Sports

Batavia High School’s 11-game winning streak came to an end tonight at the hands of visiting Brockport, 53-46, in a Monroe County League interdivisional girls’ basketball game.

But the Batavia Lady Blue Devils, a Class B1 team, can hold their heads high as they hung with the Class A Brockport Lady Blue Devils, whose athleticism resulted in a decided advantage on the offensive boards (multiple second- and third-chances) and solid 2-3 zone defense forced Batavia away from the basket.

The winners consistently swarmed to the hoop, which resulted in them going to the foul line 27 times -- making 15 -- while Batavia was just 2-for-4 from the free throw line.

Brockport rode a pair of scoring spurts – an 8-0 run to open the second quarter and a 9-0 burst to start the fourth quarter – to its 16^th win in 17 outings.

The 8-0 run erased a 13-9 Batavia lead that was sparked by senior guard Ryann Stefaniak’s eight points, and the 9-0 burst turned a 38-35 Brockport lead into a 12-point advantage.

Batavia responded, however, by scoring nine straight points – four by Stefaniak, three by sophomore guard Bryn Wormley and two by sophomore guard Mackenzie Reigle – to cut the deficit to 47-44 with 3:32 left.

Cheered on by the home fans, including a raucous “Blue Zoo” section of students, Batavia had a chance to tie but a three-pointer by Wormley went in-and-out.

From there, Brockport’s junior center Shinya Lee scored off an offensive rebound with 2:30 to play and senior guard Bryn Hayes hit a free throw a minute later to up the score to 50-44.

Reigle then drove to the basket and missed, but she came up with a nifty steal and layup at the 44-second mark to pull Batavia within four. That was as close as Batavia could get, however, as Brockport sank three free throws in the final seconds to close out the scoring.

Stefaniak led Batavia, now 13-2, with 19 points while Reigle added 12 and Wormley 11. Reigle also led the team with five rebounds, four steals and four assists.

For Brockport, Lee tallied 18, senior forward Doralis Allen 12 and Hayes 10.

Batavia plays at Honeoye Falls-Lima on Thursday and hosts Greece Odyssey on Friday.

Longtime Viking Valhalla Restaurant cook Harris Busmire rolled a 300 game Thursday night at the bowling center attached to his place of employment -- Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.

The 54-year-old right-hander's honor score came in the Thursday Owls League, and was his fourth perfect game since 2001.

In the Sunday Rolloffs League at Medina Lanes, Scott Allis registered a 299 game in a 730 series, and in the Monday Night League at Letchworth Pines in Portageville, Matthew Hurlburt strung 11 in a row after an opening spare for a 290 game en route to a 763 series.

For a list of high rollers for the week, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Mike Pettinella's next Pin Points bowling column is scheduled for this Thursday.

Attica dealt Alexander only its fourth loss on the season, only second in league play, knocking the Trojans out of a first-place tie with Lyndonville and Elba, with a 64-54 win at home.

Alexander's Chris McClinic was the game's top scorer with 25 points. Ryan Davis scored 11 points for the Trojans.

For the Blue Devils, Devon Henderson scored 15 points, Frankie Bisceglie, 12, Trevor Goll, 11. Dawson Nelson scored 10 points, added 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Ayden Goll scored nine points and had six assists, six rebounds, and two steals.

"I was very proud of the team tonight," said Attica Coach Rob Crowley. "This was two good teams going at it. It was a great game in December over there and I would not have expected anything less tonight. It's always nice to win at home versus your rivals. "

Attica is now 10-6. Alexander is 11-4.

Elba (15-3) was also lost its share of first place in the Genesee Region League on Friday night with a 52-41 loss to Lyndonville (15-1).

Oakfield-Alabama (8-7) beat Pembroke (7-9) 64-51.

Byron-Bergen (6-9) beat Holley 65-47.

Pavilion (7-9) (in the Livingston League) beat Geneseo 71-63. 

Batavia plays North Tonawanda this afternoon at North Tonawanda. Batavia, in the Monroe League, is 6-7.

Skip all the pre-game Super Bowl hype and test your skills on the bowling lanes. You might win some money and you'll be home in plenty of time to watch the Patriots battle the Rams.

That's the message that tournament director Mark Brown is sending out to Genesee Region bowlers as he promotes his "Super Sunday" handicap singles tournament at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia this weekend.

The event starts at noon with a four-game qualifying squad. The field will be cut to eight bowlers after that for a head-to-head final round.

The entry fee is $45 and the field will be limited to 35 bowlers. First place, based on a full field, is $400.

