Steuben County Tourney Championship Game was a close one!
By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
Avoca-Prattsburgh 31, Canisteo-Greenwood 28
AVOCA — It has been long said over the course of time that the game of basketball consists of runs. In the Steuben County Championship game on Tuesday, that was most certainly the case.
In a battle where the defenses stood out and the scoring was at an absolute premium, any opportunity presented to either side was of value to have in their back pockets. Between Canisteo-Greenwood and Avoca-Prattsburgh, the two foes would exchange runs at a constant all game long, leading straight down to the wire in what was a thrilling finish to the annual regular season-ending tournament.
A defining moment came to light with less than a minute remaining to play in regulation. With the Lady Chargers creeping closer to the Lady Titans, some clutch defense assumed control of the spotlight, where the hosts in white and gold were able to force a multitude of turnovers to branch their advantage out by five points.
But the Lady Chargers did not go down without a fight, as they continued to apply all the pressure they could to keep Avoca-Prattsburgh on their feet, including a heroic three-pointer to close the gap to two. Because of it, they were granted with not one, but two prime opportunities to force an extra session on the hardwood right at the very end.
Both shots from outside ultimately rimmed out at the last second for the Lady Chargers, sounding the final buzzer right behind it to end the game and Avoca-Prattsburgh’s regular season with a Steuben County Championship crown, as they held on for dear life in the final minute to capture the 31-28 win over Canisteo-Greenwood in Avoca.
Early on in the opening half, the two foes delivered back and forth runs that saw each squad tally a run, with Avoca-Prattsburgh kickstarting the game with six of the first eight points against the Lady Chargers before they turned the tables themselves with a 6-0 run that closed out the opening quarter with an 8-6 lead in their favor.
Despite the strong finish to the frame, the Lady Titans would counter with an even stronger finish to the first half by holding Canisteo-Greenwood scoreless across the last eight minute session while scoring all eight of the frame’s points to reclaim what was a 14-8 lead going into the break.
After some discussions in the locker room during the time away, the Lady Chargers re-entered recharged to reverse course on Avoca-Prattsburgh to open the second half, as they took a hold of the reins by keeping the Lady Titans scoreless from the field in the midst of their loud 13-1 outburst that was set up by a monster nine-point frame from Bailey Mullen.
With a 21-15 lead in hand going into the last eight minutes, it would become anyone’s game. Canisteo-Greenwood and Avoca-Prattsburgh delivered back and forth punches across the frame leading up to the final minute of play, where a resilient spurt of defense sparked the Lady Titans into a five-point lead. The driving force: Three straight turnovers forced against the Lady Chargers — two of those being cashed in for points, claiming a 30-25 edge along the way.
It was the largest lead held at that point in time on either side, but it was also one that certainly wasn’t out of Canisteo-Greenwood’s reach, as they continued to fight and claw back to within a stone’s throw of Avoca-Prattsburgh behind an insanely clutch triple from Mullen to trim the deficit to a pair.
After a free shot at the line for the Lady Titans branched the advantage out to three, it would come down to the last moments of the battle when the Lady Chargers assumed possession. They would proceed forward and launch two big three-point attempts from downtown to try and force overtime. But in the end, both chances rimmed out at the last moment when the buzzer sounded, as the tournament’s top seeds held on to every last bit of string left to capture this year’s championship.
Mullen would lead all Lady Chargers scorers with her 15 game-high points, pairing them with 15 rebounds to complete a double-double performance. Peyton Peters followed with six points and six rebounds. Harlie McCaffery chipped in with six additional rebounds off the glass to fuel the special teams cause.
Avoca-Prattsburgh was led by Breanna Jorritsma and her team-high 10 points. Meyah Putnam had nine points, while Emma Carlton had six points off a pair of three-pointers.
The regular season is now over for Canisteo-Greenwood, as they now await their future ahead in the Class B playoff picture with a record of 11-9 overall.
Canisteo-Greenwood 8 0 13 7 – 28
Avoca-Prattsburgh 6 8 1 16 – 31
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 0 2-2 2, Bailey Mullen 5 3-4 15, McKenna Ferris 0 2-2 2, Paris May 1 0-0 3, Peyton Peters 2 2-2 6. Totals: 8 9-10 28.
AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: Meyah Putnam 3 2-4 9, Emma Carlton 2 0-0 6, Breanna Jorritsma 4 0-0 10, Kamryn Edwards 1 2-4 4, Marissa Reid 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 4-8 31.
3-point goals: C-G 3 (Mullen 2, May), A-P 5 (Carlton 2, Jorritsma 2, Putnam).
Total Fouls: C-G 14, A-P 15. Fouled out: None.
Hornell girls slip past Pal-Mac
Two of the top teams in Section V girls’ basketball played in Pal-Mac and the Hornell Red Raiders came away with a thrilling 59-58 win.
Both teams are 17-2 on the season.
“Fatigue played a big factor tonight. We got up by as many as 17 in the early part of the third quarter, but Pal-Mac never quit,” said Hornell coach Jim Dagon. “They are a tough group of young girls and they clawed their way back into it. The winter season is a grind and the girls pushed themselves physically and mentally to their limit tonight, and in the end we did enough to come away with a win against a very good team.”
