No. 2 seed Fillmore defeated visiting No. 7 Lyndonville 56-31 and top seeded Wheatland-Chili downed visiting No. 8 Kendall 59-23 this evening in the quarterfinal round of the Section V Class D1 girls basketball playoffs.

Ella Lewis scored 12, Miranda Lembcke 8 and Savannah Poler 4 for Lyndonville which trailed 28-13 at the half.

No details of the Kendall game were reported.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Jalin Cooper goes by Dunkirk’s Devaun Farnham-DeJesus during the Mustangs narrow sectional win over the visiting Marauders this evening.

Putting together a clutch last minute scoring burst, No. 3 seed Medina trimmed visiting No. 6 Dunkirk 67-60 this evening in the quarterfinal round of the Section VI Class B1 boys basketball playoffs.

Trailing 60-58, Medina rallied to outscore Dunkirk 9-0 over the final minute and 20 seconds to earn the victory and advance to the semifinals.

Medina pulled even at 60-60 on a rebound bucket by Izaiah Rhim with 1:18 remaining and then Jalin Cooper took over the game.

Cooper put Medina back on top to stay at 62-60 with a jumper at the 1:04 mark.  He boosted the lead to four with a basket off a turnover with 30 seconds to go. Then, after blocking a Dunkirk shot at the 21 second mark and grabbing a key rebound with 10 seconds to go, he put a lock on the tense victory with three clutch free throws.

Medina’s Izaiah Rhim drives to the basket.

Cooper finished with a game high 28 points as Rhim had 12, Brendan Luthart 11, Brian Fry 8, Tyler Chinn 4 and Mason Lewis and Nate Sherman 2 each.

Dunkirk likewise had a trio of double figure scorers as Devaun Farnham-DeJesus tallied 18, Darnell Butts 17 and Tyrese Kristian-Johnson 14.

Medina grabbed a slender 20-18 lead at the end of the first quarter as Cooper scored 10, Rhim and Chinn 4 and Fry 2 in the early going.  Farnham-DeJesus scored 7, Kristian-Johnson 6 and Butts 5 for Dunkirk during that stretch.

The Mustangs increased the lead to eight, 39-31, at half-time by closing the second period with a 13-5 run to break away from a 26-26 tie. Threes by Luthart and Fry highlighted that uprising which also included a three-point play and a jumper off a turnover by Cooper and a layup by Lewis.

Medina upped the advantage to 10, 41-31 on a rebound basket by Rhim to open the third period.

However, Dunkirk got right back in the game by answering back with a big 14-5 run to slice the deficit to just one at 46-45.  Kristian-Johnson scored 6 and Issiah Velez 5 to lead that Marauders rally.

The Mustangs did open up a little breathing room at 49-45, as Luthart hit a big three at the buzzer to close the third period.

Medina maintained a narrow 58-55 lead with three minutes to go after a layup by Rhim and a jumper by Cooper.

Dunkirk though came battling back one last time to take the lead for what proved to be the final time at 60-58 with 1:43 remaining after a three by Butts and two free throws by Velez.

However, the last surge and the victory belonged to Medina as Cooper had 7 points, 2 rebounds and a block to highlight the Mustangs decisive last ditch 9-0 run.

Medina will next face No. 2 seed Olean in the semifinals on February 28 at 8:15 p.m. at Buffalo State College. Olean defeated No. 7 City Honors 62-54.

The other semi will have No. 4 Newfane vs. No. 1 Lackawanna on February 27 at 8:15 p.m. at Buffalo State. Newfane defeated No. 13 Fredonia 66-41 and Lackawanna defeated No. 9 CSAT 69-52 in tonight’s other quarterfinals.

In a Class B2 quarterfinal, No. 5 Wilson lost to No. 4 Health Sciences 64-36.

Medina’s Mason Lewis goes in for a layup as Darnell Butts tries to block for Dunkirk.

