pembroke

 Pembroke's Ken Babcock earned Genesee Region League Division I Player of the Week for this past week.

The senior center had 22 points with six blocks against Byron-Bergen and 13 points, four blocks and 10 rebounds against Elba.

Josh Laureano earned the honor for Division II after scoring 24 points with five dimes and nine rebounds against Lyndonville and 27 points, 10 assists and nine boards in a win over Alexander.

Laureano had 15 points, five assists and eight rebounds in a loss against Wheatland-Chili.

The two squads played each other last night, with Kendall winning 59-56.

No girls players were nominated from the Genesee Region League.

Peanut butter and jelly - words you hear together a lot. Add Andrew Hoy and box-and-one to that mix.

Teams are figuring out his ability to score and are trying to take him out of games. Other players stepped up and Batavia beat host Eastridge 55-43 Friday.

"Other guys need to step up," said coach Buddy Brasky. "More teams are going to focus on Andrew. It took some time, but kids stepped up."

Andrew still scored a game-high 15 points, but brother Marcus was the star as he helped the Blue Devils turn a 34-31 halftime lead into a big win.

Marcus scored all 14 of his points in the second half and also had seven assists and five rebounds.

"They were taking away Andrew and Robert (Hoy) so Marcus started going to the basket and scoring. He got some and-1s and some threes. He came up big," Brasky said.

 Batavia improves to 8-1.

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Kevin Francis went off for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish whooped Byron-Bergen 75-46.

The senior had 24 points with 10 dimes and eight steals as ND improves to 7-1.

Greg Barr added 17 points with Vinny Zambito chipping in 10.

Bryan White reached double figures with 12 points for the Bees.

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A tight game turned into a blowout as Andrew Wright scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half to lead Pembroke to a 57-41 victory over Elba.

Ken Babcock had 13 points, Steve Moser had 12 and Kyle Stocking had nine for the Dragons (5-4).

Phil Ostroski and Sonny Giuliano had 10 each for the Lancers.

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Tate Westermeier led the way with 14 points as Attica beat Lyndonville 43-31. Bryan Thompson had 13 and Shawn Dupuis added eight. Matt Sheffield had 11 rebounds.

Nobody reached double figures for the Tigers.

Attica is now 5-3.

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Notre Dame thumped Byron-Bergen 59-39 in girls action as Jill Marshall scored 20 points with 14 rebounds and five dimes. Brittany Morelli added 10 points for the Fighting Irish.

Krista Lougheed had 11 points for the Bees.

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Elba rebounded from a tough loss to Geneseo with a 53-42 win over Pembroke.

Rachael Cook had a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards and Sarah Schwartzmeyer added 11 points. Julie Marshall had eight points for the Lancers (8-2).

Kelsey Lewis had 12 points for the Dragons (5-4).

 Pembroke grad Chris Lauzze and the University at Buffalo football team had a dream season, winning the MAC title.

But that's where it ends.

The Bulls played in a Bowl Game for the first time in school history, but lost to Connecticut 38-21 in the International Bowl this afternoon.

Connecticut's Donald Brown was an animal, rushing for a career-high 261 yards and said after the game that he was entering the National Football League draft.

That performance put the junior over 2,000 yards for the year.

Buffalo won the Mid-American championship and had an 8-6 record under coach Turner Gill, who had been rumored to get a job at a larger school but signed an extension with UB.

It is the first winning season for UB since 1996 and the Bulls were 10-69 in seven seasons before Gill showed up.

I also found an interesting link on Lauzze, where he is the 72nd ranked center in Division I football.  I have a brilliant idea for the Buffalo Bills, pick him with your last round pick and have a local boy at least on the practice squad.

Pembroke's Nicole Sharick was named Player of the Week for the Genesee Region League this week.

The senior guard scored five of her nine points against Oakfield-Alabama in an overtime win. She also had a 20-point, six rebound game against Holley this week. 

There were no nominations for the boys.

 I'm had the chance to interview Ken Babcock many times over the past couple of years, and I can tell you that he is one of the most intelligent high school kids I've ever met.