Hornell had a 10-point lead at the half, but Pal-Mac scored 21 points in the fourth, outscoring Hornell by 10. However, Payton Bentley kept Hornell in front scoring 14 of her 16 points in the second half.
Jordan Drying and Selena Maldonado scored 15 points each while Lillian Hoyt had 12 and Raegan Evingham one.
Taryn Goodness led Pal-Mac with 20 points.
Hornell 24 12 12 11 — 59
Pal-Mac 13 13 11 21 — 58
Bath visits Wellsville
WELLSVILLE — With two of the State’s top teams in Hornell and Dansville battling for the top seed going into Sectionals next week, the middle of the pack right behind them is as close as ever. In the midst of it all alongside formidable foes like defending State Champion Waterloo, Williamson/Marion, Livonia, Marcus Whitman and Canisteo-Greenwood, are the Lady Lions of Wellsville.
Currently in possession of a Top-5 spot in the bracket and on their final night of regular season action, the aspiration was to further cement the spot where they stood and in the same swing, garner a Sectional opener back within the confines of the Lion’s Den come next week.
The Bath-Haverling Lady Rams were in town on Tuesday serving as the culminating opposition for the Lady Lions, as the race for a strong finish was on. As for the Lady Rams, they were able to gain ground and stay right on their coattails going into the break, forcing a couple of lead changes before some quick responses in the final minute allowed Wellsville to grab the lead right back.
The pressure would remain on, but it was a completely different story in the second half when the Lady Lions peeled back the facade and shelled out a third quarter of epic proportions, holding Bath-Haverling idle while capitalizing on a game-changing run that kept them ahead in insurmountable fashion, as they rolled towards victory by a 54-29 count.
“We had a lot of great things happen tonight,” said Lady Lions coach Michelle Alvord. “It’s probably the most complete game from beginning to end that we’ve had this year, and a lot of things that we’ve been focusing on, they executed really well. Natalie (Adams) was consistent, Makenna (Dunbar) was consistent, Averee (Palmatier) and now, the other girls are coming into the fold too. We’re playing consistently at the right time, and it’s all a confidence thing, especially after enduring the stretch of games that we’ve had.”
With just one shot clock operational in the gym, an administrative technical foul was issued to start the game before the opening tip, as the Lady Rams began with the game’s opening marker. But when the battle kicked off, the Lady Lions found their groove with the first six points in the midst of a 15-point quarter that saw an amalgamation of scorers all fuel the cause in the team’s early 15-8 lead.
The pace would slow down in the second quarter when both teams continued to work on defense, forcing a bundle of turnovers — the majority of which provided by the Lady Rams that saw them close the gap behind Wellsville to as little as three at that point in time. But it would allow Bath-Haverling to build momentum off of it, as Emma Luckenbach scored on three straight possessions, two scores off turnovers, to lift them over the top and into the lead for the first time by an 18-17 count.
But it was for a brief moment until Natalie Adams knocked down a big three with less than a minute remaining to put Wellsville back ahead, finishing the half on a high note with one more hard-working basket down low from Averee Palmatier, who was the leading scorer for the Lady Lions with her game-high 15 points.
Palmatier would also add six rebounds and six assists into the fray on special teams to complete her performance.
In the second half, the momentum remained with the hosts in white and orange with a run that kept them in complete command of their own destiny ahead, as they held Bath-Haverling at a near standstill on defense while transferring the power to the attack on the opposite end of the floor, accounting for a 20-4 jaunt in the third quarter to pull away for good.
Of those 20 points, 13 of them came in consecutive order to start the frame of play.
Following Palmatier for the Lady Lions was Natalie Adams and Jaden Dunbar, each scoring 10 points, with Adams recording five rebounds and four assists, while Dunbar chipped in with six rebounds. On special teams, Makenna Dunbar led the rebounding with nine boards, while Caelyn Stevens had six more to add in.
In the JV contest leading up to the nightcap, stellar performances from Raegan Vogel and Reegan Perkins helped Wellsville end their 2023-24 campaign on the highest of notes, as the two Lady Lions combined for 20 of the team’s 36 points in their 36-9 victory over the Lady Rams. Vogel finished as the leading scorer with 11 points, while Perkins had nine.
The Lady Lions will now await their Sectional fate over the weekend before retaking the floor for action in the second season, next week, as they put a wrap on a regular season that saw them finish with a record of 12-8 overall.
Bath-Haverling 8 10 4 7 – 29
Wellsville 15 7 20 12 – 54
BATH-HAVERLING: Leah Krelie 1 0-2 2, Sierra Haight 2 2-2 7, Emma Luckenbach 5 1-1 11, Lane Prescott 1 0-0 2, Lola Coots 3 0-0 7. Totals: 12 3-5 29.
WELLSVILLE: Caelyn Stevens 2 2-2 6, Natalie Adams 3 2-2 10, Alexa Hennessy 1 0-0 2, Averee Palmatier 7 0-0 15, Makenna Dunbar 3 3-4 9, Jaden Dunbar 4 2-2 10, Alexa Stuck 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 9-10 54.
3-point goals: B-H 2 (Haight, Coots), Wellsville 3 (Adams 2, Palmatier).
Total Fouls: B-H 10, Wellsville 6. Fouled out: None.
