Newfane girls top Albion to clinch tie for title

Photos By Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Elisabeth Baker tries to scoop a shot against Newfane defenders Marlee Passuite and Alexa Littman during the visiting Lady Panthers key win over the Purple Eagles this evening.

Taking charge with a huge third period scoring surge, front-running Newfane clinched at least a tie for the title by downing runner-up Albion 66-38 this evening in a key Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball game at Albion.

Leading by a slender one point, 22-21, margin at the half, Newfane exploded with a 25-2 scoring burst over the first six minutes of the third period to break the contest wide open.

Paige Emborsky scored 13, including three threes and a layup off a steal, and Megan Knoll added eight on four jumpers to key that decisive uprising.

Emborsky tacked on two more threes to cap Newfane’s whopping 30-8 period which vaulted the Lady Panthers out to a commanding 52-29 lead at the three-quarter mark.

Albion’s Kirsten Struble puts up a shot against Newfane’s Alexa Littman.

Emborsky finished with 25, 18 of which came in the third period, Knoll 17 and Emily Foltz 12 to lead the way for the Lady Panthers as Kayleigh Daniels and Madlyn Traverse both added 4 and Alexa Littman and Emily Geer 2.

Caitlynn Snook led Albion with 14 as Elisabeth Baker added 6, Sierra Newton 5, Natalie DiCureia and Janae Doty 3, Kirsten Struble and Brylie Hapeman 2 and Cassidy Wolcott 1.

Leading 9-7 after one quarter, Newfane opened up an eight point 15-7 advantage early in the second period as a layup off a turnover by Foltz capped off a 6-0 run.

Albion though answered back with  12-3 run, highlighted by back-to-back threes by Baker and DiCureia, to regain a 19-18 lead.

Two jumpers by Emborsky though put Newfane back on top 22-21 at the half and the Lady Panthers pulled away with the 30 point third period.

The victory improves Newfane to 9-0 in the league with three games to go while Albion slips to 5-3.

In the other N-O games, Akron (5-3) defeated Barker (2-4) 58-20 and Wilson (5-3) downed Roy-Hart (0-7) 60-22.  Elise Leeds scored 19 and Darion Jonathan 13 to lead Akron. Serena Harris had 5 points and Hailey Brown 4 points and 11 rebounds for Barker.

In a non league game, Grand Island downed visiting Medina 38-28. Maddie Williams scored 9 and Je’ne Brown and Camri King 7 for Medina which was tied with G.I. 15-15 at the half.

Sierra Newton puts up a shot for Albion against Newfane defender Kayleigh Daniels.