The Holley-Kendall Youth Wrestling Club is set to begin its season on Monday at the Holley Elementary School Intermediate Gym.

The program is open to any students in grades K-8 in the Holley and Kendall school districts and will be coached by the Holley-Kendall high school wrestling team coaching staff along with several Holley-Kendall Club coaches. Members of the high school team will be assisting.

Registration will be held from 5:45 to 6 p.m. and all parents must attend in order to fill out the proper paperwork with the information needed.

Practice will start for all groups immediately following registration.

Basic wrestling techniques, drills, intra club contests, physical fitness fun, sportsmanship and participation will be taught and stressed at each session.

The Club will meet every Monday and Tuesday through the month of March.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Brylie Hapeman passes the ball backwards as Gracie Morrison defends for Fredonia during the host Purple Eagles sectional loss to the Hillbillies this evening.

Plagued by ice cold shooting, No. 4 seed Albion dropped a low scoring 35-29 decision to visiting No. 5 Fredonia this evening in the quarterfinal round of the Section VI Class B1 girls basketball playoffs.

In another B1 quarterfinal, Medina romped to a lopsided win over a higher seeded city school for the second playoff game in a row as the No. 10 Mustangs blitzed No. 2 I-Prep 63-37.

Top seeded Niagara-Orleans League champion Newfane likewise romped to a B1 quarterfinal victory 50-27 over visiting No. 9 Alden to improve to 20-1.

Setting an ominous tone for the evening, Albion shot just 1 of 11 from the field in the opening quarter and fell behind 8-2. Katie Price led Fredonia during that stretch with 5.

Albion’s Caitlynn Snook puts up a shot as Fredonia’s A’Cetta Farriat tries to block.

Baskets by Natalie DiCureia, Sarah Gregori, Sierra Newton and Caitlynn Snook in the second period kept Albion within eight, 19-11, at the half but the Purple Eagles continued to be hampered by cold (4 of 16) shooting. Hannah Gullo led the Hillbillies in the period with 7.

A jumper by Janae Doty and a layup by Snook kept Albion within six, 21-15, midway through the third period.

Threes by DiCureia, Brylie Hapeman and Doty then pulled Albion to within one, 25-24, but the Purple Eagles could get no closer.

A late three by A’Cetta Farriat, who had a total of seven points in the period, gave Fredonia a little breathing room at 28-24 at the three-quarter mark.

Continued frigid shooting down the stretch then hampered Albion’s comeback hopes as the Purple Eagles hit on only 2 of 16 shots in the decisive final stanza.

After going 0 for 9 to open the period, Albion did cut the deficit to five, 32-27, with three and a half minutes to go after a three-point play by Snook.

A jumper by Snook kept Albion within five, 34-29, with 50 seconds to go but the Purple Eagles could not score again as a costly turnover helped to doom the comeback bid.

Price scored 10 and Farriat and Gullo 8 each on the evening to lead the way for Fredonia.

Snook tallied 9, Doty 7, DiCureia 6, Hapeman 3 and Gregori and Newton 2 each for Albion.

Fredonia will next face Newfane in the semifinals on March 1 at Kenmore West High School.

Medina 63, I-Prep 37
Maddie Williams scored 20, Camri King 19, Je’ne Brown 14, Deviere Brown 5,  Kharise Johnson 4 and Hannah Sones 1 to lead Medina in the 63-37 romp over I-Prep.

Medina raced out to a 17-3 first period lead as King scored 7 and Williams 6.

The Mustangs kept rolling building up commanding leads of 29-13 at the half and 50-20 after three periods. Williams scored 7 in both of the middle two quarters while King and Je’ne Brown both tallied 6 in the Mustangs big 21-7 third period uprising.

Medina will next face No. 11 Dunkirk in the semifinals on March 1 at Kenmore West. Dunkirk defeated No. 3 City Honors 67-63.

