Sports round-up
Hornell defeats Haverling 63-49

GATEHOUSE MEDIA

HORNELL - D.J. Schwartz poured in 15 points Friday, Feb. 22, to lead second-seeded Hornell to a 63-49 victory over No. 10 Bath Haverling in a Section V, Class BB playoff game.

Ryne Hunt chipped in with 13 points for the Red Raiders, who will move on to play in the Class BB sectional semifinal round Tuesday at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.

Michael Rossi and Sean Lyke each netted 11 points to lead the Rams. Teammate Andre McCloud added seven points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Prattsburgh rolls into semis Five Vikings reach double figures in win

GATEHOUSE MEDIA

PRATTSBURGH - Jim Burke wasn't worried about his team's nine-day layoff, but rather the formidable No. 8 seed his Vikings drew in Belfast.

While the Bulldogs showed glimpses of why Burke wasn't about to take them lightly, Prattsburgh proved why it owns the No. 1 seed in the Section V, Class D playoffs.

Once the Vikings got rolling Friday, Feb. 22, Belfast never had a chance as Prattsburgh put together an effort worthy of a top seed with an 83-44 rout of the Bulldogs.

Five different Vikings scored in double-figures as Prattsburgh busted open what had been a competitive game early by closing the first half

"You're not going to lose too many ball games when you have five kids in double figures," Burke said. "It was a pretty good team effort. We've got so many kids who can contribute."

Prattsburgh (20-1) played No. 4 Andover (15-6) in a Section V, Class D semifinal Tuesday, Feb. 26, at Wayland- Cohocton High School.

After scouting Belfast's opening-round playoff win over No. 9 Canaseraga, Burke suspected his Vikings would have their hands full, containing 6- foot-4 forward Ryan Paulsen and 6-foot forward Jordin Fuller, who both proved to be in side-out threats.

"We went over and scouted them in Belfast and we were a bit worried, because they can cause match up problems," Burke said. "If they had our guards, I'd hate to see the result."

While Paulsen (17 points) and Fuller (13) combined for 30 points, the Bulldogs couldn't keep pace with Prattsburgh's wealth of talented shooters.

In many ways, it seemed like the Vikings had picked up right where they left off in their impressive 63-50 victory over Jasper-Troupsburg nine days earlier for the Steuben County title.

Against J-T, the Vikings put the game out of reach by shooting 80 percent from the field during the second and third quarters. Against Belfast, Prattsburgh was an even 50 percent from the field in the middle quarters, connecting on 19-of-38 shots, while turning a three-point lead after the first quarter into a hefty 22-point advantage going into the fourth.

Doug Lewis stroked a 14-foot jumper to ignite the Vikings' 16-2 run to close the first half, giving Prattsburgh a commanding 44-25 lead at halftime. Lewis netted a teamhigh 15 points and was one of 10 Vikings to reach the scoring column.

Wade Fuller once again provided a steady hand from his point guard position and posted a double-double while becoming the program's alltime assist leader. Fuller's 14 points were arguably overshadowed by an eye-popping 16 assists, five steals and five rebounds. Fuller needed 13 assists heading into the game to get the school record and easily eclipsed the mark, by creating numerous scoring chances for the Vikings.

Garrett Parker dropped in a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12 points and five assists, while teammate Ryan Caron scored Prattsburgh's first six points before finishing with 11 points.

Patrick Wightman came off the bench for the Vikings and connected on two treys and chipped in with 10 points.

"Our bench again, Patrick Wightman came in and picked us up in the first quarter and then the second quarter," Burke said. "He just played awesome."

Marshell Stanley added seven points in the win.

The Vikings' defense was at their best in the fourth quarter, limiting Belfast to just one point.

"We scrimmaged Wellsville Monday, Feb. 25, and that was a very good scrimmage for us, so that got the rust off anyway," Burke said. "We've been going hard so, I wasn't worried about being rusty."