In the Class C3 semi-finals, #3 Arkport-Canaseraga improved to 16-4 with a 63-51 win over Mt. Morris.
Leading the Wolves in scoring was Ibrahim Ford with 19 points as Caden Carey scored 16 points, Devin Moran 15 points and Alex Vilkhu had 10. Kohler Preston (two), and Tim Vilkhu also scored for Arkport-Canaseraga.
Mason Santini scored 19 points for Mount Morris (15-7, the #6 seed) .
The Wolves will face No. 7 seed Northstar Christian in the Class C3 semi-finals while on the other side of the bracket, No. 1 Fillmore takes on No. 4 Notre Dame. (Story on Fillmore’s win HERE)
CLASS B1
Sectional Quarterfinal Game – #1 Hornell vs. #9 Waterloo
The Hornell Red Raiders advance to the Class B1 semifinal round with a win over the Waterloo Tigers at home Friday night. The Tigers won the tipoff and came out strong, hitting 4 of their 6 three-pointers in the first quarter finding themselves off to a quick 9-2 lead to start the game. A time out from Coach Scholes gave the Red Raiders a moment to regroup and get into a rhythm both offensively and defensively to pull ahead by 10 after the first quarter and expand to a 42-27 lead going into halftime. Reflecting on the win, coach Kirk Scholes said, “After the first few minutes of the game, I thought we tightened up defensively. Waterloo came out hot and knocked down three 3s. Once we settled in, we controlled the three-point line much better.” Hornell claimed the 81-54 victory and will now face the #4 seed Livonia Bulldogs Monday night.
“I thought we played a really good game,” commented Hornell coach, Kirk Scholes. “We knew we could play in transition against Waterloo. I felt that on any clean defensive rebound or turnover, we could get out with numbers. The kids did a great job with their eyes finding outlets or guys up the floor. I loved how unselfish we played. Wyatt (Evingham), early in the game, got into the paint a bunch and found Xzaiver (Patrick).” Evingham had 7 assists in the game, and his impressive defensive talents gave him his 13th charge of the season – a team high.
The Red Raiders were led offensively by Gennaro and PJ Picco who both ended the night with double-doubles. “Gennaro and PJ were dynamite all night,” continued Scholes. “They both finished with 22 points, and it seemed like one was finding the other on every play. They have incredible chemistry and trust in each other.” Gennaro contributed 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals, while PJ added 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in the win.
The Red Raider win was a team effort, and all players made significant contributions Friday night. Aaron McInerney grabbed 7 rebounds and had 3 assists, while Xzaiver Patrick added 12 points.
“Quinn Mauro and Marco Picco gave us really good minutes off the bench,” reflected Scholes. “They both knocked down big outside shots and gave us great energy defensively. Quinn, for the last few weeks, has really started to come on. He keeps working hard at practice, and he’s playing relaxed at the offensive end.” Marco netted 9 points, while Quinn hit a pair of 3s for 6 points.
The Red Raiders will travel to FLCC Monday night to take on the Livonia Bulldogs for the third time this season. The Raiders beat the Bulldogs 82-48 at home early in the season, but had to battle back from a 12-point deficit after the first quarter to beat the Bulldogs by only 2 points (68-66) on the road. When asked about Monday’s semifinal game, coach Scholes replied, “We are happy to get two more days of practice and another four quarters of basketball together. We know Livonia very well, and they know us too. We will put a plan together and be ready to go Monday night.”
Livonia had balanced scoring in their win over Dansville. Tommy Stewart scored 16 points to lead Livonia while Connor Feehan had 13 points and Nick Coyle 11 points. Jackson Cooke had eight.
More stories after these photos from JC’s Photography:
No. 1 Avoca-Prattsburgh 75, No. 9 Friendship/Scio 28
AVOCA — The defending back-to-back Class D State Champions came out swinging for the fences in full stride on Saturday, as top-seeded Avoca-Prattsburgh brought the hammer down almost immediately out of the gate with a fervid 26-point stanza that set all the tones they needed to march into the Class D Semifinal round next week, rolling past No. 9 Friendship/Scio with a 75-28 victory in Avoca.
