Cal-Mum Boys
Basketball 2004-2005 |
| Cal-Mum Boys
Basketball 2004-2005 |
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Campbell-Savona ends
Cal-Mum’s season In a classic basketball battle that saw neither team with more than a five-point lead, the Campbell-Savona Panthers had just enough in the end to pull out the victory over a feisty Raider team. The Raiders down by two, trailed by a 51 to 53 score with only 16 seconds remaining in the game. Needing the ball to score, Cal-Mum was forced to foul, sending C-S’s Matt Newman to the line. Newman converted both of his free throws to give C-S a four-point advantage and the winning margin as the Raiders were unable to score during the final 14 seconds that remained in the game. The Raiders came out of the gate quickly in the 1st quarter as they scored the games first five points on a Steve Burns free throw and baskets by Brian Pullyblank and Justin Walsh. The Panthers fought back to take the lead at 10 to 9, late in the quarter on a basket by Matt Newman. Aaron Hallett tossed in a 3-point goal before Newman answered with a 2-point basket and Doug Brown’s three pointer at the buzzer gave C-S a quarter ending lead, 15 to 12. The teams each took turns holding the lead in the 2nd quarter. Aaron Hallett’s three-point bomb with 4:05 left pulled the Raider into a tie with the score knotted at 21 all. Brian Pullyblank scored a basket before C-S went on a five-point run to push the Panther lead to 26 to 23. A Justin Walsh basket was followed by three consecutive free throws by Aaron Hallett, compliments of foul while he was attempting a 3-point shot. Brian Pullyblank’s free throw closed the first half’s scoring, giving the Raiders a 29 to 26 advantage at the half. The 3rd quarter saw C-S quickly tie the score at 33 apiece with less than two minutes gone in the quarter. The Raiders answered with a Walsh bucket, a Pullyblank free throw and two more free throws by Zach Nothnagle. The Panthers’ offense woke up as they ended the quarter with an 11 to 4 run. C-S entered the final quarter holding a narrow 44 to 42 lead. Two Brian Pullyblank baskets to go with a lone free throw put the Raiders on top early in the 4th quarter, 47 to 44. Justin Walsh later converted two free throws with 3:17 remaining to give Cal-Mum its last lead at 49 to 47. Forward Zach Nothnagle then injured his shoulder diving for a loose basketball, sending him to the bench. The Raiders then intercepted an errant C-S pass and Steve Burns drove to the C-S basket where he met Panther wide-bodied center Collin Wright. Unfortunately, on a close call, Burns collected the offensive foul and the basket was taken away. Cal-Mum was still clinging to a 49 to 47 lead when Wright unexpectedly threw up a 3-point basket from way outside the arc, that hit the mark. Those consecutive two plays proved to be the pivotal plays in the game. There was time remaining but both defenses were playing tenaciously, giving the opponent very little opportunity to have a open look at the basket. The suspense continued as both teams missed opportunities to increase their score from the free throw line but neither team could take advantage of the opportunities. The Raiders would not score again until Pullyblank’s two free throws with: 16 left on the clock. Just too little, too late for Cal-Mum. Forward Brian Pullyblank led the Raiders with 17 points. Pullyblank was followed in scoring by Aaron Hallett with 11 points and Justin Walsh with 10. Campbell-Savona’s Matt Newman was high man for the Panthers with 19 points. The Raiders ended the season with a 16 and 7 record. There were certainly many more highs during the ’04 – ’05 campaign, than there were lows. The big victory over Perry at their house early in the season was a huge surprise. Victories over Byron-Bergen and Attica in the Holiday Tournament were sweet. Certainly the most exciting win was the last second score against Livonia, coming off an in bound play that started at half court, ending in a lay-up at the buzzer. All in all it was a great run for the Raiders and especially exciting for their fans. It is appropriate now that we thank the seniors on the team: Jeff Grattan, Brian Pullyblank, Aaron Philp, Steve Burns, Zach Nothnagle and Justin Walsh, as always thanks for the memories, its been a lot of fun.
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Cal-Mum nips Kendall 51 to 50 The Raiders entered the Class CC quarterfinals faced with an imposing task. That task came in the form of Eagles’ center, 6’9" 295 pound, Dan Halter. A mountain of a man, he blocked or altered numerous shots and he was effective on offense. The game was punctuated by scoring runs by both teams. The Raiders twice opened substantial leads before the Eagles responded with scoring runs of their own. The game would not have been in doubt, if not for the poor free throw shooting (7 for 20) by the Raiders. In fact, the Raiders only converted 1 of 8 free throws in the final period, allowing Kendall to creep back in the game. Kendall had possession of the ball with 5.6 remaining in the game and they failed to convert two chances, the last an uncontested lay-up by Halter at the buzzer, that came up just short, allowing the Raiders to move on in Sectional play. The 1st quarter of the Kendall contest was what you would have expected from a number 4 seed versus a number 5 seed, close. The Raiders jumped out to an early 4 to 0 lead only to watch the Eagles eventually tie the score at 11. An Aaron Hallett 3-point goal followed by a Cody Osborn basket were answered by Eagle Steve Batty’s basket at the end of the quarter leaving the Raiders on top, 16 to 15. With big man Dan Halter sitting on the bench at the start of the 2nd quarter, the Raiders scored eight consecutive points, six from Justin Walsh and two from Steve Burns to open up a 24 to 17 advantage. At the 3:34 mark, Eagle coach Peter Leicht inserted Halter back into the line-up. Kendall responded by scoring the next six points to shave the Raider lead to 24 to 23. The Eagles would eventually tie the score on a Joe Brightly basket before Brian Pullyblank and Eagle Pat Dorney each exchanged baskets. Justin Walsh had the final Raider basket just before halftime, as Cal-Mum went to the locker room with a 29 to 27 lead. The Raiders were poised to take the game over in the 3rd quarter. Fueled by Zach Nothnagle’s basket and a 3-point bomb, a Brian Pullyblank and Justin Walsh baskets the Raiders surged to a 42 to 31 advantage. Once again the Eagles answered the Raider run. Five points by center Dan Halter and baskets by Joe Brightly and Justin Manners closed the gap to 42 to 40 at the end of the quarter. The Raiders with missed opportunities from the free throw line, failed to separate themselves from the Eagles in the 4th quarter. The two teams fought back and forth, as the Raiders could not extend the lead to more than three points over the Eagles. The Eagles seized a one point lead with less than four minutes left in the game, Steve Burns’ basket with 3:27 remaining in the game gave the lead back to Cal-Mum at 47-46. A Brian Pullyblank basket and a steal and lay-up by Pullyblank with 1:01 left in the game gave the Raiders a 51 to 48 lead. Steve Batty quickly scored to bring the Eagles to within one again at 51 to 50. Missed Raider free throws at: 22 mark set the stage for Kendall’s final outside shot and missed put back at the buzzer. The Raiders were led in scoring by Justin Walsh with 18 points followed by Brian Pullyblank with 10 points and Steve Burns with 9 points. Pullyblank was terrific on the boards with 15 rebounds, including 6 off the offensive board. Steve Batty led Kendall with 17 points and Dan Halter had 13 points. The 16-6 Raiders will be playing the 21-0; Top seeded Campbell-Savona this Wednesday evening at R.I.T. at 8:15 p.m. The game will feature the athletic play of the Panthers of the Steuben County League against the gritty, relentless play of the Cal-Mum Raiders.
