The old Genesee County Courthouse will be lit up for the next of couple nights in honor of the annual "Shooting for a Cure" pink basketball game this Friday night at Pembroke High School.
Proceeds will go to cancer research for Roswell Park in Buffalo.
All-time scoring leaders, school records, championships, a legacy of excellence, determination, and hard work -- the Johnson family has made a lasting impression of Pembroke girls basketball.
That's the impression you get when you look at the legend of Top 10 scorers in girls basketball on the Pembroke gym, which contains three Johnson names: Breanna, with 814 points, Mackenna, 678 points, and Aralyse, 618 points.
Then there are the two championship basketballs in the trophy case, both with the name "Johnson" on them.
Finally, there is the current roster with senior Sydney on the team that is coached by father Jamie, along with Breanna and Aralyse.
Breanna is no longer the school's all-time scoring leader (Serene Calderon surpassed her last season when she finished her career with 831 points), and Aralyse is still the school's all-time rebound leader with 639, and Mackenna leads all-time in assists with 308 points.
At one time, Breanna, the oldest of the sisters, held all but one of the key girls basketball records and she also helped lead the team to its first Section V title challenge. Her mom Shannon said that was one of her proudest moments in the family's sports history.
"She did anything that (then-coach) Mike Wilson asked her to do," Shannon said. "Just watching her do that -- and I think easily she could have broken 1,000 (points) -- but every game she wanted to make sure every person scored. She could have been somebody who could have walked around with her head high and just bragging but the day that Serene broke her record, (she was) here and taking pictures with (Serene), I think for me, just watching her walk around as somebody who could have just been a snot and she was just so humble, I think for me, that was a proud moment."
All the girls, mom said, have that kind of character, and that means more to her than the athletic accomplishments.
Breanna may have led the way for the girls to make their marks in basketball -- a legacy that eventually helped Pembroke win back-to-back Section V titles in 2019 and 2020 when Mackenna was a junior and a senior -- but the athletic pace of the family was set by father Jamie, a 1991 graduate who excelled as a Dragon in football, baseball, and basketball.
He started coaching youth baseball in high school and as his girls came of age for sports, he naturally fell into coaching them in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball and other travel leagues.
For the past few seasons, he's been the Dragons football coach, and last year he took over the girls varsity program in basketball.
Both Breanna and Aralyse said they love coaching and that dad set the example.
"When I finished college, I came home and I started coaching with an offseason AAU team and I just loved helping the girls learn to play," Breanna said. "I started out with a sixth-grade team. They were younger and still learning so I've stayed with them. I love teaching and helping the girls learn to play the game."
Aralyse said her father definitely inspired her as a player and coach.
"So many people hate being coached by their parents," Aralyse said. "I had my dad for one year when I played travel basketball and I couldn't imagine a better coach at that point. I think his consistency, and just seeing his determination and his hard work and everything he does is really inspiring.
"He's always been constant in support whether we have a bad game or a good game, he's always there to either congratulate us or tell us what we could have done better or different."
Breanna is 25 and majored in biology at Clarkson University. Aralyse is 24 and is an event coordinator after attending Johnson & Wales University.
It's watching young athletes grow that drew Jamie to coaching, he said.
"I like the connections you make with the kids and the improvement that you get to see," Jamie said. "They come in sometimes with raw skills and you get to watch them develop, and watch them gain confidence in the skills and the new skills that they're learning."
Basketball has always been part of the Johnson household, the girls said, especially after Breanna took up the sport as a young girl. She led the way, her younger sisters said, and Jamie was an immediate inspiration with his deep knowledge of the game.
"It definitely gave me something to look up to with both my older sisters playing before me and my dad (coaching)," said Mackenna, who has continued her basketball career at GCC, where she's in a natural sciences program in environmental biology with hopes of becoming a park ranger or DEC officer. "They all really helped me set goals and helped me work towards those goals, and it brings us a lot closer together. It's our whole life."
Sydney, of course, had three older sisters to guide her toward the game.
"Since the time I was three years old, I'd be going to basketball games and going to my sister's tournaments or even just the high school games. I was always here," Sydney said. "I started just going to my sisters' open gyms or practices and just shooting on the side while they were actually practicing. Ever since then I fell in love (with the game)."
In the Johnson household, Shannon said, post-game film review among the girls and their father has been a regular undertaking.
"I guess (it means a lot to me) just watching them take after their father, seeing the things that he loved, and we've all let them try," Shannon said. "They have tried everything from gymnastics to competitive dance to softball, everything. They take after their dad, like coming home after a game and wanting to watch the game again and go through it with Dad what we did wrong, what we did well. Watching them strive to be like him and be dedicated like him; I think that's one thing that means a lot to me."
As a dad and coach, Jamie gives his girls most of the credit for what they've accomplished on and off the court.
"They have, I don't know what to call it, an inner drive that, you know, they want to be the best of everything," Jamie said. "So they put in the work, they put in the time, and they really just have that inner drive, I don't know how else to explain it."
