looking forward to doing.  But it’s time to officially bring him back home.”  

Notre Dame opened the 2022-23 season with a 47-28 win over Williamson at Williamson in Girls Basketball.

Avelin Tomidy scored 19 points, Amelia McCulley, 13, and Emma Sisson, 10.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

To view or purchase photos, click here. 

Batavia United got its season off to a fast start on Tuesday, scoring three goals in the first period on its way to a 6-1 win over the WFL-Geneva Panthers.

The first goal came at 2:02 on a power play with Jameson Motyka and Brady Johnson feeding  Cooper Hamilton.

Later in the quarter, both Motyka and Ronin Hofmaster would score with assists from Hamilton and Jake Hutchins.

Brady Johnson, Motyka assist, scored in the second period.

Motyka scored on another power play in the third period with assists from Hofmaster and Johnson. 

The Panthers scored their lone goal at 7:34 in the third period and Hofmaster capped off the scoring at 12:06 with an assist from Hutchins.

Goalie Thys Tanner blocked 15 of the 16 shots sent his way.

“All in all, not a bad effort from the squad," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "It’s early in the season, so we are trying to gel as a team and get everybody on the same page. Not sure we have found our identity yet.  We’ve only had 10 practices together due to the storm, and the Thanksgiving holiday. And only two times did we have all of our players on the ice together.   We will learn from this game and get better.  We have a rather large test in front of us this weekend with back-to-back games against Starpoint, and Hamburg, two very strong Section VI teams.  We’re jumping right into the deep end.”

United plays Starpoint at the Northtowne Center in Buffalo on Friday at 5:30pm.  The team faces Hamburg at home at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Submitted photo.