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Kendall game Slide Show
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Cal-Mum Routs Alexander 79 to 42 The game was almost over before it really began. The Raiders used a 28 point 2nd quarter to take what ever hope the Trojans had of pulling off the upset. Alexander came into the opening game of the Class CC Sectional Tournament with a 0-18 record. The Raiders tacked on loss number 19, in what has to be a disappointing season. Brian Pullyblank and Justin Walsh did most of the damage in the second quarter as they scored ten and eight points respectively. Pullyblank and Walsh were controlling the boards, as the Trojans did not have an answer for the two tough rebounders. Brian Pullyblank led the Raiders in scoring for the eleventh time this season with 16 points, Justin Walsh added 14 points. Donovan Flint was the high scorer for Alexander with 10 points.
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Cal-Mum falls to LeRoy;
Sectionals start Tuesday The task at hand was tough; defeat a hot LeRoy basketball team. Coach Dan Dickens' job became even tougher without the services of star player, Brian Pullyblank who was sitting out a one game suspension. Starting center Justin Walsh was coming off two days of sickness severe enough that it kept him out of school. If that was not enough, starting guard Jeff Grattan severely sprained his ankle mid way through the 3rd quarter. The Raiders fought through all this adversity and nearly beat the Oatkan Knights on Parent Appreciation Night. The Knights were tough for sure but the Raiders showed some serious toughness of their own, even thought playing short-handed, they played even with LeRoy for thirty-one minutes of the thirty-two minute ball game. The Raiders pulled to within 56 to 54 with 1:16 remaining in the game off a basket by Steve Burns. The Raiders were then forced to foul. The Knights went 10 for 10 from the free throw line to end the game before a meaningless basket by Justin Walsh closed out the scoring. The Raiders carried the early energy as they jumped out to a 9 to 3 lead. Aarron Hallett’s 3-point goal ended the Raider scoring run as the Knights took a time-out. LeRoy battled back with a small run of their own as they scored ten of the next twelve points to take the lead 13 to 11. Justin Walsh hit a free throw to end the quarter with LeRoy on top 13 to 12. LeRoy looked to be on the verge of blowing the game open early in the 2nd quarter, scoring the first eight points for a 21 to 12 lead. Justin Walsh started the Raider turn around with two free throws. Zach Nothnagle hit for two free throws and Cody Osborn added one more. Nothnagle hit a basket and Quentin Marrozi added a free throw to push the Raiders on top 22 to 21. The teams took turns scoring with LeRoy ending in the lead at half time 27 to 25. The 3rd quarter saw the Raiders play some of the most inspired basketball of the season, scoring the first eight points. Two baskets by Justin Walsh were followed by baskets from Zach Nothnagle and Chris Hall. John Zinni answered for LeRoy with a 3-ball and a basket to bring LeRoy to within 35 to 32. Kenny Burns scored off of a pretty Aaron Hallett assist before Andrew Hempfling and Rob Morgan answered for the Knights. Leading 37 to 36 the Raiders ended the quarter with a flurry. Baskets by Cody Osborn and Quentin Marrozi were answered by two free throws by the Knights’ Boo Hinett. Aarron Hallett punctuated the end of the quarter with a 3-point buzzer beater that had the crowd on their feet and cheering. The beginning of the 4th quarter was a disaster for the Raiders. LeRoy came out and scored 12 for the first 14 points. The Raiders were in a deep hole as they trailed 52 to 46 and LeRoy had the momentum. Justin Walsh’s basket and subsequent free throw cut into the Knight lead. A Chris Hall basket drew the Raiders to within two points at 54 to 52 with 3:06 left in the contest. The Raiders could not get any closer to LeRoy than Steve Burns’ basket before LeRoy went on their free throw run to end the game. Justin Walsh was the high man for the Raiders with 16 points. Zach Nothnagle had 12 points followed by Aaron Hallett with 8. Andrew Hempfling was huge for LeRoy with 27 points including 11 for 12 from the free throw line. The Raiders open the 2005 post season with a sectional match-up against Alexander. The Raiders host the Trojans Tuesday (15 February) evening at the Cal-Mum gymnasium. Cal-Mum is seeded 4th in the Class CC bracket and if they win, they will play again Thursday evening at home. Make plans to come out a cheer for the Raiders. They have the ingredients to go all the way in the sectionals!
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LeRoy
game Slide
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Raiders defeat
Warsaw 51 to 46 in costly victory The LeRoy game is next up and the Raiders will be without the services of their leading scorer, Brian Pullyblank. Pullyblank was ejected midway through the 4th quarter for throwing an elbow. The ejection from the game also holds a penalty of a one game suspension that will be served during the season finale against LeRoy. Minus their best scorer and rebounder, the Raiders responded to an initial six point Warsaw run after Pullyblank’s ejection and scored the last seven points of the game to pull out the victory. Warsaw got a big game from their point guard Kirk Baker who scored 22 points for the Tigers. In the first contest between the two teams, Baker was held scoreless, so the big production in points was really unexpected. His efforts kept the Tigers in the game. The Raiders opened the scoring on a Brian Pullyblank basket. Warsaw’s Kirk Baker fired the first salvo for Warsaw in what was a close game throughout. Baker scored the Tigers first eight points. Pullyblank scored six points in the opening stanza to lead the Raiders. Warsaw was on top at the end of the 1st quarter by a 12 to 9 score. The 2nd quarter was back and forth affair. The Raiders scored the last four points off a Chris Hall conversion of two free throws and a Justin Walsh basket to go to the locker room in the lead 21 to 19. The teams continued to get after each other in the 3rd quarter. Warsaw had a late 37 to 32 lead before Justin Walsh scored a basket was fouled and made the free throw to bring the Raiders to within two: 35 to 37. Aaron Hallett hit a 3-point basket to open the 4th quarter. Brian Pullyblank converted two free throws and Hallett hit for a two-point basket to stretch the Raider lead to 42 to 37. A Steve Burns basket gave the Raiders a 44 to 40 lead just before Pullyblank’s ejection. The Tigers seized the momentum momentarily, before the Raider game ending scoring run. Brian Pullyblank was the top scorer for the Raider with 18 points to go with 13 rebounds, Justin Walsh added 14 points. Kirk Baker’s 22 points led the Tigers.