Jamie said he is the proud coach and father. His girls have set records, won titles, set a good example for their friends and classmates, and set themselves on solid career paths. But he's most proud, he said, that his girls have good character.
"I'm proud of how the girls carry themselves in all the things that they do, whether it be at work or at school or in sports," he said.
Top photo: The Johnson basketball family of Pembroke: Sydney, Shannon, Aralyse, Breanna, Jamie, and Mackenna.
Mackenna with her mother Shannon while Shannon tracks team statistics during a game at Pembroke.
Pembroke Head Coach Jamie Johnson along with his assistants, daughters Aralyse and Breanna, during a recent game.
Mackenna Johnson taking a shot during the Shooting for a Cure game in 2017. This year's Shooting for a Cure game is Friday. Photos by Howard Owens.
Oakfield-Alabama beat Lyondonville in girls basketball on Saturday, 68-34.
Scoring for O-A:
Also in girls basketball on Saturday, Alexander beat Wheatland 68-12
In boys basketball, Byron-Bergen lost to Wheatland-Chili, 61-52
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Oakfield-Alabama beat Alexander in girls basketball on Thursday night, 55-49.
For the Hornets:
For the Trojans:
"This was an incredibly well played high school game, said O-A head coach Jeff Schlagenhauf. "Both teams played at a very high level. This was a great win for our kids. Marcia's teams are extremely well coached and they play hard from start to finish. I think the largest lead tonight was 6 points."
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
And now they're 15-0.
Oakfield-Alabama's flawless season in boys basketball rolled forward on Wednesday with a 69-39 win over Holley.
Stats:
Also on Wednesday in boys basketball:
In girls basketball, Le Roy beat Letchworth, 51-30
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more click here.
Freshman Olivia Breeden scored a career-high 21 points to help lead the Pembroke Dragons over Albion, 59-38, in girls basketball on Monday.
Breeden also had two steals.
Karli Houseknecht scored 11 points and had five steals, while Sydney Johnson scored nine points, had four assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Izzy Breeden scored seven points and had four rebounds.
Photos by Howard Owens
The Hornets continued their unbeaten ways -- now 14-0 on the season -- with a convincing win over Pavilion on Monday night, 87-31.
Scoring for Oakfield-Alabama:
Also in boys' basketball on Monday:
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.
Pembroke beat Lyndonville in girls basketball on Friday, 64-63. Izzy Breeden and Sydney Johnson each scored 14 points. Breeden had four rebounds and Johnson, three, along with five assists. Karli Houseknecht had 12 points and five steals. Elle Peterson scored five points and had eight rebounds. "Pembroke jumped out to a big first lead," said Head Coach Jamie Johnson. "Lyndonville played tough and slowly got back into it and tied the game up with 1:01 left in the game on a 3-pointer by Ella Lewis. Sydney Johnson was fouled with no time left on the clock and made the first of 2 free throws to secure the win."
Also in girls basketball on Friday:
In boys basketball:
Oakfield-Alabama continued to run the table in the 2021-22 hoops season -- they're now a perfect 13-0 -- with a 69-51 win over Byron-Bergen at home on Thursday night.
Kam Cusmano scored 19 points for the Hornets, while Kyle Porter scored 18, and Gaige Armbrewster scored 13.
For the Bees, David Brumsted scored 13 and Colin Martin scored 12.
Also in boys basketball on Thursday,
There were no local girls'd basketball games on Thursday.
Press release:
The Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School Girls’ Basketball Team will host its 11th annual Shooting For A Cure! event versus Oakfield-Alabama on Friday, February 11, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the high school gym located at the corner of Routes 5 and 77 (8717Alleghany Road) in Pembroke, New York. Admission is free. The team asks that attendees make a donation of any amount as they enter the facility, and all donations go to Roswell Park to support research efforts. In addition to donations at the door, all proceeds from raffle tickets, concession sales, and apparel sales go directly to Roswell Park. To date, Shooting For A Cure! has raised over $200,000 and has become Roswell Park’s largest independent, community-based fundraising event.
The event began over a decade ago when the team approached then head coach Mike Wilson with an idea; they wanted to show their support for Toni Funke, wife of former coach and Pembroke teacher Ron Funke, in her battle against breast cancer by hosting a game in her honor which would bring the community together to raise awareness and funds for cancer research at Roswell Park. This season, the team hopes to add to the $200,000 the event has generated and donated since 2011, by continuing this benevolent Pembroke tradition.
At this present time, in accordance with NYS guidelines, we kindly ask that all attendees wear a mask when entering the school that evening.
Direct online donations are now being accepted in support of this year’s Shooting For A Cure! at: http://give.roswellpark.org/goto/shooting-for-a-cure-11. In addition, the team is seeking donations from the community in the form of items to include in various raffles, as well as food, beverages, and merchandise that can be offered for sale during the event. All of the proceeds will benefit cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The 2021-2022 Shooting For A Cure! donors list already contains many businesses and organizations, including 26Shirts, ADPRO Sports, Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Burnin’ Barrel BBQ, Buttercumbs Bakery, Clarence Deli, Five Guys, Genesee County YMCA, Hershey's Ice Cream, Homeslice 33 Pizzeria, Knockaround Sunglasses, Linda's Family Diner, Original Pizza Logs, Pesci's Pizza, Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, Salvatore’s, Terry Hills, Tim Horton's. Businesses and organizations wishing to make a donation for this year’s event should contact Mike Wilson, the Shooting For A Cure! coordinator at Pembroke, by calling 716.949.0523.