Avoca-Prattsburgh took complete command of both ends of the floor across the opening quarter of play, using an array of offensive scores to put Friendship/Scio on their feet early. As a result, a 26-2 lead was built — one they never looked back on, despite an outstanding response from the visitors in black and gold in the second quarter to close the first half on a positive note.
Friendship/Scio assembled their strong end with a 16-point conduction of offense, as they leveled the playing ground with the Titans across the frame. The attack was led by both Aiden Golden and Deacon Brown, each recording nine points. Jerome Harmon posted eight points, while Jerimiah Brown had the team’s final pair of points on an inside bucket.
Avoca-Prattsburgh’s offense was propelled by a magnificent inside game presented by Dan Stilson, who recorded a game-high 25 points. JJ Crowder tallied 14 points, while Chris Abbott had 11 to add in.
“The Stilson kid is a big dude, and he was one of the better guys we faced this year,” Friendship/Scio coach Dillon McFall said. “He dominated the paint. For us in this game, we got down early and a lot of that was because of some jitters. We got the ball in spots we wanted to have it in, but we could not finish the ball around the basket. But despite it, I was really proud of how they competed against a top-seed while being an eight-seed in this tournament.”
Friendship/Scio’s season has come to an end, as they officially conclude with a record of 5-17 overall. The team will return all but one contributor next season, as they bid farewell to their lone graduate in Tyler Nickerson at the end of the school year this June.
As for McFall, the stellar improvement that his team continued to show as time went on in the season is a sign of better things in the future ahead.
“Of course we would love to have a few more wins under our belt, but for a team that had very little Varsity experience coming into this season, I was really impressed with how much they improved,” he said. “We had five sophomores play a ton of minutes for that experience, as well as a couple of juniors. I hope all of that carries into next year and gives us a few more wins out of it.”
Friendship/Scio 2 16 4 6 – 28
Avoca-Prattsburgh 26 17 20 12 – 75
FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Aiden Golden 4 0-4 9, Jerome Harmon 4 0-2 8, Jerimiah Brown 1 0-0 2, Deacon Brown 4 1-2 9. Totals: 13 1-8 28.
AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH: JJ Crowder 6 2-4 14, Macoy Putnam 3 1-1 7, Carter Button 1 0-0 2, Bryan Heale 3 0-0 7, Chris Abbott 5 0-0 11, Austin Swift 1 0-2 3, Dan Stilson 12 1-1 25, Collin Hammond 2 0-2 4, Colin Zurlick 1 0-0 2. Totals: 34 4-10 75.
3-point goals: F/S 1 (Golden), A-P 3 (Heale, Abbott, Swift).
Total Fouls: F/S 15, A-P 10. Fouled out: None.
No. 4 Hammondsport 54, No. 5 Houghton Academy 48
HAMMONDSPORT — Although a first half deficit formulated against the No. 5 Panthers of Houghton Academy, they did not back down without one final fight to give No. 4 Hammondsport, Saturday night.
Behind a late three-point presence in the fourth quarter, the Panthers would work towards closing the gap to as little as six behind the Lakers. Even though they chipped away as much as they could, the early deficit that was established by the hosts would prove to be too much to overcome in the very end, as Hammondsport hung on and finished off a close 54-48 win in Class D Quarterfinal action.
The Lakers set up shop right away in the opening eight minute stanza with their early showcase of three-pointers being put on full display, knocking down three of their five in total — two from the hand of Henry Morrison, while the defense held Houghton Academy to just four points in the midst of what was a 14-4 run that gave them an advantageous cushion to obtain.
From the second quarter on, the Panthers would continue to work their way back from behind with the aid of a three-point game of their own, getting back to within nine of Hammondsport after a trio of triples in the second quarter, which lead into the break.
After creating even playing ground across the third quarter, the Panthers would then go on to produce an 18-point finish propelled by four more clutch triples to put them back in reach, down two possessions.
But at the end of the night, the Lakers were able to ward off Houghton Academy’s final stand of pressure to secure their spot in Tuesday’s Class D Semifinal round.
Houghton Academy saw Jack Prentice lead the way with his team-high 17 points. James Adenuga pitched in with 13 points of his own, while Josh Davidson and Jack Qi rounded off the scoring with 11 and seven points, respectively.