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Raiders wear down
Mt. Morris 65 to 47 Three consecutive baskets by Mt. Morris mid-way through the 3rd quarter had just given the Devils the momentum and the lead at 39 to 38. Raider Jeff Grattan took matters into his own hands as he scored the last eight points in the 3rd quarter to turn back Mt. Morris and start the Raiders onto victory. Grattan’s baseline jumper and two 3-point goals definitely took the fight out of the Devils, as they would not get closer than 10 points for the remainder of the contest. Cal-Mum would not be threatened for the rest of the game as the Raider offense went on a tear, outscoring Mt. Morris in the last quarter, 19 to 8. Brian Pullyblank was the high scorer for Cal-Mum with 20 points. The balanced Raider scoring attack got nine points from Jeff Grattan, Zach Nothnagle and Justin Walsh. Aaron Hallett chipped in 8 points. Mt. Morris got a great game from Dan Rohan. Rohan’s 20 point effort kept the Devils in the game for the better part of three quarters.
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Unbelievable! The Raiders were staring at certain defeat. They were trailing the Livonia Bulldogs by one point with only 3.9 seconds remaining in the game. Coach Dan Dickens had just called time out and he was looking for a miracle to win the game. The Raiders put three men along the half court line and center Justin Walsh deep under the basket. Brian Pullyblank was called upon to make the inbound pass. Walsh initiated the play by running directly at Pullyblank to receive the inbound pass. At the same time, Brian Pullyblank started sprinting towards the basket. Walsh caught the inbound pass and immediately flips the ball to the streaking Pullyblank who outran his defender for the lay-up and the winning points as time expired. The crowd exploded with screams and cheers as the Raiders snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The game was close throughout but Livonia managed to lead for most of the entire contest. The Raiders finally caught the Bulldogs late in the 4th quarter. The truth is that the Raiders had the lead for a total 41 second of the game. The most important second was the last second before the buzzer sounded. Brian Pullyblank was solid on offense as he led the Raiders in scoring with 19 points, followed by Justin Walsh with 11. Livonia’s offense was spearheaded by Rob Popielarz with 16 points and Chip Nothrup with 13 points.
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Raiders
withstand Irish comeback 61 to 54 Reminiscent of a scene from the movie Hoosiers, the Raiders battled with the Batavia Notre Dame Fighting Irish right down to the last second of the game. The closeness of the crowd to the court in the cramped ND gymnasium only added to the feeling of intensity and pressure to the contest. The final 1:30 of the game was a parade to the foul line for the Raiders as ND tried to claw its way back into the game. In fact, the last 39 seconds alone, Brian Pullyblank was fouled and sent to the free throw line no less than five times, converting 6 of 10 attempts, thereby sealing the Raider victory. For the second night in a row the Raiders played a team who had beaten them earlier at home and both of those earlier contests were close and hard fought affairs. As intense as the Letchworth game was on Friday evening, Saturday’s game in Batavia made that game seem like a walk in the park. These two teams just really get after each other, making each possession a battle of wills. The two teams open the game a little tight as each team miss good scoring opportunities in close to the basket. Rick Mancuso opened the scoring for ND with basket, quickly followed by a Ryan Francis 2-pointer for an early 4 to 0 ND advantage. Zach Nothnagle broke the scoring ice for the Raiders with a bucket at the 5:10 mark. The rest of the quarter was to be a 3-point fest. Rick Mancuso followed Zach Nothnagle’s score with a long 3-pointer. Ryan Francis adds another ND 3-point basket, immediately followed by another Mancuso bomb. The Raiders were reeling and looking at an early 13 to 6 deficit. The Raiders fought back behind two Jeff Grattan 3-point goals that were sandwiched around another Mancuso basket. Aaron Hallett punctuated the Raiders’ quick comeback with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, good for a 15 all tie. The teams settled into a back and forth second quarter. One team would score then the other team would respond. The largest lead in the quarter was a 22 to 19 ND advantage early. Five different Raiders shared in the scoring for the quarter. Justin Walsh’s basket just before halftime gave the Raiders a 31 to 29 lead at the break. The Raiders came out of the locker room on fire in the 3rd quarter. Brian Pullyblank led the scoring rush with two 3-point baskets. Pullyblank, was the Raider offense, as he scored 11 of the teams’ first 13 points in the quarter and almost single handedly forged an 11 point lead at 44 to 33. An Aaron Hallett 3-pointer and a Justin Walsh basket gave the Raiders its biggest lead of the game at 49 to 34 with 1:34 left in the 3rd quarter. A Chris Hall basket closed out the scoring in the quarter as the Raiders were in front 51 to 37. The Raiders tried to slow down the tempo in the 4th quarter as they tried to use most of the 35-second clock. Out of rhythm, the Raider scoring offense struggled following its big 3rd quarter outburst. The Raider could only muster four points, all off free throws for the first 7:21 on the quarter. The offense had opportunities to stretch the lead from the free throw line but the Raider shot a poor 2 for 6 from the charity stripe. The Irish meanwhile were scrapping to get any score that they could. Aided by two conventional 3-point plays by Jason Swinton and Rick Mancuso and a 3-point basket by Ryan Francis the Irish were controlling the game. A conversion of a 1 and 1 free throw situation by Jason Swinton with 45 seconds remaining pulled the Irish almost all the way back into the contest at 55 to 54. The Irish would not get any closer. ND was now forced to foul, to have any chance to win the game. This set the stage for Brian Pullyblank’s parade to the free throw line. Pullyblank became the individual that ND was forced to foul as he was the player who was continually pulling down the rebounds from the Irish’s missed shots. Pullyblank’s effort from the free throw line surely saved the Raiders and most definitely finished off the Irish. Brian Pullyblank’s 24 points were his highest point total for the season. Half of his points came from the free throw line as Brian cashed in on 12 of 17 attempts. Adding to Pullyblanks impressive night were his 12 rebounds. Justin Walsh played a solid game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rick Mancuso was the high man for the Fighting Irish with 20 points, Mancuso was supported by teammates Ryan Francis’ 13 points and Jason Swinton’s 12 points.
