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NYSPHSAA moving too fast?

By Brian Hillabush

In John Moriello's blog today, he is talking money and sports. 

New York has already lost the Empire State Games as Hudson Valley said there was no way they could host the game this summer if athletes are going to be forced to play $300 each to participate and there will be cuts in some of the "smaller sports".

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is also looking into cuts, a story that was broken on The Batavian. There is talks of regionalizing state games, eliminating the amount of games played in the regular season and post season for some sports and cutting down on the amount of champions in individual sports.

Moriello thinks that the NYSPHSAA is moving too fast:

 

More often, however, issues are resolved incrementally and painfully. Quick, easy fixes just do not exist.

   That's where the state of New York stands today. The economic downturn has shredded the economy, and elected officials in Albany face a deficit in excess of $15 billion in next year's budget. Among the casualties is the education budget, with proposed state aid being pared back considerably from what local school districts were anticipating when they started the annual planning process in the fall.

   And that has everything to do with why the executive committee of the state Public High School Athletic Association will vote on more than a dozen cost-cutting proposals at its quarterly meeting at the end of the week.

    The NYSPHSAA officials are trying to be proactive in dealing with financial issues. They rightly recognize that cuts are coming in virtually all aspects of the education budget and want to take the initiative in setting priorities and finding solutions lest someone not as well informed try doing it for them. That's their right, and I would even say it's their responsibility.

 

Moriello also talks about the cost of teams that travel to our border states for games. It is a good read, well worth checking out.

100-0 win coach in Texas is fired

By Brian Hillabush

We did a post earlier in the week on a basketball team that beat another one - from a school that teaches kids with mental disabilities - 100-0.

At the time, school officials from Covenant School had issued an apology. Apparently coach Micah Grimes had no part of that according to the Associated Press.

 The coach of a Texas high school basketball team that beat another team 100-0 was fired Sunday, the same day he sent an e-mail to a newspaper saying he will not apologize "for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity.

The school even issued a statement on its Web site saying "It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christlike and honorable approach to competition"

Grimes sent an e-mail to the The Dallas Morning News saying he does not agree with the school's apology.

"In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Web site, I do not agree with the apology or the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel embarrassed or ashamed," Grimes wrote in the e-mail, according to the newspaper. "We played the game as it was meant to be played. My values and my beliefs would not allow me to run up the score on any opponent, and it will not allow me to apologize for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity."

Alexander's Anni Lehtola enjoying American hoops

By Brian Hillabush

 Anni Lehtola has mad game.

She is 17 years old and has been playing club basketball in her home town of Tampere, Finland for a decade. But she loves to travel and wanted to spend a school year in America, specifically New York.

She was placed at Alexander, which was a great surprise for coach Marcia Hirsch. Out of the blue, a solid returning group got a superstar. Lehtola has average just under 17 points with six rebounds and two assists per game as the Trojans are currently 9-3.

Many teams that return four quality seniors and a few juniors that can put in serious minutes and contribute would be mad that somebody comes in and takes a starting position away.

But that is definitely not the case with the Trojans. The girls all play well with Lehtola, who fit in right away, and Hirsch has developed a good relationship with her. The two spend most of their time together busting each other's chops. There is tremendous team chemistry with the entire Alexander squad.

In Finland, you don't play for a high school team, so Lehtola and other people that want to play basketball must try out for club teams, which is very competitive. She was one of the top players on her team.

There are high school teams, kind of.

Each high school will develop a team that gets together three times per week (in addition to her five days a week of club) that practices three times per week. And club goes on all year round. 

Lehtola was placed with Keith and Wendy Jensen and has enjoyed being with her adopted family. 

The girl that loves to travel had a chance to visit New York City, which has been a highlight of her visit to America.

There is one drawback for Lehtola, but she doesn't mind. Because she went to the U.S.A for a year, she loses a year of high school in Finland. So she'll go back to her home country and have two more years of high school. 

She will continue to play with her club squad and practice with her high school team. Then she will either go to college, and she's thinking about coming back to America for school. She might also stay in Finland, where she wants to earn a law degree.

