basketball

The Batavia High Lady Blue Devils’ season came to a resounding halt Friday night as defending champion Midlakes rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit and cruised to a 79-66 victory in the Section 5 Girls’ Basketball Tournament Class B1 championship game before a packed and raucous crowd at Caledonia-Mumford High School.

With the win, Midlakes, now 20-3, moves on to face Dansville for the unified Class B title next Tuesday at a site to be determined.

The loss ends Batavia’s fine campaign at 19-3 overall, with its two previous losses to teams in higher classifications.

At the outset, Coach Marty Hein’s Lady Devils rode some sharp long-range shooting to stay in front of the Screaming Eagles.

After sophomore guards Bryn Wormley and Mackenzie Reigle each hit a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes, senior guard Ryann Stefaniak found the mark for four three-pointers, including a buzzer-beater off the glass on a nice assist from sophomore guard Tess Barone, to give the Lady Devils a 20-14 lead.

It was more of the same in the second quarter as Stefaniak hit a pair of threes to give Batavia its biggest lead at 26-18. Midlakes quickly managed to pull within four, but baskets by Stefaniak and Reigle gave the Devils a 32-24 halftime lead.

Stefaniak scored 20 points in the first half – one more than her average – and outplayed Midlakes’ 23-point-per-game scorer, senior guard Alaina Forbes, who had 10 points.

The Eagles came out in a press to open the second half and Forbes and senior forward Macy Kisner each scored to make it 32-28.

Batavia responded, however, as Stefaniak drove the length of the court after a Midlakes’ miss, sank a layup, got fouled and made the free throw to put Batavia up 35-28 with 6:40 left in the third quarter.

From there, the wheels fell off for Batavia, which found itself consistently watching Forbes, Kisner and sophomore guard Cara Walker beat the defense for easy layups.

Midlakes scored eight straight points – on two free throws by Walker, a three-pointer by Forbes and two layups by senior center Sydney Passalacqua -- to tie the game and then scored 19 of the game’s next 25 points to take a 54-41 advantage into the final period.

Forbes had eight of those points, all on uncontested layups.

Both teams scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, with Batavia unable to get any closer than 11 points down.

Forbes scored 11 points in the period, often on layups after accepting long outlet passes as she laid back on defense. She also hit a key three-pointer and proceeded to play up to the Midlakes’ crowd which roared its approval.

Stefaniak added two more three-point baskets in the fourth quarter and finished her outstanding high school career with 35 points.

Wormley and Reigle had 16 and 11, respectively, while junior forward Emma Krolczyk tallied four points.

For Midlakes, which will face Class B2 champion Dansville for the combined Class B title next week, Forbes led the way with 35 points while Walker scored 20, Kisner 12 and Passalacqua eight.

Hein said Midlakes’ experience (with three senior starters) made the difference, especially in the way the Eagles exploited Batavia’s efforts to crash the boards in attempts for offensive rebounds.

“They’re a seasoned team which has been here before; they didn’t get to the states last year by accident,” Hein said. “They controlled (the second half) and did what they needed to do while we we’re kind of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

Hein said they talked about how Forbes liked to release early and thought his team did a good job in the first half.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the one girl on top to get back on defense (after intermission),” he said. “I don’t like losing but I’m not disappointed with our effort throughout the 32 minutes. It came down to (Midlakes’) wisdom, knowledge and experience.”

Hein said he believes the returning players "will be much stronger from this" and is optimistic about this team's chances next year with the return of Reigle, Wormley, Krolczyk and their supporting cast.

Stefaniak and Reigle were named to the All-Tournament Team along with Midlakes’ Kisner, Walker and Forbes, the latter being named Most Valuable Player.

Batavia seniors Meghan Houseknecht and Jenae Colkey have been chosen to play in the Exceptional Seniors game next Thursday at Greece Athena High while Stefaniak will play in the Ronald McDonald charity contest on March 23.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

The Pembroke Dragons knocked off the #1 seed Marion in a Section V Class C2 semifinal Thursday 46-42 to advance to a shot a sectional title Saturday in Victor against Geneseo.

Serene Calderon scored 15 points for the Dragons. Dekari Moss scored 13 and Casey Wertz scored nine. 