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Cal-Mum pays
back Letchworth 54 to 52 In a game that looked to be a continuation of last December’s Raider versus Indian game, the Raiders had just enough at the end of this game to switch the results and take home the victory. Like the first game, the issue was not decided until the final seconds. The Raiders eventually came out on top when Aaron Hallett and Justin Walsh, each hit one of their two free throws to give Cal-Mum their winning margin. Just like the first game, the Raiders jumped out to an early lead. A basket by Steve Burns, 4-points from Justin Walsh and an Aaron Hallett 3-point bomb were the reason for the quick 9 to 2 Raider lead, with just 2:45 remaining in the quarter. Hallett was to be the Raider offense for the remainder of the quarter as he rang up two more 3-point baskets putting Cal-Mum on top at the end of the 1st quarter, 15 to 7. Letchworth played much better in the 2nd quarter, led by Mark Beyer’s 7 points, as they slowly climbed back into the game. The Raiders offense could only generate 10 points as Walsh, Hallett, Zach Nothnagle and Steve Burns all chipped in for the Raider’s 10 points in the quarter. Indian’s Tyler Tones’ free throw with seconds left pulled the Indians even at 25 to 25 at halftime. The Raiders started the 3rd quarter slowly as the Indians built a 34 to 29 lead. Brian Pullyblank’s basket and free throw quickly reduced that deficit down to 34 to 32. Late in the quarter the Raiders were able to sting together 8 points off of an Aaron Hallett basket and free throw, a Brian Pullyblank basket and a Jeff Grattan 3-point field goal. Indian’s Mark Beyer did score the quarter’s final basket to pull the Indians back to within 41 to 38 of the Raiders. The Indians once again jumped on the Raiders at the start of the final quarter. Chad Smith’s 3-point field goal to push the Indian lead to 44 to 41. With 5:00 remaining in the game, Justin Walsh’s basket and free throw knotted the score at 44 all. For the remainder of the game the teams were never more than 3 points apart. With a little over a minute left to play, Brian Pullyblank hit a huge basket to break the tie and give the Raiders a 52 to 50 lead. Aaron Hallett then hit one of his two free throws to up the Raider lead to 3 points. Indians’ Travis Helmer drove the lane and scored a two-point basket with 11 seconds left to bring the Indians back to with one, at 53 to 52. With time running out, the Indians were forced to foul and Justin Walsh hit one of his two free throws with 6 seconds remaining to give the Raiders its winning margin. Aaron Hallett, Justin Walsh and Brian Pullyblank were for the most part, the Raider offense with 14, 16 and 14 points on the night. Pullyblank and Walsh each had 10 rebounds and Pullyblank also had 5 assists. Mark Beyer’s 12 points led the Indians in scoring. Chad Smith and Travis Helmer added 11 and 10 points respectively.
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Yellow Jackets
sting Raiders 47 to 39 Things were not going well for Cal-Mum. The Raiders were down 39 to 25 early in the 4th quarter and did not have an answer for the Yellow Jackets. The Raiders managed to fight back, scoring the next 12-points to pull within a basket with 1:47 left in the game. The Raiders then settled in on defense determined to stop Perry on their next possession. With time running out on the 35-second clock, Perry’s Gary Kweicien launched a 3-pointer from way outside that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. The shot was a killer as it put Perry back on top by 5-points and forced the Raiders to foul in a failed attempt to get back in the game. The Raiders and the Yellow Jackets stood toe to toe in the first quarter. Then Perry took the lead at 12 to 6 on a Gary Kweicien 3-point goal. Brian Pullyblank forced his way inside to score the final two baskets on the quarter, to close the score to 12 to 10, in Perry’s favor. Perry once again forged a 10-point lead as they scored the first four baskets in the 2nd quarter. The Raiders once again regrouped to score seven of the last nine points to pull within 24 to 19. The 3rd quarter was the Achilles heel for Cal-Mum as they score but six points. Brian Pullyblank had 4 points in the quarter and Steve Burns the other basket. Perry came out in the 4th quarter to hit for a 3-point and a 2-point basket to put the Raiders in a deep hole. Brian Pullyblank started the rally with a basket, Justin Walsh converted two free throws followed by a Aaron Hallett 3-point bucket. Zach Nothnagle then hit for a basket and then hit a 3-pointer to bring the Raiders back to within a basket. Kweicien then hit the back breaking 3-pointer for Perry dashing the Raiders comeback bid. Forced to foul, Perry sank 5 of their 6 free throw attempts to seal the victory for the Yellow Jackets. Brian Pullyblank led the Raider offense with 15 points and Justin Walsh with 10. Brian also pulled down 10 rebounds. Gary Kwiecien led Perry with 14 points. Neal Eberstein, Pat Smithgall and Carl Embury each added eight points for the balanced scoring Perry squad.