The season is now over for the No. 5 Panthers, as they put a wrap on their campaign with a record of 7-13 overall. The team will say goodbye to their three seniors in Adenuga, who has served as the team’s anchor on both ends of the floor the last four seasons, along with Qi and Marco Zanini.
Houghton Academy 4 11 15 18 – 48
Hammondsport 14 10 15 15 – 54
HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 5 5-6 17, Josh Davidson 4 0-0 11, James Adenuga 5 2-4 13, Jack Qi 2 1-2 7. Totals: 16 8-12 48.
HAMMONDSPORT: Henry Morrison 6 11-12 26, Andrew Morrison 2 0-0 6, Ethen Beers 1 0-0 2, Peyton Crooks 2 0-0 4, Isaiyah Ali 4 2-6 10, Alex Brown 2 0-0 4, Ben Dluzak 0 0-2 0. Totals: 17 13-20 54.
3-point goals: HA 9 (Davidson 3, Prentice 2, Qi 2, Adenuga), Hammondsport 5 (H. Morrison 3, A. Morrison 2).
Total Fouls: HA 16, Hammondsport 13. Fouled out: None.
Class D Quarterfinals
No. 3 Andover/Whitesville 55, No. 6 Hinsdale 18
ANDOVER — After nearly two weeks away from action, the Andover/Whitesville boys marked their return to action for the first time in the postseason on Saturday.
With the possibility of some specks of rust forming over the long layoff, they would quickly put that to rest against No. 6 Hinsdale in a first half that saw them take care of business on both ends of the floor to secure what was a 55-18 home win in Andover to punch their ticket to the Class D Semifinals.
“This was a good way to come out and start Sectional play after a week-long layoff,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Jimmy Joyce. “Our defense was stellar tonight, and we played very unselfishly offensively as well. Hinsdale plays a physical brand of basketball, so we had to be ready for that. Overall, it’s the effort we needed. We will need to play a lot better moving forward with the Semifinals up next. There will be major challenges for us to encounter all over the court no matter who the opponent is. I wish we had more than one practice to prepare, but it’s the nature of the beast come this time of year.”
The Andover/Whitesville (11-10) defense wasted no time settling in while the iron was still hot, as they used all 16 minutes of the first half to their utmost advantage by holding Hinsdale to just four points across it — two in each quarter, including a 12-2 run in the first eight minutes to set the tone almost immediately.
Brody Vance was a humongous piece to the puzzle on offense for the hosts in white, as he posted an impactful first half that saw him score 17 of his game-high 22 points to get the ball rolling. Following him was Colton Calladine, who posted 10 points. Vinny Joyce chipped in with seven more of his own.
The Bobcats were paced by Henry Schwartz and his seven team-high points. Cody Barton had five. The 2023-24 season for the No. 6 seeds in Class D is now in the books, as they wrap with a record of 5-9 overall.
Hinsdale will say goodbye to three of their seniors: Schwartz, Barton and Brad Bergstrom, at the end of the year in June.
Andover/Whitesville’s next stop is the Class D Semifinal round on Tuesday, where they will now take on the No. 7 Elba Lancers, who upset No. 2 Jasper-Troupsburg, for a chance to make their way north to the big house in downtown Rochester — Blue Cross Arena, to vie for a Section V title next weekend.
Tip-off between the two foes is set for a 7:30 p.m. start at Wayland-Cohocton.
Hinsdale 2 2 9 5 – 18
Andover/Whitesville 12 18 16 9 – 55
HINSDALE: Henry Schwartz 2 2-2 7, Cody Barton 2 1-4 5, Tyler Richards 0 2-4 2, Robert Childs 1 0-0 2, Phil Dixon 1 0-0 2. Totals: 6 5-9 18.
ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Derek Perkins 0 1-2 1, Ethan Warriner 2 0-0 4, Vinny Joyce 3 1-2 7, Brody Vance 7 4-7 22, Colton Calladine 4 2-4 10, Gage Putnam 3 0-0 6, Derrick Wahl 2 0-0 5. Totals: 21 8-15 55.
3-point goals: Hinsdale 1 (Schwartz), A/W 5 (Vance 4, Wahl).
Total Fouls: Hinsdale 12, A/W 14. Fouled out: Childs (HIN).