Game time for Pembroke on Saturday is 1 p.m.

On Wednesday night, Oakfield-Alabama beat Keshequa to advance to the finals of the Class C3 bracket. O-A, the #2 seed, will play #1 seed South Seneca at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Victor.

For the Hornets on Wednesday, Brianna Smith scored 20 points.

Tonight in Class D2, Elba plays for a sectional title against Whitesville at 6 p.m. at Letchworth, and in Class B1, Batavia plays Midlakes at 8 p.m. at Cal-Mum.

The Elba Lancers lost to Belfast at Mount Morris on Tuesday night in the Class D2 Section V semifinal 44-40.

Also on Tuesday, Alexander lost to Red Jacket 71-58 in the Class C2 Section V semifinal.

There are no boys teams from Genesee County who survived past the semifinal rounds of the sectional playoffs.

Photos by David Zuppelli.

Brynn Walczak scored 19 points over Romulus in the Section V Class D2 semifinal playoff game to lead the Elba Lady Lancers to a 46-30 win.

"Well, it definitely was a slower-paced game with not a lot of shots of taken on both ends," said Coach Tom Redband. "It seemed like one of those games where every possession kind of mattered. It wasn't a real high-flying game. It didn't feel that way and statistics said that as well, too."

Leah Bezon scored 10 points for Elba as did Taylor Augello.

Bezon also had four steals.

The #1 ranked Lancers now advance to a Section V championship game at 6 p.m. at Letchworth against #3 ranked Whitesville.

"It's going to be a tough game," Redband said. "We played them last year and we could see that defensively they're a good team. Their shots weren't falling when they played us last year.

"The score was a little lopsided first in the first quarter and then in the second half, we saw what they are capable of. So hopefully we come out and a few more shots fall and we continue the defensive game plan and put ourselves in a position to win."

Tonight in girls basketball, Pembroke plays Marion at 7:45 at Canandaigua in a Class C2 semifinal, and Oakfield-Alabama plays Keshequa at 6 o'clock at HFL in a Class C3 semifinal.

Emma Krolczyk goes up for a layup.

Jenae Colkey (34) and Mackenzie Reigle attempt to stop Pal-Mac's Sophie Lyko.

Ryann Stefaniak looks to drive to the hoop.

A steal by Reigle leads to a Batavia basket.

Bryn Wormley controls the loose ball.

Part of the large contingent of Batavia fans react to the victory.

Finding themselves up by only two points with about five minutes to play, the top-seeded Batavia High Lady Blue Devils were in need of a spark, something to put some distance between them and the No. 4 Palmyra-Macedon Lady Red Raiders in their Section 5 Class B1 semifinal girls’ basketball game tonight at Caledonia-Mumford High.

Pal-Mac, a decided underdog, had jumped out to a seven-point quarter lead and hung in there through three quarters as Batavia was unable to get its offense in gear.

But just when it looked as though Pal-Mac was about to tie the game, key plays by a trio of Lady Devils in a minute’s time resulted in a 7-0 spurt and propelled Batavia to a 44-32 victory.

The win puts Coach Marty Hein’s team in the championship game at 8 p.m. Friday at Cal-Mum against Midlakes, a 58-32 winner over Greece Odyssey in the first game of the doubleheader.

On a night when top scorer Ryann Stefaniak struggled from the field (4-for-11 including 0-for-5 from three-point territory), Emma Krolczyk and Mackenzie Reigle came through with 14 and 13 points, respectively, and Jenae Colkey led a stifling defense that allowed only 15 points over the final three quarters.

Colkey, a senior guard/forward who has to play inside on defense, came up with a remarkable defensive stop when she got in position in the lane to prevent a fast-break layup that would have tied the game. The missed shot eventually made its way to Krolczyk who drove to the hoop to make it 31-27 – a four-point swing.

Krolczyk then rebounded a Pal-Mac missed and kicked the ball out to Reigle, who sank Batavia’s first three-pointer of the game to make it 34-27 at the 3:52 mark. Following a Pal-Mac timeout, Reigle stole the ball and flew in for a layup to give the Lady Devils a 36-27 edge.