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Raiders upset the Avon
Braves 49 to 34 Early in the 4th quarter the Avon Braves had just cut a seven-point Raider lead to one on a Dumants Pabrieza jumper from the top of the key. Raiders’ Coach Dan Dickens had seen enough and called a time out. The Raiders came out of a time out and responded with a strong defensive effort, shutting down the Braves offense for the rest of the contest, while scoring the last 14-points of the game to take home the victory. Key to the 14-point run was center Justin Walsh who scored 8 of his game high 16 points during the decisive 4th quarter run. Supporting Walsh’s scoring outburst was the strong rebounding effort of Brian Pullyblank. Pullyblank was a force underneath the boards with 13 rebounds in the contest. The Raiders no sooner had scored the opening points of the game from free throws by Justin Walsh and they were quickly down 7 to 2, off of two baskets by Avon’s Steve Coleman sandwich around a Joey Sattora 3-point field goal. Baskets by Chris Hall and Brian Pullyblank cut the Braves lead back to one with 1:52 remaining in the quarter. The Raiders were finally able to take the lead late on a Jeff Grattan put back off a missed shot. Avon’s Pat Temperato managed to close out the quarter with a basket as the Braves held a narrow 11 to 10 lead over the Raiders. The 2nd quarter was close throughout. The Raiders did push their lead to 5-points on a Cody Osborn bucket. The Braves fought back behind a Dumants Pabrieza 3-point basket to bring the Braves to within two-points. The rest of the quarter the teams exchanged points with Raider baskets coming from Osborn and Brian Pullyblank and the Braves getting two free throws from Adam Barrett and a quarter ending basket from Pabrieza. The Raiders were content to go into the locker room at halftime with a 22 to 20 lead over the hometown Braves. The Raiders had the better of the Braves in the 3rd quarter, as they outscored Avon 11 to 6. Both teams defense was tenacious as neither team had uncontested shots. Two baskets each by Brian Pullyblank and Justin Walsh and a 3-point field goal by Aaron Hallett were the only offense generated by the Raiders. The Braves were even less effective as two baskets by Dumants Pabrieza and basket by Mike Rizzolo were the only Avon points scored in the period. The Raiders opened the 4th quarter holding a seven-point lead. Avon’s Dumants Pabrieza in one shot would quickly cut into that lead. Pabrieza was fouled on a 3-point shot that went in. He was given a free throw for the foul and he converted the attempt and cut the Raider lead to three. Brave’s Adam Barrett scored the next two points reducing the lead to one-point. Brian Pullyblank made both free throws to push the Raider lead back to three-points before Pabrieza once again hit another jumper from the top of the key. Coach Dickens then takes a time out to settle the Raiders down and set them up for their end of the game run. It was Justin Walsh’s time to take the game over. Following a Steve Burns free throw Walsh scored two baskets immediately followed by a Burns basket and free throw. Walsh then scores again and finishes his scoring by making two free throws. Nate Sims closes the Raider scoring with a basket late in the game. The Raider win was secured at the free throw line as Cal-Mum shot 12 of 16 from the charity stripe to Avon’s 3 for 3 effort. The Raider offense took very good control of the ball as they had a season low in turnovers with only four. The Raiders were led on offense by Justin Walsh with 16 points, followed by Brian Pullyblank with 10. Avon got a big game out of Dumants Pabrieza who had 15 of Avon’s 34 points.
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Raiders run away from
Keshequa 60 to 38 This was a game of runs by both Keshequa and Cal-Mum. The Raiders pulled off an unusual shut out the Indians in first quarter, outscoring Keshequa 10 to 0. Keshequa did not wilt as they answered that Raider run by scoring the first eight points of the 2nd quarter, to get back into the game. For the next 2 ½ quarters the fans were entertained with some good competitive basketball. Keshequa tightened the game early in the 4th quarter before the Raiders slammed the door on the Indians by scoring 17 of the last 18 points to run away with the victory. Zach Nothnagle and Steve Burns were on their game as each recorded their season high in points. Nothnagle led the team with 15 points, while Burns added 14 to the total. The Raiders came out in the 1st quarter and completely dominated the game, outscoring Keshequa 10 to 0. It was the Burns and Nothnagle Show for the opening stanza as Steve Burns had four points and Zach Nothnagle recorded six. The Indians to their credit did not fold. Keshequa opened the 2nd quarter with a run of their own, scoring 8 quick points early to trail by a 10 to 8 score. The game was competitive for the remainder of the 2nd quarter. The Indians eventually seized the lead from Cal-Mum for a short time on a Scott Gardner basket with 1:45 remaining in the half. Raider Zach Nothnagle answered the Indian threat with two free throws, immediately followed by Jeff Grattan throwing in a long 3-point bomb just before halftime. The Raiders were on top 22 to 19 but the Indian had the momentum. The Raiders began to take control of the game late in the 3rd quarter. Cal-Mum jumped out to a 29 to 19 lead thanks to a Nothnagle 3-pointer, a Burns basket and two more Burn’s free throws. Keshequa refused to fold as the struck back behind the shooting of Eric Knouse and Nick Dale, closing the gap to five at 31 to 26. The Raiders once again opened up a 12-point lead before the Indians scored the final two baskets of the quarter, to make it a 38 to 30 Raider lead. The Indians last threat was early in the 4th quarter. Indian Klay Wagar had just hit his second 3-pointer in a row, bringing the Indians to within 43 to 38. The Raiders then put on their final push, scoring 17 of the last 18 points to end the game. In addition to his scoring, Steve Burns had a good night rebounding with 10 rebounds. Justin Walsh came alive in the final quarter to dominate the defensive backboard with 5 rebounds in the quarter.
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LeRoy shuts down
the Raiders 62 to 45 Brian Pullyblank had just nailed a last second half court shot to give the Raiders a 31 to 30 lead at the half. The Raiders had snapped out of their 1st quarter shooting doldrums and had just put up 22 points in the second quarter to take control of the game. It looked like the game was turning the Raiders way. LeRoy came out of the locker room determined to take back control of the game as they turned up their defense pressure. The Raider struggled offensively as they could only muster seven points for the 3rd quarter. Despite the poor shooting, the Raiders trailed only 38 to 41 entering the final quarter. The small 3-point deficit quickly ballooned to 8-point LeRoy lead as a John Zinni 3-point goal and a basket by Andrew Hempfling gave the Knight the momentum. Two more Zinni 3-point bombs later in the quarter more than sealed the victory for LeRoy as the Raiders’ shooting woes continued to the end. The Raiders were their own worst enemy as they converted just 5 of 17 free throws after the intermission. The Raider opened the scoring on the night as Steve Burns and Zach Nothnagle both converted their two free throw opportunities, giving Cal-Mum the 4 to 0 lead. An Andrew Hempfling 3-point goal and Shawn Swanson basket put LeRoy up 5 to 4.Aaron Hallett gave the Raiders the lead later in the quarter with a long 3-point shot, making the score 9 to 8. Knight’s Mark Mullen made the Raiders pay for their defensive lapse with a 3-point goal ending the quarter with the Knights on top 11 to 9. The 2nd quarter was exciting as both teams went toe to toe. LeRoy stretched the early lead to 8 points on consecutive 3-point goals by John Zinni and Mark Mullen. Jeff Grattan struck back with a 3-point basket of his own, followed by a Kenny Burns basket cutting the LeRoy lead to four at 20 to 24. Down 25 to 30 with time running out in the quarter, Aaron Hallett drilled a 3-point goal from downtown with 40 second remaining in the half. The teams exchanged possession, scrambling for the last shot. Brian Pullyblank intercepted a long Knight pass at his free throw area, turned and raced up court, shooting the ball just before time ran out. The half-court shot banked off the glass, into the basket for a buzzer beater and a 31 to 30 Cal-Mum half time lead. Both teams came out of the locker room looking to take control of the contest. A Jeff Grattan three ball gave the Raiders their last lead of the game at 36 to 34. LeRoy then ran off the next seven points. Cal-Mum hung close mainly due to their defensive pressure and reduced the LeRoy lead to three-point heading into the final quarter. The 4th quarter could only be described as a disaster for the Raiders. Poor shooting, poor free throw shooting and turnovers all contributed to the defeat. To add to the misery, the Knights were as hot as the Raiders were cold. Four 3-point goals were more than enough to keep the lead growing. The Raiders ultimately emptied the bench as the starters were ineffective and tempers were getting short.