There is also the potential of her playing professional basketball in Finland, Spain or Italy.

But that is not what she is thinking about right now. She wants to lead the currently top-seeded Trojans to a sectional championship and bring that patch back home.

Prattsburgh outplays Notre Dame, big, in what might be last game in rivalry

By Brian Hillabush

 Notre Dame jumped out to a 15-6 lead to start the game.

As strange as this sounds, that might have been a bad thing. The Fighting Irish started relaxing and couldn't grab a rebound and Prattsburgh was getting all the boards and hitting a lot of shots and came away with a 70-64 win.

The Vikings won by six points, but the game was far from that close.

After the Irish opened the 9-point lead to start the game, star guard Kevin Francis got into foul trouble and sat for a good portion of the second quarter.

That was when Prattsburgh took over.

Notre Dame led 21-12 at the end of the first, but wound up trailing 34-27 at halftime.

Ryan Caron may have played the game of his life for the Vikings, with 29 points. He scored seven of those points in the second period as Prattsburgh dominated.

Patrick Wightman hit two 3-pointers and had another basket in the frame. Wightman finished with 21 points, including five 3-pointers.

It looked good for Notre Dame as Francis opened up the third quarter with a basket and-1.

But again, Prattsburgh took over with Garrett Parker scoring twice, Wightman dropping and 3-pointer and Caron adding a bucket to give the Vikings a 47-35 advantage.

Kevin Schildwaster hit two 3-pointers and another basket in the third quarter to keep the Fighting Irish within striking distance, but the third quarter ended with Prattsburgh leading 58-49.

That lead was expanded to 68-54 as Caron had two free throws, and three baskets in a quick stretch.

Notre Dame made a late charge with Vinny Zambito hitting a long 2-pointer and Nick Bochiccho draining a trey, but the game wound up being a blowout.

Garrett Parker scored eight of his points in the second half for Prattsburgh while Schildwaster added 13 points to Francis' 18 and Tommy Rapone scored eight points, all in the first half.

 Prattsburgh (12-3) is currently ranked third in Class D2  in the Section 5 sectional bracket, while ND is 10-2 and the top ranked in D1.

With the NYSPHSAA looking force teams to drop two games in the season, means this might be the end of the great rivalry.

Notre Dame will only have three non-league games, and two of those will be in the Lions Club Tournament, leaving just one open slot.

 

Wilson has to forfeit 10 wins because of age rule violation

By Brian Hillabush

Wilson-Magnet does not play in the same sectional bracket, but many local fans like to stick around and watch the big boys play.

Wilson had a very good chance to be there, but will not be because a player was over the age limit to play high school basketball. His name was not released by the school, but a thread on Section 5 Talksback claims the player is Thomas Bell, a senior guard.

“Our responsibility is to respond to any accusations that are made and do some research,” AD Carlos Cotto, told Jeff Diveronica of the Democrat & Chronicle. “I acted on (a question about the student’s age) and we did what we had to do as soon as we found out. It’s a disappointment, but we have a responsibility to honor the rules that govern the athletic program.”

Wilson was the No. 2 seed in the Class AA1 bracket - behind Rush-Henrietta  - with a record of 10-3. They had to forfeit all 10 wins, but are now 1-13 because they beat Greece Odyssey. This should make that bracket interesting, for those of us that enjoy following all of Section 5.

Wilson is a great squad that might end up as a lower-middle seed and cruise to the finals where there is a good chance Rush-Henrietta will be waiting.

 

Defense leads Alexander over Elba

By Brian Hillabush

The Green Monster, as the Alexander cheering section likes to be known, chanted "defense, defense" for the entire game.

Maybe that chant pumped the players up, but Alexander played some wicked D in beating an Elba team that had just knocked off Oakfield-Alabama by a score of 56-38.

One quarter totally made the difference.

The Trojans shut out the Lancers, 17-0, to take a 29-17 lead that Elba could never come back from.

Trailing 17-12 after a period of play, Alexander came out in the second quarter focused on defense 100-percent, forcing Elba into tough shots and grabbing every rebound.