That's why I'm not surprised to see that he is the most recent News 10 NBC Student Athlete of the Week.

“Our season ended in football and I said there is no way that was my last day of football," Babcock tells reporter Robin De Wind.

He's a standout football and basketball player, but football is his true love. He was a dominant tight end and has a shot to play at a big-time school, with Harvard being high on his list.

The Pembroke girls basketball team had an impressive win over a Livonia team that has had a rough go at the start of the season, earning a 43-36 home victory.

Nicole Sharick had a huge game for the Dragons, scoring 13 of her season-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, while grabbing seven rebounds with three steals.

Laura Moser hit all four free throw attempts in the fourth quarter - and went 8-of-8 in the game - while snagging six steals.

Jackie Dubois added six points for the Dragons (5-2).

Kassie Pope had 16 poins and Jackie Minnnehan added seven for Livonia (1-4).

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Mike Humphrey dropped in 23 points to lead Le Roy to a 66-32 drubbing of Warsaw.  He scored all 15 Oatkan Knight points in the first quarter.

Travis Fenstermaker and Cody Niccloy had eight points apiece for Le Roy (3-2).

Travis White had 12 points for Warsaw (0-6).

 With Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama as the talks of Division I in the Genesee Region League at the start of the season, Wednesday's early season contest was obviously a key one.

The Hornets have established themselves as the team to beat after thumping the Dragons 76-43 to improve to 5-0.

They keys to the win were as simple as playing an up-tempo style of defense designed to keep Pembroke's Andrew Wright from getting good looks and limiting Andy Gabbey's 3-point attempts.

Mission accomplished.

Wright was held to just 12 points and Gabbey did not connect on a basket in the contest.

After Ken Babcock and Wright had consecutive baskets early in the game, O-A's Brad Riner hit his second 3-pointer to tie the score at 8.

Babcock and Noah Seward exchanged buckets, then Seward added a couple more before Tim Smith scored seven points to give the Hornets a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Riner hit another 3-pointer and then A.J. Kehlenbeck dropped in a basket to make it 30-20 midway through the second quarter.

Pembroke got within six, but Seward had consecutive baskets and Smith hit another 3-pointer to give O-A the 37-24 lead at intermission.

The Hornets quickly made the game a 50-26 blowout in the third quarter with Chris Bucceri, Smith and Riner having big periods.

Smith had 14 points and Seward added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who are 3-0 in the league and 5-0 overall. Riner had 13 points and Chris Bucceri pitched in eight points and seven dimes.

Babcock had 11 points and Steve Moser added 10 points for the Dragons (4-3).

The Batavia girls basketball team pulled off an upset Tuesday, surprising visiting Pittsford Sutherland 55-54.

"I hope this gives us (confidence)," Batavia coach Bill Wade said. "I told them after the game that we would be enjoying the game until 3:30 tomorrow, then we start getting ready for Brighton on Friday. I think the confidence started coming after winning the Attica Tournament and then beating Elba in overtime. I hope this takes us to the next level."

Batavia trailed 13-9 after the opening period, but Brittany Wormley scored eight of her 10 points, keeping the Blue Devils in the game.

Michelle Jordan took over the second half and scored seven of her 11 points.

Batavia wound up taking a 55-50 lead with moments left in the game when Kayli O'Keefe hit a 3-pointer to make it a two point game. She was then fouled and hit one of two free throws.

Jaycee Shirk had 16 points and 10 rebounds with Brittany Mazurkiewiecz and Stacey Hein dishing out five assists each.

Sutherland falls to 4-3.

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Nicole Sharick had five of her nine points in overtime to lead Pembroke to a 43-42 win over host Oakfield-Alabama.

Sharick went 3-of-3 from the charity striple down the stretch and had six steals in the game.

The Hornets actually had a two point lead but Danielle Smith scored with two seconds left to force the extra session.

Kelsey Lewis scored 13 points with seven boards for the Dragons (3-2).

Brynn Perfitt had 10 points and four steals and Dani Sage grabbed 24 rebounds for the Hornets (3-2).