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Raider Basketball
takes it to Warsaw The Raiders were looking to bounce back from Monday’s defeat to Batavia Notre Dame. The Raiders came into their Wednesday evenings Warsaw game looking to put that loss behind them. Mission accomplished as the Raider dominated the Tigers throughout the night. Cal-Mum set the tone early in this game as both Jeff Grattan and Zach Nothnagle tossed in long range 3-point baskets at the start of the game. When the Raiders were not bombing away for 3’s, they were moving the ball around the perimeter, finding the open man for easy baskets. Warsaw was running with the Raiders early in the contest as the teams were tied a nine apiece. Aaron Hallett separated the clubs with his first 3-point basket of the game. A basket by Brian Pullyblank off a nice assist from Hallett further extended the lead. Warsaw’s Steven Novak answered the Pullyblank basket before a Jeff Grattan steal and lay-in ignited a fire under the Raiders as Pullyblank and Hallett scored, ending the quarter with the Raiders in control, 20 to 11. Brian Pullyblank opened the 2nd quarter scoring before the Tigers again jumped back into the game. A Matt Case basket was followed by two 3-point baskets by Cory Carlson to quickly brought the score to Cal-Mum 22, Warsaw 19. The Raiders collected themselves and ratcheted up their defense. Cal-Mum pressure defense forced turnovers as they once again opened up a 10-point lead after a Steve Burns basket and free throw. A second Aaron Hallett 3-point basket and another Burns two pointer sandwiched between two Warsaw baskets ended the half with Cal-Mum in control 36 to 25. The Raiders extended their lead to fifteen points and held it there for most of the 3rd quarter. Chris Hall then was involved in the play that completely wiped out any chance of a Tiger come back. Hall was fouled while driving for a lay up. Warsaw’s Kirk Baker then smashes his fist into the wall behind the basket, bringing a technical foul call. Hall makes his two free throws for the blocking foul, then he converts both free throws for the technical foul and Raiders were given possession of the ball, which Brian Pullyblank takes in for a basket. A six-point swing that pretty much buried the Tiger for the night. The Raiders were holding a 20-point lead with 4:30 remaining in the contest when Coach Dan Dickens put in the reserves. The Raiders were outscored 12 to 2 down the stretch but the cushion was so large, the Raiders were never really threatened. Brian Pullyblank took home the scoring honors for the Raiders in the game with 20 points along with 13 rebounds. Brian was all over the floor as he accounted for an amazing 7 seven steals. Steve Burns and Aaron Hallett each added 11 points to the victory. Cory Carlson was the high man for the Tigers with 22 points.
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Notre Dame Rules "The Night
of the Long Ball" In the span of the first three minutes of the final quarter, Batavia Notre Dame used a 14 to 2 run to turn a one point deficit into an eleven point lead. Fueled by consecutive 3-pointers by Rick Mancuso and Ryan Anderson followed quickly by a Mancuso 2-point basket, the Irish jumped on the Raiders at the start of the 4th quarter. Justin Walsh finally stopped that run with a Raider basket. No sooner was that run stopped, then the Irish quickly bombed in another two more 3-pointers as their lead ballooned to 61 to 50. From this point on the Raiders were left scurrying to get back into the game. The game was punctuated by eighteen 3-point field goals,eleven coming from Notre Dame team and seven from the hometown Raiders. In the wild final quarter the two teams combined for 48 points including six 3-pointers as the Raiders tried frantically to pull the victory out. The Raiders nearly caught up to the Irish cutting their lead to two on a Brian Pullyblank basket with 34 seconds remaining. The Raiders were then forced to foul, the Irish converted two consecutive one and one situations before Aaron Hallett hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining to once again cut into the lead, this time to three. The Irish responded by breaking the tough Raider press for an uncontested lay up as time expired, sealing the victory in this emotionally charged game. The Irish came out of the gate fast in this game as they jumped out to an early 15 to 7 first quarter lead. A 3-point field goal and a two-point basket by Jeff Grattan followed by a Justin Walsh basket got the Raiders back in the game at 14 to 15. Chris Harrison of Batavia scored a bucket at the end of the quarter to give the Irish a 17 to 14 lead. The Raiders came out fast and scored five quick points in the second quarter. A Chris Hall basket and a Hallett 3-pointer gave the Raiders the lead, 19 to 17. The two teams battled back and forth for the next four minutes. Notre Dame’s Ryan Anderson stepped up big as he tossed in two 3-pointers sandwiched around a Justin Walsh bucket to give the Irish the largest lead of the quarter at 25 to 30. Two Aaron Hallett fast break baskets cut the lead to one before Notre Dame’s Jason Swinton scored the final basket of the quarter. The Irish went into halftime with a close 32 to 29 edge. Things began to heat up in the 3rd quarter as the teams went back and forth scoring points. With four minutes remaining in the quarter, Jeff Grattan tossed in a 3-pointer to tie the game for the Raiders. Consecutive baskets by Brian Pullyblank and Steve Burns gave the Raiders their largest lead of the game at 45 to 41. The Irish clawed back to tie the score at 45 all on a Ryan Francis 3-pointer. Aaron Hallett returned the Irish favor with a Raider 3-pointer of his own. ND’s Chris Harrison converted a one and one situation end the quarter for the Irish leaving the Raiders on top, 48 to 47. The Raiders were reeling after the 14 to 2 run at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Down 61 to 50, the Raiders showed real character and began the long climb back. The Irish refused to fold though as they were matching basket for basket with the Raiders. Late in the game, a Zach Nothnagle basket reduced the Irish lead to seven at 68 to 61. Jeff Grattan added to the Raider momentum with a 3-pointer. Finally Brian Pullyblank closed the gap to two at 68 to 66 before the time ran out on the Raiders. The Raider offense was lead by Jeff Grattan with 15 points including four 3-point baskets. Brian Pullyblank followed Grattan in the scoring column with 14 points. Aaron Hallett scored 13 points as he chipped in three 3-pointers. Brian Pullyblank was a monster on the boards with 13 rebounds. Zach Nothnagle contributed 5 assists to the Raider cause. The Irish were lead by Jason Swinson with 20 points, followed by Chris Harrison with 18.