Ryan Wilson kicked off the second quarter with two offensive rebounds that he turned into baskets. Mike Galletti then knocked in a pair of 3-pointers and Alexander had a firm 12 point lead at intermission.

The Lancers cut the deficit to seven points as Dan Ramsey and and Sonny Giuliano hit both hit two foul shots.

Wilson had a bucket and an and-1 to get the lead back up to 10 points, 40-30.

Elba made an attempt to come back late in the fourth quarter and couldn't score. The Trojans scored the final seven points off rebounds of Elba misses.

Kyle Woodruff led the Trojans with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists, with Stephen George adding 11 points.

Wilson had seven points and 10 rebounds and Jared Quinn (5) and Troy Shelnut (4).

Alexander has won three-straight games by double figures and have improved to 5-7.

Elba falls to 7-6.

Check out a huge collection of photos from the game here.

HS girls highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

Brittany Mazurkiewicz went off as the Batavia girls basketball team toppled Victor 49-39 Friday.

She also had four assists.

Brittany Wormley continued her hot play with 12 points and five dimes. Jaycee Shirk had eight points as Batavia improves to 12-3.

Jenee Vanderstyne, Taylor Hudson and Alex Valenti scored eight points apiece for Victor (1-11). 

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York took care of Le Roy 53-39 as Taylor Schultz had 15 points and 10 boards for the Golden Knights (7-7).

Allison Macomber had 15 points to lead the Oatkan Knights (1-13). Jenna Merica had 13.

HS boys highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

 Something is up with state-ranked Oakfield-Alabama. 

They were upset earlier in the week and nearly lost to visiting Kendall 58-55 Friday night.

The Eagles poured in 23 points in the fourth quarter and nearly pulled the upset off. Josh Laureano scored 16 of his game-high 39 points in the final period to almost guide his team to victory. He dropped in two 3-pointers to turn a 15 point deficit to a 1-point deficit. 

After O-A's Sam McCracken hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left, Laureano had one last chance to tie the game. But he missed the three-point shot.

Noah Seward led the Hornets with 15 points with Tim Smith scoring 12 and Josh Athoe adding 10.

McCracken had eight points for O-A, which improves to 11-2.

Laureano had a dominant night, with just Chad Bently and Colt Tooley adding five points apiece. Kendall falls to 7-4.

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Batavia never trailed in downing Victor 59-43. 

The Blue Devils were on fire from beyond the 3-point line, connecting on 10 of 18 attempts, with Andrew Hoy hitting three trifectas to score a team-high 15 points.

Marcus Hoy and Dakota Irvin added 10 points apiece as Batavia improves to 11-2.

Victor (10-4) committed 17 turnovers and was led by Lee Lomenzo with 12 points.

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Kevin Francis had 17 points to lead Notre Dame to a 68-51 win over Attica's basketball team.

Gianni Zambito scored a career-high 11 points and Gregg Barr scored 10 of his 11 points in the first quarter, giving the Fighting Irish a 19-4 advantage.

Bryan Thompson had 13 points and Tate Westermeier added nine for the Blue Devils (6-6).

Notre Dame improves to 10-2.

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Mike Humphrey scored 24 points with five rebounds, five steals and three dimes to lead Le Roy to a 54-47 win over visiting York.

Quentin Humphrey had five points and four assists while Eric Stella chipped in six points, nine boards and a pair of blocks for the Oatkan Knights (7-7).

Travis Fenstermaker had eight points and Jordan Casper chipped in seven.

Eric Hann had 19 points and nine rebounds for York (8-6).

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Tyler Sass had a game-high 12 points to lead Byron-Bergen past Wheatland-Chili 39-33.

David Garnish had six points and a pair of blocked shots  with Kevin Rickard and Tess Schramm adding eight points apiece for the Bees (3-9).

Rick Agosto and Andy Lund each scored nine points for the Wildcats (3-10).

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Holley's Tim Banks, Tim Butler and Ryan VanGuilder each had a pin for the Holley wrestling team, which dropped Kenmore East 65-15.