Another three-pointer, this one by Bryn Wormley, and pair of baskets by Stefaniak in the closing 1:30 sealed the win.

The decisive seven-point run came just after Stefaniak had been called for her fourth foul, sending her to the bench. The fact that her teammates picked her up should give Batavia a lot of confidence heading into Friday’s match against No. 2 Midlakes, 19-3.

Hein credited the defense for saving the day while lamenting the team’s offensive execution.

“In all the interviews that I have been giving, I have said I’m not worried about the offense, but I almost shot myself in the foot (with this game),” Hein said. “We were helter-skelter and impatient and didn’t move the ball very well. Hopefully, we will put the pieces together on Friday.”

He called Reigle (she also had five steals and three rebounds) a “huge sparkplug” and praised Colkey, one of three seniors on the team, for “taking on the leadership role tonight and settling the team down.”

Colkey had three assists, six rebounds and two steals to go with her two points, while Stefaniak, who was coming off a 35-point outburst in the quarterfinals, finished with 10 points – nine less than her average -- along with four rebounds and four steals.

Overall, Batavia was 18-for-50 from the field (36 percent) and just 2-for-10 on threes.

For Pal-Mac, senior forward Gretchen Earl was the top scorer with 12 points while junior guard Katie Smith sank a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter and finished with seven points.

Photos by Steve Ognibene. To view or purchase photos, click here.

On his own Friday night, Colton Dillon outscored the entire Bradford team in a second-round, Class D1 Section V playoff game in Elba.

Dillon scored 31 points and the Lancers beat Bradford 70-30.

Jon Boyce was the only other Lancer player to notch double digits with 13 points.

Jordan Suteyk scored eight points for Bradford. Steven Spina scored six points.

Next up for #2 ranked Elba (16-6) is #3 ranked Belfast (14-6).

Also in boys basketball yesterday:

• Alexander beat Geneseo 62-55. Alexander (16-5) is ranked #2 in Class C2 and will play #3 ranked Red Jacket (16-5) in the semifinal.
• York beat Pavilion 68-52 to advance to the Class C3 semifinal.
• Oakfield-Alabama lost to Naples 55-42 in a Class C3 quarterfinal. Joey Burdick scored 16 points. Nick Wissinger scored 12.

At 2 p.m. today, #2 ranked Batavia (11-10) plays #2 ranked Newark (16-3) at Newark.

Tonight #2 ranked Le Roy (12-8) plays #7 ranked Mynderse Acadamy at 7 p.m. at Le Roy in a Class B2 quarterfinal.

In girls basketball, Batavia (18-1), ranked #1 in Class B1, beat #8 ranked Livonia 73-48 (game story).

In Class C2 today, #9 ranked Alexander (7-14) plays #1 ranked Marion (16-4) at 2 p.m. at Marion in a quarterfinal and #10 ranked Byron-Bergen (6-14) plays #2 ranked Red Jacket at 2 p.m. and Red Jacket. And #4 ranked Pembroke (14-7) plays #5 ranked Lyons (14-7) at Pembroke at 2 p.m.

In Class C3 #8 ranked Pavilion (9-12) plays #1 ranked South Seneca (19-1) at South Seneca at 2 p.m. Oakfield-Alabama, ranked #2 (16-4) plays #5 ranked York (11-9) at O-A at 2 p.m.

In Class D1, #1 ranked Elba (18-1) plays #9 ranked Northstar Christian (4-15) at 2 p.m. at Elba.

Senior point guard Ryann Stefaniak, playing in the final home game of her stellar career at Batavia High School, came out shooting tonight and she didn’t stop until she scored 35 points – including eight three-point baskets – in her Lady Devils’ 78-43 victory over Livonia in a Section 5 Class B1 girls’ basketball second-round contest.

“I knew it was my last home game and I came out with so much energy,” Stefaniak said. “I worked with my shooting coach, Billy Truitt, before the game and I felt like I was going to be on.”

She certainly was “on” – scoring nine points in the first quarter with a pair of three-pointers and exploding for 14 points in the second quarter as top-seeded Batavia turned an 18-12 advantage into a 44-22 halftime lead.