Newfane 50, Alden 27
Roaring out to leads of 31-10 at the half and 43-11 after three periods, Newfane went on to defeat Alden 50-27 as Paige Emborsky scored 12, Emily Foltz 11 and Megan Knoll 10.

Wilson 63, 42
In a Class B2 quarterfinal, No. 4 Wilson defeated N-O League foe No. 5 Akron 63-42.

Section V Girls Playoffs

No. 7 Lyndonville will visit No. 2 Fillmore and No. 8 Kendall will travel to No. 1 Wheatland-Chili in the Section V Class D1 girls quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday.

Boys Basketball Sectionals

No. 3 seed Medina will host No. 6 Dunkirk at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinal round of the Section VI Class B1 boys basketball playoffs. No. 4 Newfane will host No. 13 Fredonia in another B1 quarterfinal at that same time.

In Section V boys Class D1 quarterfinals, No. 13 Lyndonville will visit No. 5 Mt. Morris at 6 p.m. Saturday.

A big third quarter keyed No. 7 seed City Honors to a 66-50 victory over visiting No. 10 Albion this evening in the pre quarterfinal round of the Section VI Class B1 boys basketball playoffs.

Leading by a narrow 32-29 margin at the half, City Honors outscored Albion 22-11 in the decisive third period to open up a 54-40 advantage heading into the final stanza.

Deyonci Farley and Demetrius Gardner each scored 9 points for Albion as Liam Ward and Kevin Hillman each added 8, Bryce Pritchard and Hunter Webster 5 and Xavier Cornick and Dylan Fox 3.

Farley and Gardner each scored 7 and Ward 5 in the opening half to keep the Purple Eagles within three at the half.

Gowanda 62, Roy-Hart 43
Steadily pulling away over the final three quarters No. 8 Gowanda defeated visiting No. 9 Roy-Hart 62-43 in a Class B2 pre quarterfinal.

Trailing 17-15 after one period, Gowanda opened up a seven point, 29-22, advantage at the half and extended it to 13, 43-30, at the three-quarter mark before emerging with a 19 point victory.

Ture Hassler scored 29 and Nate Brawdy 22 to lead the way for Gowanda.

Jake Bruning scored 17, Charlie Bruning 15 and Noah Kindron 7 for Roy-Hart.

In another B2 contest, No. 5 Wilson defeated visiting No. 12 Riverside 60-54.

Medina to host Dunkirk
No. 3 seed Medina will host No. 6 Dunkirk at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class B1 quarterfinals.  Dunkirk defeated No. 11 Burgard 59-46 this evening.

A big fourth rally earned No. 13 seed Lyndonville a 58-57 upset win over host No. 4 HAC this evening in the pre quarterfinal round of the Section V Class D1 boys basketball playoffs.

Trailing 45-38 after three quarters, Lyndonville outpointed HAC 20-12 down the stretch to claim the narrow victory.

Nathan Poler scored 6 points, Russell Stephens and Nathan Hydock 5 each and Zach Johnson and Kane Flynn 2 during the Tigers decisive late rally.

Poler finished with a total of 18 points as Hydock had 10, Stephens 8, Flynn and Johnson 7, Matt Hess 6 and Nathan Dillenbeck 2.

Lyndonville trailed by two, 17-15, after one period but by as many as 13, 41-28, at the half.

However, the Tigers got back into the game by outpointing HAC 10-4 in the third stanza to cut the deficit to just seven heading into the decisive final period. Hess, Poler, Dillenbeck and Stephens all had baskets to lead the third period rally.

Lyndonville will next visit No. 5 Mt. Morris in the quarterfinals on Saturday.  Mt. Morris defeated No. 12 Alfred-Almond 69-34.

Clyde-Savannah 84, Kendall 47
Roaring out to an 18-0 lead at the outset and a 29-10 advantage at the end of the opening period, top seeded Clyde-Savannah went on to defeat visiting No. 17 Kendall 84-47 in another Class D1 pre quarterfinal.