100-0 win. Winners now feel bad.

By Brian Hillabush

I heard about this yesterday as I walked out the door to cover the Elba/Alexander game, and it is pretty strange.

A team beat another by the score of 100-0 in Texas, and it is causing some regrets by the losing squad and really ticked off the losing team, which is a school that teaches students with "learning disabilities".

DALLAS —  A Texas high school girls basketball team on the winning end of a 100-0 game has a case of blowout remorse.

Now officials from the winning school say they are trying to do the right thing by seeking a forfeit and apologizing for the margin of victory.

In a statement Thursday on The Covenant School's Web site, the head of school said, "It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened." He went on to say that Covenant has made "a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss."

Last week Covenant, a private Christian school in Dallas, defeated Dallas Academy 100-0. Covenant was up 59-0 at halftime.

A parent who attended the game told The Associated Press that Covenant continued to make 3-pointers — even in the fourth quarter. She praised the Covenant players but said spectators and an assistant coach were cheering wildly as their team edged closer to 100 points. 

HS girls highlights for Thursday

By Brian Hillabush

 Meghan Fahy hit six straight foul shots in the closing minutes to pull Kendall within a point, but couldn't get a shot off and Oakfield-Alabama got past a scare, 42-41.

Brynn Perfitt of O-A and Fahy went toe-to-toe and had 25 points apiece.

Lindsay Chatt had six points and Hillary Bates added five for the Hornets (7-7).

Samantha D'Agostino added 10 points for the Eagles (3-8).

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In what must have been an ugly game to watch, Notre Dame scored more points in the first quarter (21) than Attica did in the entire game. The Fighting Irish won 69-19.

Nichole Hart had a big game with 17 points and four steals with Liz Geandreau pitching in 15 points and eight boards. Brittany Morelli had 14 points and Trisha Pike finished with 11.

BRianna Hammel had seven points for the Blue Devils.

Notre Dame is now 10-3.

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Kelsey Lewis led Pembroke with 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Dragons downed Lyndonville 45-36.

Laura Moser added nine points with nine rebounds, six swipes and three dimes, with Clarisse Birkby adding six points for the Dragons (7-6).

Molly Burgess had 12 points for the Tigers.

Elba girls prove themselves against good Alexander squad

By Brian Hillabush

 Two of the top three teams in the Genesee Region League squared off in Elba Thursday night. 

It was the host Lancers that battled back from a huge early deficit to beat Alexander 61-53, improving to 12-2.

They keys to the win again was solid pressure defense, fresh legs ... and holding Alexander star Anni Lehtola in check.

The Trojans opened up a fast 9-1 lead as Rachel Pettys scored four of those points and Lehtola drained a 3-pointer.

The first basket for Elba came from Chelsie Pangrazio, and the Lancers closed the lead to 13-9. But Alexander went on another run, with three free throws and were ahead 17-10.

Meg Stucko had a bucket to end the first quarter to make it 17-12.

Elba quickly took the lead for good in the second quarter as eighth grader McKenzie Bezon went off.

Bezon hit a free throw, then dropped in a 3-pointer, stole the inbounds pass and scored again, making the score 20-18. Rachael Cook had consecutive rebound put-back baskets and all of a sudden a 9-1 lead turned into a 25-18 deficit for Alexander.

Cook had another bucket, Julie Marshall scored and Bezon hit one of two foul shots to make it 30-20 at the half.

The Lancers came out hot in the third quarter with Sarah Schwartzmeyer, Cook and Bezon scored three-straight baskets. 

Lehtola had her best quarter, scoring six of her 13 points before fouling out in the third quarter. 

But Elba had taken control with a 47-36 lead going into the final frame.

Midway through the final period, Alexander made a run. Anna Dominick scored, Rachel Pettys hit two free throws, and Dominick hit two more foul shots to cut the lead to 52-47.

Pettys hit a foul shot and Katie Kochmanski scored and the score was 52-50 with just over two minutes left.

Schwartzmeyer scored before there was an intentional foul called on the Lancers, giving Schwartzmeyer a chance to hit one of two free throws. 