Stefaniak had four three-point baskets in the closing three minutes of the half to help Batavia, now 18-2, blow the game open. She added two more three-pointers in the third quarter as the Lady Devils maintained their 22-point cushion.

Sophomore point guard Mackenzie Reigle put forth another fine all-around effort, scoring 13 points on a variety of drives and spin moves while coming up with six steals. Sophomore guard Bryn Wormley sank a trio of three-point shots and finished with 10 points.

Junior forward Emma Krolczyk added seven points and senior guard Jenae Colkey had four. Senior center Meghan Houseknecht and sophomore guard Tess Barone scored two apiece.

For eighth-seeded Livonia, 13-8, junior forward Sydney Lockwood tallied 21 points – eight in the final quarter as the teams traded baskets. Junior forward Vanessa Galbraith had nine and junior guard Sara Shellenbarger added seven.

Batavia Coach Marty Hein stated that he was impressed with his team’s offensive prowess, but said his defense need to tighten things up.

“The defense wasn’t as sound as I wanted it to be,” he said. “We allowed too many open shots and drives, especially against number 12 (Lockwood). And we had three girls in foul trouble (Krolczyk, Reigle and Stefaniak).”

Still, top-seeded Batavia moves on to the next round where it will face No. 4 Palmyra-Macedon in the second game of a doubleheader Monday night at Caledonia-Mumford.

Pal-Mac, 15-5, defeated visiting Notre Dame of Batavia, 50-43, tonight.

The first game of Monday’s twin bill has No. 2 Midlakes facing No. 3 Greece Odyssey, with a 6 p.m. starting time.

The BHS vs. Pal-Mac game is expected to tip off around 7:45.

The Blue Devils squad was on a mission in the first half to control the game over visiting Palmyra-Macedon of the first round of class B1 sectionals last evening at Batavia High School.

Opening minutes were led 10-5 by senior Mason McFollins and junior Jake Humes. Tanner Thompson for Pal-Mac scored five. Blue Devils led 23-10 after the first quarter.

Second half Pal-Mac could not stop the Devils' rush as Camden White added six points. Blue Devils' Joseph Martinucci, Andrew Francis, McFollins and Luke Grammatico also contributed points to dominate the half 44-18.

Batavia then opened the floodgates rolling through the next eight minutes as Cayden White and McFollins added another 16 points combined along with points from Francis and Tyler Hale.

In the final minutes of the third quarter, both teams pulled their starters, Batavia led 69-27.

Senior Tyivon Ayala scored nine points in the fourth to close out the quarter as Batavia wins the game 87-41 and will travel to play this Saturday at #2 Newark Reds, 2 p.m. tip off.

Top photo is Batavia's Zach Gilebarto defending Pal-Mac's Paul Goodness.

To view or purchase photos click here.

Notre Dame dominated Hammondsport in their first-round Class D1 Section V playoff game at Notre Dame on Wednesday night, winning 85-40.

Gabe Macdonald scored 27 points, Colin McCulley scored 17, and Keith Szczepanski added 14 to pace the Fighting Irish.

Spencer Misit scored eight and Andrew Moore scored six. In all, nine Irish put points on the board.

"I think this was a team effort and I thought everybody contributed," Coach Mike Rapone said. "We played really well on both ends of the floor and rebounded well, passed the ball well. Keith was dominant inside and we got him the ball in areas where he could be effective."

Rapone thinks the road to the Class D1 finals runs through Mount Morris, which is where the Irish, now 12-9 on the season, head to next at 7 p.m., Saturday. Mount Morris is ranked second and is 17-3.

"Mount Morris is a very good team," Rapone said. "They got a few guys who have been starting for three years. This is the year they've been pointing to. They think they got a chance to win it all which they do. So this is a big test for us."

Also on Wednesday night, Batavia beat PalMac 87-41. Coverage is coming.

Tomorrow:

• Elba vs. Bradford, 7 p.m. at Elba
• Alexander vs. Geneseo, 7 p.m., at Alexander

Number 8 seed Pavilion knocked off #9 seed Dundee on Wednesday night at home in a Class 3 Section V playoff game, 36-31, in girls basketball.