John Rath scored 13, Mickey Gardner 9 and Nate Warters and Mason Kuhn 8 each for Kendall which trailed 52-24 at the half.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Deyonci Farley puts up a shot against I-Prep defender Keonte Smith during the host Purple Eagles sectional win over the Presidents this evening.

Moving on top to stay with a big third quarter surge, No. 10 seed Albion went on to defeat visiting No. 15 I-Prep 67-58 this evening in the opening round of the Section VI Class B1 boys basketball playoffs.

Liam Ward scored 25 and Deyonci Farley 20 to spearhead the Albion offense as Bryce Pritchard chipped in with 13, Demetrius Gardner 4, Xavier Cornick 3, Vincent Zona 2 and Hunter Webster 1.

Liam Ward goes in for a layup for Albion past I-Prep defender Dajohn Cartwright.

Alex Pagan scored 20 and Keonte Smith 15 to lead the way for I-Prep.

Pagan and Smith both hit a pair of threes in the opening period to help I-Prep grab a 16-14 lead.  Farley scored the first 9 points and Ward the last 6 for Albion in the opening stanza.

Two more threes by Pagan helped the Presidents maintain a slender 29-26 advantage at the half.  Ward tallied 6 and Farley 4 during that stretch to keep the Purple Eagles close.

However, Albion came battling back opening the third period with a 15-7 run to regain the lead for good at 41-36.  Back-to-back threes by Pritchard and Ward capped off that key surge which also included another three by Ward, a three-point play by Farley and a jumper by Gardner.

A late layup by Zona helped keep Albion up by three 46-43, at the three-quarter mark.

The Purple Eagles moved out to a 10 point, 61-51, advantage with just over two minutes to go as Ward had a three and a jumper and Farley and Gardner layups to highlight the big 15-8 run.

Capitalizing on turnovers, I-Prep did rally back to within four, 62-58, with just under a minute to go after tallies by Smith, Pagan and Angel Ruiz.

The Presidents though would get no closer as the Purple Eagles finally put a lock on the victory on three clutch free throws by Pritchard who then tacked on a bucket at the buzzer.

Albion next visits No. 7 City Honors at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Roy-Hart 59, DaVinci 36
No. 9 Roy-Hart defeated No. 16 DaVinci 59-36 in the opening round of the Class B2 sectionals earning the Rams a trip to No. 8 Gowanda at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Jake Bruning scored 18 and Noah Kindron 13 to lead the way for Roy-Hart as Charlie Brigham and Charlie Bruning 9 each.

Jake Bruning scored 9 in the second period to help Roy-Hart build up a 29-16 lead at the half.

Kindron and Brigham then each tallied 6 in the third stanza to help the Rams take a commanding 46-25 advantage at the three-quarter mark.

Pembroke 59, Holley 37

Leading by a narrow 23-20 margin at the half, No. 2 Pembroke used a big 22-4 third period surge to earn a 59-37 win over visiting No. 15 Holley in a Section V Class C1 opener.

Andrew Moseman scored 9 and Patrick Bower 7 for Holley.

Lyndonville and Kendall both scored home court victories this evening to open Section V Class D1 girls basketball playoff competition.

No. 7 seed Lyndonville defeated No. 10 Northstar 42-35 and No. 8 Kendall rallied past No. 9 Alfred-Almond 40-36.

Ella Lewis scored 16, Anna Lewis 14 and Alecia Hinkson 10 to spark Lyndonville which next visits No. 2 Fillmore in the quarterfinals on Friday. Fillmore downed Bolivar-Richburg 41-20.

Anna Lewis scored 10 in the second period to help Lyndonville grab a 27-13 lead at the half.  Hinkson tallied 5 in the third period as the Lady Tigers maintained a 41-23 lead at the three-quarter mark.