As of this posting, about 25 have signed up. To enter, call Mancuso Bowling Center at 343-1319.

Two of the most popular names on the Genesee Region USBC awards list -- Curtis Foss of Medina and Diane Hurlburt of Warsaw -- added to their many chances for the local association's grand prize drawing at the season-ending banquet in May with superlative league performances last week.

Foss started a bit slowly (for him) with a 223 game before stringing 24 consecutive strikes -- back-to-back 300 games -- for an 823 series in the Friday Night Mixers League at Oak Orchard Bowl.

The 31-year-old right-hander raised his average to 240 for 57 games this season (he's at 245 in a Monday league at Oak Orchard Bowl), and now has three 800 series since Jan. 4.

Hurlburt, a 48-year-old righty, also has been in a groove of late, with the latest big series comilng on Thursday at Livingston Lanes in Geneseo -- 248-266-249--763. It is her fourth 700 series this season and eclipses her previous best of 738 (Jan. 19, 2017).

She had a legitimate shot at an 800 series after rolling the first six strikes in the third game. But a pocket 7-10 split in the seventh frame, and a solid 7-pin in the ninth frame kept her from eclipsing the GRUSBC women's record of 782 set by Caycee Landers at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen last season.

"I knew that I had the 700 but I really didn't realize that I was close (to 800)," said Hurlburt, who bowls in the league with her husband, Jason, and son, Matthew.

A Fillmore native who owns her own cleaning business, she is averaging 200 in a Monday league at Letchworth Pines in Portageville and 194 in the Thursday league at Livingston Lanes. Both of those leagues were relocated after a fire shut down operations at Perry Bowling Center.

The GRUSBC's awards program allows bowlers to earn entries into a grand prize drawing in May based on high scores bowled during the season. Last year, Foss and Hurlburt had the most chances to win one of three $500 cash prizes -- with Hurlburt actually winning -- and they have the most chances again this season. 

In other league action last week, Rich Wagner of Batavia posted 792 in the Toyota of Batavia league at Mancuso Bowling Center to raise his average to a record-setting pace of 248.26, while Steve Krna rolled 279--768 in the Antique World Tuesday Coed league, also at Mancuso's.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Elba may be ranked number one in the state now but it's not something they think much about, said Coach Tom Redband after Friday's home victory over Pembroke 46-45.

"It's a fun thing for the fans and it's a nice thing to read about but it's not something we talk about or, you know, fixate on," Redband said. "You know we want to be as good as we can in the end; whatever that might be. We don't get into whether we're number one state or winning sectionals or winning states.

"It's just the personality of the team because of their work ethic."

And winning is a whole team effort, Redband said. The best example this year is Wednesday's road win over Avon 60-33 with no player on the team hitting double digits in scoring.

"We ended up winning by 27," Redband said. "I think that's pretty rare. I can't remember the last time we lost by 27 when the top two scorers on the other team had five points. I think that's just a testament to the girls developing and being ready at all times no matter what they did last game. You know, the next girl up when somebody is not at their best or injured or we need a little boost."

Elba, a Class D team, is 15-0 on the season now and among the reasons it's ranked number one in the state is five of those wins came against Class B teams and all but one of those other wins against Class C teams. The team has scored at least 60 points 12 times.

Friday night's win -- which Elba almost let slip away -- was another example of distributed offense with Brynn Walczak scoring 12 points, Leah Bezon with 11, Lauryn Engle, 9, Taylor Augello, 6, and Maddie Muehlig, 5. Engle hit three of her four three-point attempts.

Here's how Redband breaks down his team:

"Leah Bezon has been on the team for four years now. She's only a sophomore. She keeps developing and she has a humongous upside. She's our captain.

"Brynn Walzcak has been on the team two, three years. Maddie Mulehig three years, Taylor Augello, it's her second year starting and she's really come on this year. She worked really hard in the offseason to develop her game.

"Maddie Howard who is a senior, she'll be back soon. She was injured a couple of weeks ago. She'll be back soon. She's a great, great assist person, very unselfish looking to defend and assist. 

"Then we have shooters like Adriana Long and Dakota Brinkman and Lauryn Engle, who at any point could hit three or four threes in a game.

"Kelly Mickey is a ferocious defender and then Izzy Riner who can kind of do it all.

"We're really not a top-heavy team."

Leah Bezon

Taylor Augello

Maddie Muehlig

Maddie Muehlig

Taylor Augello

Leah Bezon

Brynn Walczak

Press release:

On Friday, Jan. 18, the JV and varsity boys basketball teams from Byron-Bergen and Elba faced off in their traditional “Battle of Route 262” games, but this year they had their sights set higher than just a victory on the basketball court. Much higher.