For the Golden Gophers, Lindsay Lowe scored nine points, Aprile Beehler and Bri Hirsman each scored eight points, Lauren Kingsley scored seven, and Karlee Zinkievich scored four.

For Dundee, Mckenzie Strait scored 11 points and Megan Sutherland scored 10.

Pavilion is now 10-11 on the season and plays #1 seed South Seneca (18-1) on Saturday at South Seneca at 2 p.m.

In other girls basketball action Wednesday:

• Pembroke 68, Bloomfield 56
• Alexander 72, Rochester Academy 49

Tomorrow's games:

• Batavia vs. Livonia, 7 p.m. at Batavia HS
• Notre Dame vs. PalMac, 7 p.m., at PalMac

Top photo: Karlee Zinkievich.

Photos by Ryan Paddock.

 Lauren Kingsley

Aprile Beehler

Jordan Barrett

Colby Tillotson scored 17 points to help lead Pavilion over Keshequa 59-46  in a first-round  Section V playoff game in Pavilion on Tuesday night.

The #6 seed in Class C3, the Golden Gophers have been without Zach Wiedrich, a top scorer on the team, since the 10th game but Tillotson, Ryley Elliott, Cameron Milligan and Luke Milligan have all stepped up to help fill the gap, said Coach Rob Milligan.

Weidrich, a junior, was diagnosed with a heart condition and may not be able to play competitive basketball again.

As an example of Weidrich scoring prowess, Milligan said he got hot one game last season and scored 36 points.

Tuesday, Elliott scored nine points, as did Cody Penders. Nate Swede scored six points. Tillotson hit three three-point shots.

For Keshequa, Cameron Chestnut scored 17 points. He also hit three three-point shots.

With a 55-49 loss to Eastridge on Thursday night, the Batavia Blue Devils finished out their season with a 10-10 record and ranked #7 in Section V Class B1 basketball.

Mason McFollins scored 28 points, hitting five three-point jumpers. Camden White scored nine points and Andrew Francis scored six.

The Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead and edged Eastridge 12 to 9 at the end of the first quarter continued to lead at the half 21-18. 

Batavia's undoing, perhaps, was starting the second half without scoring for seven minutes. The team's only points came on a McFollins' three-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter.

Eastridge scored 22 points in the third. 

For Eastridge, Jahmel Demery scored 14 points, Jordan Capers, 12, and Jalen Rose Hannah scored 10.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

The Batavia High Lady Blue Devils locked up the No. 1 seed for the Section 5 Girls Basketball Tournament in fine fashion Wednesday night, riding the 1-2 scoring punch of senior shooting guard Ryann Stefaniak and sophomore point guard Mackenzie Reigle to a 69-34 victory over visiting Pittsford Sutherland in Monroe County Division 4 action.

The win caps an exceptional regular season for Batavia, which takes a 17-2 record – 8-0 in league play – into the Class B1 sectionals.

Coach Marty Hein’s team will receive a first-round bye due to its lofty standing, and will open with a home game, likely against Livonia or Greece Olympia, on Feb. 22.

Playing in front of an enthusiastic “Senior Night” crowd (which saw the Batavia High varsity boys defeat Greece Olympia in the first game of a double-header), Batavia jumped out to a 22-8 first-quarter lead behind Reigle’s 13 points.

Batavia went cold in the second quarter, scoring just two points in the first 4 ½ minutes, and saw its lead cut to 24-17 before a pair of free throws and a layup by senior center Meghan Houseknecht (on a nifty assist from Reigle) made it 28-17.

Reigle then scored two baskets in the final minute to give the Lady Devils a 32-18 halftime edge.

Stefaniak got the hot hand in the third quarter, scoring nine of her game-high 23 points, while sophomore guard Bryn Wormley chipped in with five points, including a corner three-pointer, to expand the lead to 52-30 after three periods. Wormley finished with eight points.

The Lady Devils shut out the Lady Knights from the field in the fourth quarter, limiting the visitors to just four free throws, to win going away.

Senior guard Jenae Colkey made her only field goal attempt of the game in the final quarter (she added three steals and three rebounds) while the 6-foot center Houseknecht completed the scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the key.