Cassy Engle scored and then hit a free throw and the lead was back up to 10 points with about a minute left to play.

Cook scored 12 points with 10 rebounds and Stucko added 10 boards to go with her three points. Bezon had 11 points with Chelsie Pangrazio added seven points. Schwartzmeyer had six points and Missy Call added six points and four assists.

Dominick had 12 points and Pettys added 11 for the Trojans (9-3)

Elba only local girls state ranked

By Brian Hillabush

 In the latest edition of the girls state rankings, released today, we only have one local team.

That team is Elba, which has a 10-2 record. The Lancers moved up from No. 11 to No. 10 in this week's rankings.

Elba will be tested against 9-2 Alexander tonight, which will be covered by The Batavian, with full a story, video and photos.

Boys basketball state rankings released

By Brian Hillabush

Both Batavia boys basketball team are receiving some nice rankings in the newest state ranking poll, which was released today.

Batavia is ranked 12th in the state, moving up from last week's No. 17 ranking.

Notre Dame dropped from No. 5 to No. 6 in Class D.

The only other state ranked team locally is Oakfield-Alabama, which moved up from No. 13 to No. 12 in Class C.

 

Oakfield-Alabama grad Davis having strong freshman year

By Brian Hillabush

Oakfield-Alabama graduate and D'Youville College freshman James Davis is enjoying a strong first season of college basketball for the 7-9 Spartans.

Davis has started all 16 games and is playing 26.2 minutes per game. He is averaging 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, with a total of 28 assists and 17 steals for the season. 

He recently poured in 17 points in a loss on Jan. 10.

 The D'Youville College men's baksetball team recieved a game-high 28 points from Charles Walker (Buffalo, NY/NCCC) but was defeated 92-81 at Cazenovia College.

Romair Parrett (Buffalo, NY/NCCC) added 18 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, and James Davis (Oakfield, NY/Oakfield-Alabama) contributed 16 points for the Spartans.

Sutherland knocks off Batavia at home

By Brian Hillabush

Sometimes you can fight as hard as possible, but are still going to lose.

Pittsford Sutherland had a huge size advantage and owned the boards, and were dropping 3-pointers like crazy and beat host Batavia 58-49. This gives the Blue Devils a 10-2 record, with both losses coming to Sutherland.

It is still possible for Batavia to tie Sutherland for the Monroe County League title, but it is going to basically take two Sutherland losses with Batavia winning out.

The Blue Devils have won or shared the Division III championship for the last seven seasons, and will not be competing for a league title next year as Batavia will only play a half-league schedule.

Even with the Knights going box-and-1 and double-teaming Andrew Hoy, Batavia was in a lose game i the first quarter and early into the second.

Andrew, Dakota Irvin and Adam Pettinella all drained 3-pointers to give the Blue Devils a 15-14 lead after one period of play.

Robert Hoy opened the second quarter with a trifecta and Mike Lee followed with a bucket, and Batavia was leading 20-14.

Then, Sutherland went on an amazing run, scoring 16 straight points over the next 4 1/2 minutes. Patrick O'Keefe had five points in the stretch and Brian Lewis hit two 3-pointers.

All of a sudden, that six point lead turned into a 30-20 deficit.

Batavia ended the half with some momentum as Marcus Hoy drained a trey and Robert Hoy added a basket. It was only 30-25 at the break.

Joe Schlossel had two baskets with Andrew Hoy and Marcus Hoy getting one apiece, but Dylan Sherwood scored twice and O'Keefe added a bucket to keep things even. 

The lead then opened up again as the Knights went on another run, with Dan Waldbillig and O'Keefe getting baskets - with two Andrew Hoy free throws sandwiched in - before Sherwood and Lewis both scored to give Sutherland a 45-35 advantage.

Again, the Blue Devils fought back early in the fourth quarter.

Andrew Hoy, Robert Hoy, Schlossel and Marcus Hoy had four straight buckets to make the score 45-43. Wayne Dillworth and Waldbillig had consecutive baskets, and then Dan O'Keefe drained a 3-pointer that was basically the nail in the coffin.