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Anni Lehtola had 13 points and Nicki Laird added six points with 18 rebounds to lead the Trojans to a 56-32 win over Attica.

Rachel Pettys had nine points, eight boards and four assists for Alexander (4-1).

Margaret LeFleur had nine points to lead Attica.

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Byron-Bergen thumped visiting Holley 48-29 behind Mary Cocking's 13 points. Kaylee Ashbury had nine points and Kayleigh Puma chipped in eight points.

Julie Brooks scored 16 points for the Hawks.

After not getting the head coaching job at Auburn, University at Buffalo coach Turner Gill has taken his name out of the running for any other coaching positions.

Gill, this afternoon, signed a contract extension with a raise, that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference.

 "On the day I came here to be the head coach I told my team that one day we would be successful here at the University at Buffalo," Gill said in a statement.

"Now, more than ever, I have never been more proud to be the head coach of this program at this great academic institution. This program has proven it can win now and it is built to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to president John Simpson and athletic director Warde Manuel for their continued support and faith in me as a football coach and leader of young men."

Many teams, including Syracuse, have expressed interest in Gill after he lead the Bulls to an 8-5 season and won the school's first MAC Championship. Pembroke graduate Chris Lauzze is the starting center on that team.

University at Buffalo will be playing in the International Bowl on Jan. 3 in Toronto.

 Yes, the season is very early. But the current Genesee Region League standings are out and the top teams are getting their due.

Oakfield-Alabama already has a big lead in Division I, with a 4-0 record. Pembroke and Attica follow with a 3-2 record.

Notre Dame is 2-0 and lead Division II. Elba is in second at 2-2.

There is a ton of basketball left to be played, but the Hornets and Fighting Irish have impressive leads early on.

 A lot of people that follow Genesee Region League basketball had Pembroke, Oakfield-Alabama and Notre Dame is a category all their own - top three teams in the league.

Well, you can throw Attica into the mix after the Blue Devils won a thriller at Pembroke, 52-48, proving that the team can move on from the Derek Wolfley era and be one of the better teams in the league.

Pembroke's Andrew Wright and Attica's Shawn Dupuis had six points apiece in the opening frame with the visiting squad holding a 14-9 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

But by halftime, Attica opened up a 10-point advantage because of some sloppy play by the Dragons. The score was 14-10 before Bryan Thompson scored two consecutive buckets to open things up a bit. This happened when Pembroke big men Andrew Wright and Ken Babcock were trying to avoid serious foul trouble.

The lead got as big as 12 points because Matt Sheffield and Tate Westermeier had back-to-back baskets.

Had Matt Phelps not gotten a steal and basket in the final seconds of the half, the Blue Devils would have been up 12 at the break.

With Sheffield in foul trouble in the third quarter, Pembroke got back in the game.

Wright had seven points in the third quarter and Babcock pitched in six, giving the Dragons a 38-37 lead by the end of the period.

Babcock scored in the first minute of the fourth to give Pembroke its biggest lead, 42-39.

Westermeier had consecutive baskets a few minutes later and the game wound up seeing Attica take a 45-43 lead. Babcock tied the game at 45 with a pair of free throws with 1 1/2 minutes left. 

There was a confusing call just after that when it appeared Sheffield was called for a blocking call, and then it was overturned and the Blue Devils got the ball back.

Attica converted after getting another shot with the ball.

Shawn Dupuis was waving his hands in the air right in front of the Attica bench and he got the ball, knocking in a 3-pointer with just 48 seconds to go.

Pembroke missed a shot, then Attica turned the ball over on an over-and-back call.  

When the Dragons tried to get the ball in the basket for a two--pointer, Dupuis came through again with a blocked shot. He was immediately fouled and hit a pair of free throws, giving Attica a 50-45 lead.

Pembroke's Matt Seward hit a running 3-pointer with just over two seconds on the clock, but Westermeier hit both foul shots at the other end to ice the victory.

Westermeier led all scorers with 20 points, with Thompson getting 16 and Dupuis adding 11 for the Blue Devils (2-2).

