Late surge powers G-R boys to win over N-O

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 17 March 2017 at 9:29 pm

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Brandon Miller drives to the basket for the Genesee Region League between Niagara-Orleans League defenders Eddie Wasnock (Barker) and Brendan Hess (Roy-Hart) during the G-R’s win in the annual Exceptional Senior game this evening at Medina.

Putting together a big late scoring surge, the Genesee Region League downed the Niagara-Orleans League 91-77 in the 18th annual Exceptional Senior boys basketball game this evening at Medina.

Breaking away from a 62-62 deadlock, the G-R closed with a 29-15 scoring burst to snap the N-O’s four game winning streak in the series.

Kendall’s Brandon Miller scored 9, including a three, to lead the G-R’s decisive uprising which also included three baskets by Attica’s Owen Thompson, a pair of threes by Lyndonville’s Eric Neace and a three by Lyndonville’s Corey Hydock.

Medina’s Tyler Howard puts up a shot for the N-O against G-R defenders Eric Neace from Lyndonville and Reice Woodward from Oakfield-Alabama.

The G-R also got off to a fast start grabbing a 13 point, 18-5, lead at the outset as Thompson scored 7 points by Thompson and Elba’s Shane O’Hollaran 4.

Threes by Byron-Bergen’s Brian Burke and Pembroke’s Ryan Cansdale heaped keep the G-R up by 13, 28-15, before the N-O came storming back.

Ignited by a barrage of threes by Roy-Hart’s DJ Davis and Barker’s Nate Luckman, the N-O put together a huge 20-0 run. Davis opened that surge with back-to-back threes and capped it off with another while in between Luckman hit three straight long range bombs as the N-O rallied into a 7 point, 35-28, lead.

The N-O maintained a 4 point, 42-38, lead at the half.

However, the G-R wasted little time in rallying back into the lead at 47-45 early in the second half as Hydock hit back-to-back threes.

Momentum continued to swing back-and-forth as the N-O put together an 11-5 run, including a layup and a three by Barker’s Jake Arnold and a pair of layups by Luckman, for a 56-52 lead.

The N-O’s last lead came at 59-57 on a layup by Arnold as the G-R quickly answered with tallies by O’Hollaran and Oakfield-Alabama’s Rece Woodward for a 62-59 advantage.

A three by Akron’s Austin Ladd knotted the contest one last time at 62-62 but the N-O could not regain the lead as the G-R pulled away for the win with a 29-15 run over the final nine minutes.

Thompson finished with 18, Brandon Miller 16, Hydock 12 and Neace 11 to lead the G-R as Burke added 9, Woodward 8, O’Hollaran 6, Jordan Miller (Elba) 5, Cansdale 4 and Colin Noeth (Byron-Bergen) 2.

Luckman scored a game high 24 points and Arnold 12 for the N-O as Davis added 9, Chase Hall (Albion) 6, Lamar Chambers (Albion), Ladd and Justin Daul (Wilson) 4, Jonah Miller (Wilson) and Caleb Russell (Newfane) 3 and Kory Reynolds (Albion), Albert Kramp (Newfane), Tyrellis Atkins (Medina) and Eddie Wasnock (Barker) 2.

The G-R roster also included Tucker Bezon and Henry Pflaumer from Elba while the N-O lineup also included Medina’s Tyler Howard and Roy-Hart’s Brendan Hess.

The G-R victory cut the N-Os lead in the series to 12-6.