In response to two of their classmates receiving cancer diagnoses, the players wanted to raise money for organizations that have helped those individuals and their families. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester and Cure Childhood Cancer Association received equal shares of the evening’s donations.

“Games with Elba bring in a large local crowd,” said Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach Roxanne Noeth. “We thought that it would be a good chance to raise money and awareness for the cause – and the crowd really was amazing.”

In the weeks leading up to the game, the Byron-Bergen boys’ basketball teams gathered donations from friends, family, and community members and organizations. But, the Bees weren’t the only ones on the fundraising offensive. Elba, a partner District with Byron-Bergen for several sports including soccer and gymnastics, also collected donations for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

“These students face off as opponents in basketball, but in another season they may be playing side-by-side,” said Elba Athletic Director Karen Cusmano. “The districts are less than 10 miles apart. We belong to a larger community and I’m proud that both teams are stepping up to support this important cause.”

The Elba players also joined the Byron-Bergen players in the half-court shot challenge sponsored by Jimmy Z’s of Brockport. Jimmy Z’s donated $20 for every half-court basket. The crowd exploded in applause as two Byron-Bergen players and one Elba player sunk the shot.

Both teams played hard with Elba’s JV and varsity teams edging out the bees. However, the biggest score of the evening was the $5,459 raised in support of the two charitable organizations. However, the final count still is not in.

Jimmy Z’s pledged to donate 20 percent of all sales from customers who mention Byron-Bergen’s fundraiser on Monday, Jan. 21, but due to inclement weather, the final fundraising effort is rescheduled to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28.

In a tweet, the Ronald McDonald House responded to the fundraiser announcement, “Thank you so much! This is a big help for our families.”

Contact: Rich Hannan, Byron-Bergen athletic director (585) 494-1220, ext: 2003; Contact: Pat McGee Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. high School principal (585) 494-1220, ext: 2401.

“Our sports teams have a strong tradition of raising money for charitable organizations,” said Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan. “It’s an amazing accomplishment for high school students to organize fundraising on this scale, but it is also an amazing show of solidarity for their classmates and their families. It says, "We’ve got your back.’Once a Bee. Always a Bee.” 

Pictured: (l-r) (back row) Corden Zimmerman, Varsity Coach Roxanne Noeth, Lucas Stucchio, Daren Barron, Jerrod Amesbury, Josh Hohn, Jonathan Hahn, Travis Lambert, Tony DiQuattro, Rick Hubbard, Kevin Smith, Alex Brumsted, Mitch Gonyea, Bryce Yockel, Chad Green, Nicholas Baubie, JV Coach Chris Chapman; (front row) Nicolas Walters, Joey Damick, Caleb Carlson, David Brumsted, Anthony Chapman, Gianni Ferrara, Ryan Muscarella, Alex Donnelly, Alex Heatherman.  

When you're averaging 245 in one league and 238 in another, 700 series just don't cut it. For Medina's Curtis Foss, reaching the 800 mark for three games is where it's at.

Foss recently posted his sixth and seventh 800 series in the past 24 months -- 267-277-258--802 in the Friday Mixers League on Jan. 4 and 266-279-258--803 in the Sneezy's Monday Night League on Jan. 14, both at Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion.

The high-revving 31-year-old right-hander also has seven 300 games over the past two years.

Speaking of perfect games, Nathan Tackentien of Arcade recorded his second 300 in as many weeks, the latest coming last Monday in league play at Letchworth Pines in Portageville.

For a list of high scores from leagues in the Genesee Region, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Mike Pettinella's next Pin Points column is scheduled for this Thursday.

For the seventh time in 13 games this season, the Alexander Trojans topped 60 points en route to their 10th win, beating Notre Dame at Notre Dame, 63-52.

Chris McClinic led the Trojans with 24 points, hitting a pair of three-point baskets along the way, and senior captain Ryan Davis scored 13 points.

"At the beginning, we were able to attack their two-three zone," said Trojan Coach Wayne Hanley. "We were able to get through it pretty quick and made them change things up. I thought Notre Dame did a good job shooting but we did a good job on the boards."

With eight wins against Genesee Region competition (10-3 overall), Alexander is tied for the league lead with Lyndonville and Elba. 

The Trojans lost a home game to Elba on Wednesday, 61-45, and have also lost to Greece-Odyssey, 91-54, and to Cal-Mum, 73-63.