Babcock scored 17 points with Wright pitching in 14 for the Dragons.

 The Pembroke girls basketball team doesn't have much size. In fact, they have three players listed as forwards on the roster and all have the height of a guard.

But that lack of size isn't going to be the worst thing in the world for the Dragons, who are expecting to run and outshoot other teams.

Coach Guy Gabbey has enough talent on the roster that Pembroke could easily go 10-deep, which will hurt some of the teams with smaller rosters in the league.

Returning to lead the squad is Nicole Sharick, who is a senior and is on her third varsity season. She scored 10 points with two assists and three steals per game a year ago and was a GR honorable mention last season.

Sharick isn't the most vocal player on the floor, but leads by example and could end up as one of the top players in the league.

Juniors Kelsey Lewis and Danielle Smith could also be strong scorers while senior Laura Moser transfered from Mount St. Mary's in Kenmore to add depth to the squad.

Guard Jackie Dubois is a vocal leader that scored five points with four boards and two dimes per game last season and Katie Hackett will help push the ball in transition for the Dragons.

The Pembroke program has become solid in recent years and the players are playing together in the offseason, which means it will remain in the mix.

The Dragons went 14-6 last year and return many players from that squad. Those players have been haunted since the crushing 44-42 loss to North Rose-Wolcott in the Class B quarterfinals last season.

Pembroke missed a potential game-tying shot with less than five seconds left in that game and have had a long time to think about the disappointing loss.

Dylan Versage had a pair of goals, including the game winner 7 1/2 minutes into the third period for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish beat Immaculate Heart, 3-2, in the consolation game of the Radier Classic.

Jason Harasimowicz dished out three assists and Ivan Madafferi added a goal with a helper for Notre Dame (2-1).

Thomas Dehr had 21 saves.

The other local hockey team did not come away with a victory Saturday.

The Batavia hockey team fell to 1-2 with a 3-2 loss to Hilton.

Corey Gurski scored the game-winning goal at the 9:32 mark of the third period as Hilton improves to 3-0-1. 

Dan Kellman and Andrew Harris had the assists on the winning goal, with Harris and Collin Sawdy each getting a goal.

Pat Finnell  and Josh Moir had a goal each for the Blue Devils.

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Freshman Keri Soppe dropped in 20 points with three boards to earn tournament MVP as West Irondequoit downed Pembroke 48-36 in the finals of the Alden Tournament.

The Eagles had a seven minute long, 13-point run in the third quarter to pull away as Cecilia Sigrist pitched in seven points and 10 rebounds.

Danielle Smith led the way for the Dragons (1-1) with 10 points while all-tournament team selection Nicole Sharick pitched in eight points, 14 rebounds and three steals.

Kelsey Lewis had eight points with Natasha Powell and Katie Hackett pulling down seven boards apiece.

Irondequoit is 2-0.

One defending state champion down, one to go.

Andrew Hoy scored nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter - seven of which came from the charity stripe - as the Batavia basketball team had a 19-8 advantage in the fourth quarter to beat defending Class C champion Maple Grove 61-49 in the opening round of the Olean Tournament.

The Blue Devils had a 42-41 lead at the end of the third quarter, but Maple Grove took a lead early in the final period before the big run.

Hoy also had nine rebounds and five assists in the game, with Robert Hoy pitching in 10 points and Marcus Hoy adding five.

Dakota Irvin hit three 3-pointers in scoring nine points and Adam Pettinella pitched in seven.

Batavia (1-0) will be playing Olean in the championship game Saturday night as the Huskies escaped Hornell 51-46 in the opening round.

Olean attempted 24 foul shots, while the Red Raiders did not attempt a single one. Jesse Champman scored 17 points while Ryan Crane added 12 for Olean.

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The Pembroke girls basketball team is moving on to the finals of the Alden Tournament after thumping the host squad 57-31.

Nicole Sharick had a huge game, popping in 13 points with 10 steals, four assists and six rebounds.

Katie Hackett and Danielle Smith had 10 points apiece, with Hackett getting five swipes. Natasha Powell grabbed eight rebounds.