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Raiders Capture Christmas
Tournament over Attica The Raiders employed a swarming defense to totally overwhelm their championship opponent, the Attica Blue Devils. The defense was so dominating that Attica could only register one basket for the entire 1st quarter. The Raiders followed that strong defensive effort into the 2nd quarter to only surrender seven more points, giving Attica a paltry total of nine first half points. The game was essentially over at halftime as the Raiders led 30 to 9 at the intermission. Both teams started out the game shooting poorly. Cal-Mum finally broke into the scoring column on a Brian Pullyblank put back. Two Justin Walsh baskets and another Pullyblank bucket put the Raiders on top, 9 to 0. Rob Crowley broke the scoring ice for Attica at the 2:55 mark of the opening stanza but that was to be the only offensive production for Attica in the quarter. Aaron Hallett ended the quarter by hitting a 3-point bomb, giving Cal-Mum the 12 to 2 first quarter lead. Brian Pullyblank opened the 2nd quarter as he did in the 1st quarter, with a basket. Attica responded with a 3-point basket by Donnie Kirsch. Raider point guard Jeff Grattan took the inbound pass and quickly sprinted down the court and found Pullyblank on the wing, he delivered the ball to Pully who turned and drilled a 3-point basket for the Raiders. The Raiders’ press continued to harass the Attica guards who were bringing the ball up the court, forcing numerous turnovers. The prettiest play of the evening had Zach Nothnagle driving toward the basket on a fast break, drawing the defenseman to him and then delivering a perfect alley-oop pass to a fast charging Steve Burns, for a lay in. A Steve Burns 3-point basket at the end of the quarter put an exclamation point on a most dominating first half of basketball by Cal-Mum. The Raiders retired to the locker room at half time with a comfortable 30 to 9 lead in hand. The Devils and the Raiders played even for the 3rd quarter. Each team scored 16 points in the quarter as the Devils handled the Raider defensive pressure better. The teams entered the final quarter with the Raiders on top by a 46 to 25 margin. The Raiders’ defensive blitz was not over for the night though. Beginning at the start of the 4th quarter, the Raiders ratcheted up their swarming defense. The Raiders, using reserves, pushed their lead to 33 points with 2 minutes remaining in the game before giving up some Attica baskets to end the game. Zach Nothnagle for the second night in a row did an outstanding defensive job. Jeff Grattan ran the offense and distributed the ball very well. Chris Hall, once again, came off the bench to add scoring punch to the offense. Cody Osborn was disruptive to Attica’s offense as he came up with 4 steals. Steve Burns, Justin Walsh and Brian Pullyblank owned the backboards over the taller Devils. Offensively, Brian Pullyblank was top scorer with 16 points followed by Chris Hall with 9 points as nine Raiders scored. Attica’s Derek Wolfley had a strong 3rd quarter to score all 9 of his points for the night. Brian Pullyblank took home the MVP honors for Cal-Mum. Fellow teammates; Chris Hall and Justin Walsh joined Pullyblank on the all tournament team. Attica’s All-Tournament representatives were Rob Crowley and Derek Wolfley. Williamson was represented by Pete Loney and Byron-Bergen by Jess Dennie.
Byron-Bergen defeats Williamson
in Consolation Game The Bees pulled away slowly from Williamson. Byron-Bergen outscored Williamson in each of the first three quarters. The Bees were led in scoring by Pete Loney with 27 points and Kyle Olmstead with 20 points. Six Byron-Bergen 3-point goals to Williamson’s two were the difference in the contest. Williamson was led by their do everything guard Jesse Dennie with his 26 points. Cale Flora chipped in 10.
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Cal-Mum shuts down Byron-Bergen The Byron-Bergen Bees came into the Caledonia-Mumford Christmas Tournament with a reputation of having a high scoring offense. The Raiders countered that high scoring offense with a tough in-your-face defense. The defense limited the Bees to 11 first quarter points. The Raiders’ offense was also cool as they could only muster 8 points in the opening quarter. The offense finally warmed up in the second quarter producing what could be characterized as a team effort. Coach Dan Dickens could not have hoped for better offensives quarter which had seven Raiders contributing to the scoring column. A nasty full court press put on by the Raiders produced numerous Bees’ turnovers, resulting in easy Raider baskets. The press was the catalyst for the Raiders’ offensive surge. Cal Mum had the early opportunities in the 1st quarter but they were unable to find the bottom of the basket. Byron-Bergen jumped out to an early 4 to 0 lead. The Raiders fought back and finally took the lead at 8 to 6 on a Jeff Grattan basket. The Bees were persistent as they ended the quarter on a basket by Brendan Lougheed followed by a 3-point bucket by Mike Barrard for an 11 to 8 advantage. The Raiders came out in the 2nd quarter and completely dominated the Bees. Steve Burns tied the game with a 3-point play before Pete Loney gave the Bees their final lead of the game at 13 to 11. Consecutive baskets by Brian Pullyblank, Justin Walsh and Cody Osborn opened up a 17 to 13 advantage. Bees’ Kyle Olmstead scored what was to be the last of his team’s points for the quarter to narrow the lead at two, 17 to 15. From this point forward the Raiders owned the quarter. Cal-Mum scored 12 unanswered points to end the quarter, taking a 29 to 15 lead over Byron-Bergen into the locker room at the halftime break. The Bees made a run at the Raiders in the 3rd quarter, which was made possible in large part by three 3-point baskets. Byron-Bergen cut the Raider lead to seven at 35 to 28. Aiding the Bees’ ability to get back into the game were 8 consecutive missed free throws during this stretch by Cal-Mum. The Raiders weathered the threat and as quickly as the Bees had cut into the Raiders’ advantage, Cal-Mum struck back with 9 consecutive points featuring 3-point baskets by both Aaron Hallett and Jeff Grattan. . Baskets by Brian Pullyblank and Cody Osborn capped the scoring of the quarter, pushing the Raider lead up to 48 to 30. The Raiders maintained a 20-point lead for the better part of the last quarter before an 11 to 2 point run by the Bees against the Raider reserves closed out the game. The Raiders received balance scoring with seven players with five or more points, led by Justin Walsh’s 15 points. Brian Pullyblank was a terror on the boards with 14 rebounds. Brian also contributed four assists. After two previous good free-throw shooting games, the Raiders were again freezing, shooting 37% from the line, making only 10 of 26 attempts. Pete Loney was the high man for the Bees with 17 points, followed by Jon Flannery with 11.