Brittney Marks had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 7 steals and Taylor ReQua 10 points, 7 rebounds and 8 steals to lead the way for Kendall. Lizzie Sutphen added 8 points and Katherine Pearson grabbed off 10 rebounds.

Trailing 22-10 at the half, Kendall came storming back with a huge 20-4 third period scoring burst to rally into a 30-26 advantage. ReQua scored 10 and Marks 8 lead spearhead that rally.

Kendall next visits top seeded Wheatland-Chili on Friday.  W-C routed No. 16 Dundee 68-20.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s duo of Janae Doty (20) and Natalie DiCureia (2) try to grab a rebound from Olean’s Marina Mikefish during the host Purple eagles sectional win over the Lady Huskies this evening.

Coming on strong after a slow start, No. 4 seed Albion posted a 50-38 victory over visiting No. 13 Olean this evening in a Section VI Class B1 girls basketball playoff opener.

In another B1 opener, No. 10 Medina romped to a 69-15 victory over host No. 7 MST Prep in Buffalo.

Caitlynn Snook scored a game high 18 to lead a parade of 11 Albion point getters. Sierra Newton added 8, Cassidy Wolcott 5, Brylie Hapeman 4, Janae Doty 3 and Natalie DiCureia, Sarah Gregori, Elisabeth Baker, Natalie Lathrop, Lexi Wolck and Tess Pettit 2 each.

Justine Brooks scored 10 and Hannah Aiello and Marina Mikefish 8 each for Olean.

Albion’s Cassidy Wolcott looks to put up a shot as Justine Brooks and Elyse Graham move in to defend for Olean.

Plagued by a rash of early turnovers Albion fell behind 10-2 at the outset and trailed 12-9 at the end of the first period.

Battling back, Albion took the lead for the first time at 15-14 midway through the second period after a layup by Hapeman.

Consecutive baskets by Wolck, Snook and Hapeman upped the lead to five, 21-16, and the Purple Eagles maintained a slender 23-21, advantage at the half.

The Purple Eagles went on to build the lead to 11, 26-25, five minutes into the third period after an 11-2 run which included a three by Doty, a jumper and a layup by Snook, a rebound bucket by Newton and a layup by Pettit.

Late baskets by Wolcott and Lathrop boosted the Albion advantage to 13, 41-28, at the three-quarter mark.

The Purple Eagles put a lock on the win by opening the final stanza with a layup and a three-point play by Snook to up the lead to 18, 46-28.

Albion will next host No. 5 Fredonia at 7 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Fredonia defeated Springville 57-38.

Medina 69, MST Prep 15
Roaring out to a 19-0 first period advantage, Medina went on to hold leads of 35-2 at the half and 53-10 at the three-quarter mark in registering the 69-15 victory over MST Prep.

Je’ne Brown scored 10 of her game high 24 points in the opening period and Camri King 10 of her 16 in the second quarter to get Medina off and rolling. Kharise Johnson and Maleyah Howard both added 6 and Maddie Williams 5 for the Mustangs.

Medina next visits No. 2 seed International Prep at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Tapestry 50, Barker 36
No. 6 Tapestry defeated visiting No. 11 Barker 50-36 in a Class C opener.

Gabby Baker scored 12, Haley Brown 8, Serena Harris 6, Sydnie Luckman and Kylie Miller 4 and Kylie Annable 2 for Barker which trailed 24-20 at the half.

Buffalo Arts 73, Roy-Hart 55

Ellie Todd scored 20, Maddie Fry 9 and Lexi Lovewell 8 for No. 11 Roy-Hart in a 73-55 loss to host No. 6 Buffalo Arts in a Class B2 contest.

Akron 64, Health Sciences 29

Darion Jonathan and Neely Abrams both scored 14, Helena Hill 13 and Elise Leeds 10 for No. 5 Akron in a 64-29 win over No. 12 Health Sciences in another B2 opener. The Lady Tigers will next visit No. 4 Wilson on Thursday.