Stefaniak and Reigle were outstanding on both ends of the floor, with Stefaniak shooting 10-for-16 from the field with six steals and four rebounds, and Reigle making eight of her 15 shots with three steals and three assists.

Batavia, unofficially, was 28-for-54 from the field and 10-for-18 from the foul line.

Senior forward Aneliese Brandt led Pittsford with 15 points and sophomore guard Maley Garcia added eight. Pittsford, in dropping its ninth straight, enters the Class A sectional tournament with a 6-14 record.

While acknowledging an outstanding regular season, Hein said he is perplexed by the team’s lack of intensity at times.

“There are still too many highs and lows,” he said. “We’re playing good basketball, but there are parts of games when we take time off.”

He said the team can’t afford to let up in the sectionals.

“The girls have to understand that they need to play with a sense of urgency,” he said, noting that the squad will scrimmage against other schools a couple times before the 22^nd.

Longtime rival Notre Dame stopped Elba's effort to finish the regular season undefeated Tuesday night, beating the Lancers on their home court, 59-47.

Elba is now 18-1 and the Lady Irish are 18-2. Both teams have 13 league wins and so finish the regular season tied atop the Genesee Region.

Entering Class D2 sectional play, Elba should be the #1 seed as it shoots for its third consecutive sectional title.

Notre Dame is ranked #6 in Class B1. Batavia High School is ranked #1 entering into sectionals.

For the Irish, Callie McCulley scored 23 points and had 13 rebounds. Stevie Wilcox scored 12 points and had seven rebounds. Morgan Rhodes scored 10 points and Amelia McCulley scored eight.

UPDATE: Stats for Elba: Taylor Augello, 19 points and eight rebounds. Maddie Muelhig, 13 points, and Leah Bezon, seven points and seven rebounds.

The Batavia High Lady Blue Devils, getting contributions from its entire roster, raised its Monroe County Division 4 girls' basketball record to 6-0 tonight with a 48-36 victory over visiting Greece Odyssey.

Batavia, now 15-2 overall, closes out the regular season against two divisional foes -- at Greece Olympia on Monday and home versus Pittsford Sutherland on Wednesday (Senior Night).

Coach Marty Hein’s squad is in position to grab the No. 1 seed in Class B1, with Midlakes and Hornell also in contention. Batavia’s first sectional tournament game will take place on Friday, Feb. 22.

Tonight’s game showcased the Lady Devils’ ball-hawking defense that forced 20 turnovers (including 10 steals) and produced 11 blocked shots, and an offense sparked by hard drives to the basket by senior guard Ryann Stefaniak and sophomore guard Mackenzie Reigle.

Batavia jumped out to a 7-0 lead but Odyssey, which came into the contest on a nine-game winning streak, rallied behind junior forward Treanna Blenman’s eight points to close within 14-12 after the first quarter.

The Lady Devils outscored the Leopards 12-6 in the second quarter and 10-6 in the third quarter to open a 12-point lead, which proved to be the margin of victory.

Stefaniak led Batavia with 18 points, along with five rebounds and three blocked shots, while Reigle had 12 points, six steals and three assists, and sophomore guard Bryn Wormley tallied 10 points.

Batavia also was sparked by senior guard Jenae Colkey, who filled the stat sheet with four points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists, and junior forward Emma Krolczyk, who had four points and five blocked shots.

Senior center Meghan Houseknecht and sophomores Tess Barone, Kennedy Kolb and Bella Houseknecht also saw significant minutes.

Blenman was the top scorer for Odyssey, 3-4 in the division and 13-6 overall, with 23 points – 14 in the first half and nine of the team’s 12 in the final period.

There were times Wednesday night when it seemed like Honeoye Falls-Lima just couldn't miss three-point shots but even with that hot streak, the Batavia Blue Devils kept the game close.

Batavia pulled to within three points in the closing seconds but the home team still came up short, losing 62-56.

HF-L's shooters hit nine three-pointers, with Patrick Lustik hitting four (22 points) and Hayden Smith hitting three (11 points).

Batavia's Mason McFollins answered with four three-pointers of his own and a total of 24 points and Andrew Francis scored 17 points. 

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To purchase or view photos, click here.

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.

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.

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