Dylan Sherwood, Patrick O'Keefe had 12 points apiece for the Knights (9-2).

Marcus Hoy had nine points with four assists to lead Batavia (10-2), with Andrew Hoy scoring 11 points and Joe Schlossel adding 12. Robert Hoy had nine points.

 

HS boys highlights for Wednesday: Elba shocks Oakfield-Alabama

By Brian Hillabush

No matter how good a team is, when you play your rival, anything can happen.

That was proven Wednesday night as Elba shocked Oakfield-Alabama 51-47, with a spread out scoring attack and physical play.

"This is huge," said forward Phil Ostroski, who was named D2 Player of the Week this week. "They are a really good team and to beat them is huge. I think it is their first league loss. Everybody that that the teams to beat in the (Genesee Region League) were Notre Dame and Oakfield-Alabama."

In terms of upsets, this is a big one.

The Hornets were ranked 13th in the state in Class C with a 10-1 record, and Elba came in with a 6-5 record and not a lot of respect.

But Sonny Giuliano scored 13 points with 10 assists, Max Torrey had 12, freshman call-up Dan Ramsey scored 12 and Ostroski added nine.

The Lancers did give up two double-figure scorers as Noah Seward had 13 points and Tim Smith added 12.

Now, Elba looks for some respect after knocking off the GR's top team.

"I would hope (we get respect)," Ostroski said. "A lot of people will say Oakfield had an off night or this was a big fluke. I think we are a top tier team because we beat O-A. We have to keep it going the rest of the season to show what we can do."

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Kevin Francis and Kevin Schildwaster both had solid all-around games as Notre Dame knocked off Pembroke 52-44.

Francis had 11 points, five rebounds, seven assists and five steals while Schildwaster added four points, six boards, five swipes and five assists.

ND had a 42-40 lead with 3:45 left to go when Francis scored off a steal by Schildwaster. Then Francis had a steal and got the ball to Greg Barr for a basket. Vinny Zambito also had a key 3-pointer to break the game open.

After a 3-pointer by Andrew Gabbey, Tommy Rapone scored off an offensive rebound.

The Fighting Irish did a good job of holding Pembroke's big men in check, with Ken Babcock scoring 15 and Andrew Wright being held to just nine points.

Pembroke falls to 5-6.

Matt Thompson scored nine points with Nick Wetherwax and Barr adding eight points apiece, helping the Fighting Irish improve to 9-2.

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Mike Humphrey had 21 points with eight dimes as Le Roy toppled Mount Morris 66-44. Josh Kosoriek had 10 points with six rebounds and two blocks with Cody Niccloy adding nine points for the Oatkan Knights (6-7).

Tony Moxley had 13 points and seven rebounds for Mount Morris (3-9).

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Bryan Thompson and Zach Fleiss had 10 points apiece, with Tate Westermeier adding seven points to lead Attica to a 51-44 win over Wheatland-Chili.

Andy Lund led the Wildcats with 16 points and 10 boards.

Attica improves to 6-5.

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The Notre Dame Hockey team had its stuggles with 1-16 Bishop Kearney/Eastridge, but pulled through in overtime to win 3-2.

Jordan DiFlippo scored the game winning goal just 31 seconds into OT, with Jack Nenni and Ivan Madafferi each getting an assist.

Beau Richter and Brett Perfitt had goals with Thomas Dehr made 17 saves in net.

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Holley's wrestling team took advantage of six forfeits in crushing Byron-Bergen 57-23.

Jon Butterbaugh and Quinton Murphy had pins for the Hawks while Colin Geer and Andy Oliveri had pins for the Bees.

Basketball Players of the week

By Brian Hillabush

Elba's Phil Ostroski had a pair of solid games to earn Genesee Region League Division II Player of the Week.

Ostroski scored 12 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in a win over Attica and then scored nine points with 12 boards in a win over Byron-Bergen.

Alexander guard Stephen George had 10 points, four assists and three steals in a loss against York, then helped his team snap a four game losing streak with an 11 point, four steal and four assist performance against Wheatland-Chili.