For more information, please go to:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PemGBBPinkGame/
Twitter, https://twitter.com/pemgbb_pinkgame
Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/shooting4acure/
Team Roswell, http://give.roswellpark.org/goto/shooting-for-a-cure-11
The Lady Lancers defeated the Lady Dragons on Thursday night 59-44.
Dakota Brinkman scored 17 points for Elba and Laci Sewar scored 15 points. Sewar had 11 rebounds and Brinkman 10.
For Pembroke, Ellie Peterson scored 15 points.
Also in girls basketball:
There were no local boys' basketball games on Thursday.
The Blue Devils hung tough with Livonia through 32 minutes of basketball on Wednesday evening but came up a bit short in a 52-49 loss.
Batavia is now 3-8 on the season and Livonia is 5-7.
Carter McFollins scored 22 points for Batavia.
Also in boys basketball on Wednesday:
In girls basketball, Pavilion beat Le Roy 54-37.
The Lady Trojans, entering the game at 6-6, did more than upset the 8-2 Lady Irish on Tuesday. Alexander dominated.
At no point in the four quarters of basketball played in Alexander did Notre Dame seriously threaten the Alexander lead.
The final score helps tell that story: 49-35.
For Alexander, Alyssa Kramer scored 19 points. Emma Kramer scored seven and Melanee Pohl scored six.
For Notre Dame, Lyndsay Weidman scored 14 and Emma Sisson scored 12.
Also in girls basketball on Tuesday:
In boys basketball, Le Roy beat Pavilion 57-32
The Oakfield-Alabama Lady Hornets are no longer among the undefeated after being defeated Wednesday by the Elba Lady Lancers 42-38.
For Elba, Dakota Brinkman scored 10 points and both Laci Sewar and Adrianna Long scored nine points. Long hit a pair of three-point shots.
For O-A, MacKena Reding scored 11 points and Alea Groff scored 10. Kelsey Schlagenhauf scored seven points to go along with 13 rebounds. Caitlin Ryan had 12 rebounds.
The Hornets are now 10-1 and Elba is 5-4.
In other girls basketball games:
In boys basketball:
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
The Oakfield-Alabama Hornets are 10-0 on the season after beating Elba on Tuesday 64-53.
For the Hornets:
For Elba:
Also in boys basketball on Tuesday:
In girls basketball:
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
The Hornets stayed undefeated at 8-0 on Friday after beating Notre Dame 62-45.
For Oakfield-Alabama:
For the Fighting Irish:
Notre Dame is now 7-3 on the season.
Also on Friday in boys basketball:
There were no local girls games on Friday.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Notre Dame came back from a first-half deficit, down 20-16, to beat Le Roy 42-33 to capture the 2022 Batavia Rotary Club Girls Basketball Classic championship.
It's the 15th time in 31 tournaments the Lady Irish have taken home the trophy.
Avelin Tomidy scored 14 points and Juda Macdonald scored 10 for Notre Dame.
For Le Roy, Lindsey Steffenilla scored 11 points.
Tomidy won the Christina Volpe MVP Award.
The rest of the all-tournament team:
Lyndsey Wiedman won the Ray Shirtz Service Above Self Award.
Past champions:
Past MVPs:
Notre Dame will get a chance to play for another Rotary Club crown at 7:30 p.m. tonight at GCC after beating an aggressive Pembroke Lady Dragons team on Tuesday for a 49-34 victory.
The Lady Irish were led by Emma Sisson with 13 points, Mayee Green, 12, and Lindsey Weidman, 10.
For Pembroke, Karli Houseknecht scored 16 points.
For more game photos, click here.
In the first game of the first round of the Batavia Rotary Club Girls Basketball Classic, Le Roy beat Batavia 48-44.
For Le Roy, Kenna McKenzie and Lindsey Steffenille scored 13 points each.
For Batavia, Jaimin Macdonald scored 16 points and Jaylene Dersham scored 15 points.
Le Roy will face Notre Dame in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. tonight at GCC.
For more photos, click here.
Kelsey Schlagenhauf scored 12 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals to help lead Oakfield-Alabama to a 51-28 win over Kendall on Tuesday night in girls basketball.
Caitlin Ryan had 12 points, Makena Reding, nine, and Broke Reding, eight.
"Our girls played a solid 32 minutes against a well-coached and physical Kendall team," said Head Coach Jeff Schlagenhaufj. "All eight girls contributed. Brooke Reding was all over the court tonight.
"I can't say enough about the job Piper (Hyde), Alea (Grof) and Alaina (Manges) did defensively when they came in," he added. "They maintained our defensive effort and played extremely well for younger players. They improve each and every day."
The Hornets are now 11-0 on the season.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
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