"The kids are playing really well," Hanley said. "We faced some tough competition. Greece-Odyssey, then we played Cal-Mum, and that helped us prepare for the GR itself. The GR is very tough this year. We’ve played some tough games but we’ve been focused every game so I think that has really helped us out."

For Notre Dame, now 6-8, Spencer Misiti scored 16 points, Gabe Macdonald scored 12, and Zachary Cocking scored 11.

Thank you to Coach Hanley for participating in a video interview. Unfortunately, the audio did not come out well enought to use with this video.

UPDATED Jan. 19: WNY Rebels annual AAU Basketball Tryouts for boys and girls will be held on Sunday Jan. 27 and Sunday Feb. 10 at Norte Dame High School gymnasium. Cost is $10 per player. (Jan. 20 tryouts are cancelled due to the snowstorm.)

The school is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia. Questions? Contact Otis Thomas via email at  otisthomas33@yahoo.com

The schedule both days will be as follows:

Fifth / Sixth Grade Girls -- 8 to 9 a.m.

Fifth / Sixth Grade Boys -- 9 to 10 a.m.

Seventh / Eighth Grade Girls -- 10 to 11 a.m.

Seventh / Eighth Grade Boys -- 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Ninth / 10th Grade Girls -- 12 to 1 p.m.

11th / 12th Grade Boys -- 1 to 2 p.m.

Ninth / 10th Grade Boys -- 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

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

About six weeks after breaking one Genesee Region USBC record, the Toyota of Batavia team eclipsed another one in league bowling action this past Thursday.

Sparked by 300 games by left-handers Jason Gallo and Rich Wagner, the quintet registered 3,580 for its three-game series in the Toyota of Batavia league at Mancuso Bowling Center to break the existing record by eight pins.

The previous mark was 3,572 by the Terry Hills Restaurant team on Feb. 25, 1986 at Mancuso's.

On Nov. 29 of last year, the Toyota team posted a 1,271 game, which broke the Terry Hills' record of 1,220. Members of that Terry Hills team were Joe Trigilio, Fred Gravanda, Don Buckley, Jerry Martino and John Gravante.

While Gallo and Wagner added to their 300 game totals en route to 763 and 756 series, respectively, righty Josh Elliott led the way with a 781 series -- 244-279-258.

Nathan Cordes added 280-269--740 while Leon Hurd rolled 540 to round out the scoring.

For more high scores around the Genesee Region for the week ending Jan. 12, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

On a night of subpar shooting, the host Batavia High Lady Devils rode their tenacious pressure defense to a 47-29 victory over Greece Olympia in Monroe County Division 4 varsity girls’ basketball action.

Batavia, 10-1, made just seven of 43 attempts from the field in the first half, but held a 20-16 lead thanks to a swarming zone defense and full-court press that created numerous turnovers and forced Olympia into taking difficult shots.

Olympia led 10-7 after the first quarter as Batavia went 2-for-20 and went up 14-7 after Batavia missed its first nine shots of the second quarter.

But things quickly turned Batavia’s way as a three-pointer by senior guard Ryann Stefaniak ignited a 13-0 run that put the Lady Devils up 20-14. A layup by junior forward Emma Krolczyk, two free throws by senior forward Jenae Colkey, two more baskets by Stefaniak and a steal and layup by sophomore guard Mackenzie Reigle completed the burst.

Batavia broke it open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Spartans, 12-2, behind Krolczyk’s eight points, to take a 32-18 lead.

Stefaniak tallied nine of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Batavia pulled away. She also had four rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Krolczyk finished with 12 points while Byrn Wormley had four points, four assists and two steals; Colkey had five rebounds and three steals, and Reigle had four steals and three assists to go with her four points.

For the game, Batavia was 19-for-70 from the field and 5-for-17 from the free throw line.

Junior guard Janelle Miller and senior center Leah Stewart each had eight points for Olympia, 3-8.

The Lady Devils play two games on the road next week – Tuesday at Brighton and Friday at Pittsford Sutherland.

Submitted photos and press release:

The Alumni Affairs Office at Genesee Community College is spending the snowy season thinking about warmer days and golf!

Under the direction of Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble Honorary Chairperson Wesley Bedford, GCC Class of 2006, plans for the event are well underway.

Registration is now open for the fourth annual Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble scheduled for Monday, July 22, at the Stafford Country Club, 8873 Morganville Road (Route 237) in Stafford.

The Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble allows up to 36 foursomes for the 18-hole event at the esteemed Stafford Country Club.

