The Hornell Red Raiders improve to 8-1 and hold their spot as the #1 seed in LCAA Class B1 with a big win over the Cal-Mum Raiders Friday night., 81-68.
Hornell jumped to an early lead and held the lead all night. The Red Raiders had a 9-point lead going into halftime and led by as much as 18 in the second half before cruising to a 81-68 victory.
The Red Raiders were led offensively by senior guard, Gennaro Picco, who scored his season high 37 points shooting 14 for 19 from the field and going 6 for 7 from the 3-point arc. Brother, PJ Picco, followed with 22 points of his own and grabbed a season high 16 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season. PJ Picco led Hornell with 5 assists, followed by Gennaro Picco, Wyatt Evingham, and Marco Picco who had 3 each.
Reflecting on the game, Hornell coach Kirk Scholes commented, “We did a really nice job tonight of playing quick. We got the game in transition and played with great fluidity and freedom. It was a game where I thought we executed very well.
“Gennaro was unbelievable tonight! He shot the ball incredibly well. I liked that he did it in a variety of ways. He scored in the midrange on floaters and went to the post and had some buckets. He also hit 6 3s, and it felt like he could get anywhere he wanted. I felt like he read the game perfectly.
“PJ was good as well with 22 points. He just keeps getting better. I see him growing everyday and finding different ways he can assert himself offensively and defensively. We need him to continue being aggressive as a scorer, but also as a playmaker.
“Aaron (McInerney) did some solid things for us. Tonight, he did his damage in the paint. I thought he got out and ran hard in transition. We need his production every night. He has been so good for us this year, and we need him to continue to grow as a player on both ends.” McInerney contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in the Red Raider win.
Cal-Mum had some big shots of their own, knocking down 8 3s on the night. Tyler Potter hit 4 3-pointers and ended with 16 points. Nate Doll led his team with 20 points. Donny Peet had a big night of his own with a game high 10 assists and 16 points earning himself a double-double.
“Defensively,” continued Scholes, “I thought we struggled. Some of it was Cal-Mum and how well they played. They knocked down a bunch of shots. We have to be better on our closeouts and communication. We also have to make multiple effort plays that lead to getting stops. We have some areas that we must continue to work on and get better as we get to the mid-way point of the season.”
The Hornell Red Raiders will host the Wayland-Cohocton Eagles Wednesday night at 7 p.m. before traveling to Alfred State College on Friday where they’ll face the Wellsville Lions in the Dan Barkley Basketball Showcase at 8 p.m. in the Orvis Activities Center.
HORNELL 67, PAVILION 31
Host Hornell opened up a 40-14 first-half lead and never looked back in their win over Pavilion.
Hornell’s Jordyn Dyring led all scorers with 15 points followed by Selena Maldonado and Lillian Hoyt with 11 and nine points respectively.
A’Jonay Hawkins scored a career-high eight points while Zahra Mehr finished with six points.
Hornell is the No. 1 ranked team in NYS Class B.
“Tonight was another good learning experience for some of our new players who are getting acclimated to the varsity game,” Hornell coach Jim Dagon Said. “Every player on the team scored, and everyone played meaningful minutes. Our energy and approach to the game were consistent throughout, which was good to see as we prepare for our next game against Bishop Kearney on Tuesday night. Sophomore forward A’Jonay Hawkins had her best game of the year so far, scoring 8 points while also grabbing a ton of rebounds and playing fantastic defense.
“Alexis Smith gave a great effort on defense as well forcing a handful of turnovers, and Zahra Mehr showed her ability to threaten zone defenses with her three-point shooting. These three first-year varsity players have continued to put the work in every day while having to match up against our starting unit in practice, and tonight showed that their efforts are paying off,” Dagon added.
Hornell is the No. 1 ranked team in NYS Class B.
Arkport-Canaseraga 70, Alfred-Almond 18
ALMOND — With redemption over Dansville officially sought, the Arkport-Canaseraga Wolves have entered maximum overdrive. To close out the week on Friday, they remained on fire after their latest road trip to Alfred-Almond, where every single Wolf on the floor and on the bench all recorded at least four points to aid their 70-18 win over the Eagles.
It began right from the start in the first eight minutes of play where the tone was automatically set by the Wolves (8-1), as they scored the game’s first 23 points — their highest stand of offense in the battle, as they captured a lead they never relinquished behind a trio of scorers that all eclipsed double figures to help the team’s cause.
Among them was Caden Carey, as he led all scorers with a game-high 16 points, pairing them with five steals. Ibra Ford chipped in with 10 points to pair with five assists and three steals while Dan Clark had 11 points to put towards his first double-double of the season, grabbing 11 rebounds along the way.
Alfred-Almond was led by a seven-point performance from Jackson Jusianiec.
The Wolves will return to action Monday night back on the road, as they prepare for a 7:15 p.m. visit to the Wildcats of Jasper-Troupsburg.
Arkport-Canaseraga 23 16 19 12 – 70
Alfred-Almond 0 1 2 15 – 18
ARKPORT-CANASERAGA: Devin Moran 3 0-0 7, Connor Westfall 2 0-0 5, Caden Carey 6 3-5 16, Ibra Ford 4 0-0 10, Alex Vilkhu 2 1-2 5, Lucas Smith 2 0-0 5, Kohler Preston 3 0-0 7, Tim Vilkhu 2 0-0 4, Dan Clark 5 1-4 11. Totals: 28 5-11 70.
ALFRED-ALMOND: Jackson Jusianiec 2 1-4 7, Ryan Washburn 1 0-0 2, Brogan Donlan 2 0-0 6, Liam Ruthven 1 0-0 3. Totals: 6 1-4 18.
3-point goals: A-C 7 (Ford 2, Moran, Westfall, Carey, Smith, Preston), A-A 5 (Jusianiec 2, Donlan 2, Ruthven).
Total Fouls: A-C 7, A-A 9. Fouled out: None.