Oakfield-Alabama's Brynne Perfitt won the GR Division I honor for the girls while averaging 12 points, nine rebounds and four steals per game last week.

Notre Dame's Brittany Morelli had an impressive week to earn the Division II honor. The senior forward had a combined 28 points and 20 rebounds in wins over Holley and Oakfield-Alabama. 

HS boys highlights for Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

 Jon Casper had a dominant performance Tuesday helping to lead his Le Roy wrestling team to a 59-27 win over Hornell.

Casper pinned Tyler Warriner in just 23 seconds at 215 pounds.

Jesse Brennan also had a pin for the Oatkan Knights at 119.

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Batavia downed Kendall on the mat with ease, winning 59-30 to improve to 16-5.

Nick Lazaroni pinned James Klafehn in just 1:15 at 112 pounds and Will Ely droppe Lance Requa in 5:10 at 125 pounds.

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Byron-Bergen (2-9) was able to hang with Northstar Christian, but a 21-8 third quarter allowed Northstar (9-3) to get the 56-40 boys basketball win.

Donald Harris had 13 points with seven rebounds, assists and steals while David Miller pitched in 11 points for Northstar.

David Garnish had a double-double for the Bees, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Tyler Sass added 10 points.

HS girls highlights for Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

Alexander improved to 9-2 with a 47-35 win over Lyndonville and currently has the top seed in Class C.

Anni Lehtola poured in a game-high 19 points with Anna Dominick pitching in 11. Rachel Pettys only scored five points, but had 15 rebounds, seven steals and four blocked shots for the Trojans. Chelsea Turcer had eight points.

Molly Burgess and Miranda Feller had seven points apiece for the Tigers (6-6).

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Batavia beat Pittsford Sutherland at home, but Sutherland got revenge in Pittsford with a 66-40 win.

Junior forward Bridget Ryan scored her 1,000th career points and 25 in the game. Kayli O'Keefe added 17 points as Sutherland improves to 8-5.

Brittany Mazurkiewicz and Brittany Wormley had 12 points apiece for Batavia (11-2).

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Jenna Merica dropped in 24 points as the Le Roy girls picked up their first win of the season, improving to 1-11.

Allison Macomber had eight points with six dimes and Megan Lowe had six points and six steals. 

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Notre Dame improved to 8-3 with a 41-29 win over Pembroke. No scoring details are available at this time.

The Dragons fall to 6-6.

Lancers dominate second half against Oakfield-Alabama with fresh bodies and press

By Brian Hillabush

 The Elba girls basketball team has the potential to go a long way this season. They showed that Tuesday night with a solid 45-36 victory over host Oakfield-Alabama.

The Lancers had a slim 23-19 lead at the half, but coach Tom Nowak's strategy of subbing in five at a time to keep bodies fresh, and pressing his opponent like crazy worked.

The Hornets were getting to the foul line - a lot - in the first half, especially Brynn Perfitt, who scored a game-high 19 points with nine rebounds.

Perfitt kept O-A in the game with seven of those points coming in the first half and a constant scoring effort in the second.

Cassy Engle had a 3-pointer before  Meg Stucko and Julie Webster had consecutive baskets. After Oakfield-Alabama had one of its three shot clock violations, Sarah Schwartzmeyer hit a shot at the third quarter buzzer to put Elba up 34-25.

Engle hit another 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter and after Webster scored and had an and-1, Elba had a 43-25 score.

Oakfield-Alabama had a little run at the end to make the score respectable, but Elba mostly dominated the second half for the victory.

Hillary Bates also had 11 points with four assists for the Hornets, who fall to 6-7.

Engle led Elba with 10 points with Webster adding seven Chelsie Pangrazio had five points and had over five assists.

Elba is 8-0 in Genesee Region League Division II, one game ahead of Notre Dame as we head down the stretch run. The Lancers are 12-2 overall and will be watching Jasper-Troupsburg (11-1) and Keshequa (10-2) as the three are fighting it out for the top seed in Class DD.

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