Sign-in starts 11:30 a.m. with lunch available, and golfers tee off in "shotgun" style at 12:30 p.m. Registration is $125 per golfer and includes 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, all beer and nonalcoholic beverages during play, lunch and dinner with a cash bar, and much more!

To join the event for dinner only is $25. Most importantly, all proceeds go directly to the GCC student scholarship program, making higher education possible for deserving students in our community.

The registration deadline for golfers is June 28. Contact Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs Jennifer Wakefield at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6265, or via email at jgwakefield@genesee.edu. The golfer registration form is also available online here.

Additional opportunities to sponsor GCC scholarships are available at a number of levels ranging from $100 to $3,000. Sponsorships for golf games, including a putting contest, longest drive, closest to the pin, and beat the pro and other in-kind support efforts are also being accepted.

A sponsorship sign-up form with all donation details is available here and should be sent to Jennifer Wakefield at jgwakefield@genesee.edu to reserve a sponsorship level.

(Photos from 2018 Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble.)

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.

The Batavia High varsity girls’ basketball team, coming off a dramatic victory over Wellsville last Friday in the finals of the Batavia Rotary Club Tournament, has tacked on two more Monroe County League victories this week -- a 54-44 win over host Greece Arcadia on Monday and a 64-33 triumph over visiting Spencerport last night.

Three Batavia starters scored in doubles figures with Ryann Stefaniak and Emma Krolczyk leading the way with 16 points apiece while Mackenzie Reigle tallied 14.

The Lady Devils were in control throughout en route to their ninth win in 10 contests.

On Monday, Batavia led by only three after three periods but used a 19-12 fourth quarter to beat Arcadia.

Stefaniak scored 16, Reigle 11 and Krolczyk 10 while Bryn Wormley and Meghan Houseknecht each added eight points.

Batavia’s next game is Friday night at home against Greece Olympia, 3-7. Olympia lost to Spencerport, 46-40, on Dec. 28.

Last evening the Genesee region girls basketball rivals, Notre Dame Fighting Irish versus the Oakfield Hornets kept the crowd cheering on both sides for an entertaining evening contest at Notre Dame High School.

Both teams battled the ball through four quarters to a close four-point game after Oakfield scored with 16 seconds left on the clock trailing 41-37. A technical was called against the hornets and foul shots benefited the Irish favor in the remaining seconds to finish on top 45-37.

Oakfield’s Coach Jeff Schlagenhauf’s postgame summary:

“We talked about getting off to a good start in their gym, it’s a tough place to play but great environment for high school basketball. Defensively we stuck to what we wanted with our game plan.

"It all came together in that early part of the game, knowing full well that they would make adjustments. Coach McCulley does a great job with his kids. We were able to weather that storm going into halftime with the lead. But we talked in the locker room, they were going to keep coming, it’s their gym, they’re a good ball club and that’s what they did.

"They really kind of took it to us in the second half a little bit of the standpoint of taking us out of what we wanted us to do. Couple things changed for us after halftime -- offensively we stopped running our plays and could not get the drops. They got a couple easier baskets that did not happen for them in the first half.

"I think that was a little bit of the momentum shift that happened for us not being able to score and they took that lead, four, five points and kind of hung there the rest of the game."

Notre Dame’s Coach Tom McCulley postgame summary:

“After the first quarter being down by 10, we talked about not panicking and do what we can do, were a good team. Oakfield obviously came out with more energy than we did and they got up big, but we got players that can do good things out on the court offensively and defensively and by that we had to dig in, get some stops. 

"Oakfield was getting some easy buckets back in transition on us and we were not getting back very well in the beginning half. Once we started getting back and getting into a half court man to man coverage, they didn’t get so many good looks at the basket and we were able to claw back into it.

"We have some young players that are in new roles this year that have never been in before. When you play a quality team like Oakfield, sometimes you got to get your feet wet, you have to get in the rhythm of the game before you start to feel comfortable and that’s what exactly happened.

"We were able to weather the storm in the first half, Amelia and Sara got comfortable in the game and were the ones that were open. Oakfield was doubling Callie and Stevie when they were in the paint and Sara and Amelia knocked off some huge shots in the third quarter and that got us up and gave us a spark and we never really gave it back.”

Notre Dame Callie McCulley had 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. Amelia McCulley added 12 points and Stevie Wilcox 10 points. Oakfield-Alabama Kelsey Shlagenauf had 15 points, Shelby Carson 10 points.

Photos by Thomas Ognibene. To view or purchase click here.