The Dragons will play West Irondequoit in the finals at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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Three area boys teams lost non-league contests Friday night.

Elba had a rough start, getting outscored 37-24 in the first half, then couldn't come back and lost to Albion 63-58.

Phil Ostroski led the Lancers with 24 points and seven boards as Elba dips to 1-1.

Brian Mitchell was amazing for Holley, but the Hawks lost to Greece Odyssey 61-55. Mitchell scored a game-high 29 points with 13 rebounds, but the Hawks fall to 0-2.

Le Roy could still be recovering from the football team's trip to the Far West Regionals and lost a road game at York, 63-55. Eric Valentino (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Jesse Galvin (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles for York (1-1).

Mike Humphrey scored 21 points with Andrew Alexander getting 11 and Eric Stella following with 10 for the Oatkan Knights (0-1).

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The Notre Dame hockey team lost to Fayetteville-Manilius 6-1 in the opening round of the Fulton Tournament.

Brett Perfitt scored his first career goal for the Fighting Irish (1-1), and Thomas Dehr stopped 27 shots.

ND will play Immaculate Heart in the consolation game at Noon Saturday.

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Hillary Bates tied the game after a steal when she drained a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in regulation. Then Brynn Perfitt hit a pair of free throws for the deciding points in a 31-29 win for Oakfield-Alabama over Geneseo in the opening round of the Geneseo Tournament.

Perfitt scored a game-high 17 points for the Hornets (1-0).

The other local girls teams stuggled.

Le Roy lost to York 46-27 and Churchville-Chili crushed Byron-Bergen 70-43.

 The University at Buffalo claimed its first ever Mid American Conference ever Friday night with a shocking 42-24 win over previously undefeated Ball State.

Former Pembroke lineman Chris Lauzze is the starting center on that team.

The Bulls took advantage of four Cardinals turnovers and knocked off the 12th ranked team in Division I in convincing fashion. It is the first time UB has ever beaten a ranked opponent and this is the first time the squad has won the MAC title since joining NCAA Division I.

The biggest plays of the game were a pair of fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns, one for 92 yards and the other for 74, late in the third quarter. Lauzze and the other lineman did a nice job protecting quarterback Drew Willy, who passed for 206 yards with three touchdowns, making him the first UB quarterback to ever throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season.

Ball State falls to 12-1 while Buffalo improves to 8-5 and accepts  a spot in the International Bowl on January 3 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Tickets can be ordered here.

"To have the game an hour and a half away is a reward for our fans," coach Turner Gill said.

The Bulls will be inviting members of Buffalo's 1958 team to enjoy the experience. Members of that team refused to play in the Tangerine Bowl because the black players on the team would not be allowed to play in the game.

Former Pembroke star offensive lineman  Chris Lauzze paid his dues and became a starter on the University at Buffalo football team this season. Now he's getting a chance to win a conference championship.

The 6-foot-2, 309-pound center was a backup center and starting long-snapper last season for the Bulls, but has moved into the starting lineup this year.

UB will be playing Ball State for the Mid American Conference championship game tonight. 

Lauzze's job will be to protect quarterback Drew Willy, who is a Unitas Golden Arm award nominee with 33 touchdowns and just five interceptions in his last 18 games played.

Coach Turner Gill has turned the Bulls into a winning program and has a shot to end Ball State's undefeated season tonight, and win the team's first MAC championship. UB is a two touchdown underdog.

Buffalo is 5-3 in the conference and 7-5 overall, while Ball State has gone 8-0 in conference and 12-0 overall. The two teams played during the regular season last year, with Ball State winning 49-14.

"We don't want to make it more than it is," Gill says on the UB Web site. "We will continue to do our thing. We've been exposed to any and every situation you can be exposed to as a football team."

Buffalo is bowl-eligible for the first time since the school started playing Division I football in 1999 and will probably be playing in the International Bowl in Toronto. UB had only won 10 games in seven years before Gill took over the program in 2006.

The game will be on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. tonight.