Attica outlasts Williamson Attica blew open their game against Williamson with a strong 2nd quarter, scoring 21-points to open an 11-point halftime bulge. Bob Crowley was outstanding in the first half for Attica as he carried the Devils’ offense with 17 points. The Devils extended their lead over Williamson in the 3rd quarter with help in scoring from Russell Nash and Derek Wolfley. Williamson’s Jess Dennie turned in a superior effort as he accounted for 29 of Williamson’s 50 points. Attica was hot all night from the free throw line as they managed to shoot at 81% clip, good on 21 of their 26 attempts.
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Raiders defeat Geneseo 66 to 43 Four different Raiders made their presence felt in each of the four quarters of the contest. Brian Pullyblank, Zach Nothnagle, Justin Walsh and Jeff Grattan each took turns in leaving their mark during one of the quarters of the Geneseo game. The Thursday evening game with Geneseo was close for the first 3 ½ minutes. At the 4:40 mark of the first quarter Brian Pullyblank pulled up and hit a 3-point basket, snapping a 7-7 tie. Steve Burns followed Pullyblank’s "3" with a driving lay up and Zach Nothnagle threw in a 3-point basket of his own on the Raiders next trip up court to break this game open early. During this 1 ½ minute stretch, the Raiders jumped out to a 15 to 7 lead and they were never seriously threatened for the rest of the night. Geneseo opened the scoring on a basket by Nick Mann. The lead seesawed back and forth until Brian Pullyblank’s 3-point basket gave the Raiders the lead for good. The Raiders were the better ball club from this point on as Pullyblank carried the Raiders in the first quarter with his nine points. A Chris Hall’s basket before the end of the quarter put the Raiders on top 21 to 15. Zach Nothnagle took his turn in carrying the Raider offense, as he was responsible for 10 of the Raider’s 21 2nd quarter points. The Raiders blitzed the Devils in the second stanza to the tune of 18 to 7 scoring differential. The Raiders went into halftime with a comfortable 17-point lead, 39 to 22. Third quarter was Justin Walsh time. Justin scored the first two Raider baskets of the quarter and he also finished off with two 1 & 1 free throw situations for 8 of the Raider’s 12 3rd quarter points. The Raiders would stretch their lead to 20 points on Walsh’s last free throws, for a 51 to 31 lead. Geneseo came out in the fourth quarter with a mini run. The Devils scored 9 of the first 11 points of the period to cut the deficit to 53 to 40. Jeff Grattan stopped any idea of a Geneseo comeback when he drilled a 3-point basket. A Pullyblank free throw and an Aaron Hallett basket were sandwiched between a second Grattan 3-point basket to push the lead back to 19 at 59 to 40. The big lead gave Coach Dan Dickens an opportunity to play his reserves. Subs, Aaron Rodger, Nate Sims and Aaron Philps played well for the Raiders as they pushed the final score to 66 - 43. The Raiders’ balance scoring was led by Justin Walsh with 14 points followed by Zach Nothnagle with 13 and Brian Pullyblank with 12 points. Pullyblank had a very good overall game as he also collected 10 rebounds and 6 steals on the night. The Raiders also took care of the ball better as there was much less turning the ball over than in recent games. The Raiders continued to struggle in the paint as they missed many inside shots. If Cal-Mum were to start making those shots, this team could be very good team. Despite this shortcoming, the team certainly has displayed great hustle and determination so far this season The Raiders have strung together two wins prior to the start of their holiday tournament. The Cal-Mum Christmas Tournament starts Tuesday, December 28th. Participants in this year’s tournament include Attica, Byron-Bergin and Williamson. The JV portion of the tournament begins at 2:30 p.m. with the first of two games. The Varsity contests will be held at 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. Consolation and Championship games will be held on the next day, Wednesday December 29th.
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Raiders shutdown
Pavilion comeback 52 to 44 The Raiders took a seemingly insurmountable 15 point lead into the final quarter against Pavilion. The Gophers refused to go away as they came out hot in the last stanza and cut the Raider lead down to 3 points at 45-42 with 1:57 remaining in the game. A late Aaron Hallett basket followed by a Brian Pullyblank 3-point play pushed the lead back to 8-points and put an end to the Pavilion comeback. The first quarter was a back and forth affair that featured two 3-point baskets by Raider Aaron Hallett. Pavilion relied on their power forward Chris Logsdon’s 6-points to keep the score tied at 14 at the end of the quarter. Cal-Mum took the game over in the second quarter as the Raiders dominated play outscoring Pavilion 16 to 9. Zach Nothnagle and Brian Pullyblank each contributed 6-points to the Raider 2nd quarter scoring total. Chris Logsdon once again kept the Gophers in the contest as he scored 8 of the 9 Gopher points in the quarter. The Raiders went into halftime with a 30 to 23 lead over Pavilion. The Raiders came out of the locker room after halftime and continued their fine play all the way through to the end of the third quarter. The Raiders defense was stingy as they only allowed Pavilion 5 points in the 3rd quarter. Cal-Mum’s offense outscored the Gophers 29 to 14 during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, to give the Raiders the big 15-point lead entering the 4th quarter. Pavilion scored the first 10 points of the last quarter to turn a blow out into a nail biter. Justin Walsh scored the Raiders first points of the quarter with 3:53 remaining to push the lead back up to 7 points before a Chris Logsdon basket followed by two free throws cut that lead to three. Hallett and Pullyblank then stepped up big to salt this contest away and move the Raiders season record to 3 and 2. The Raiders were led offensively by Brian Pullyblank with 15 points. Aaron Hallet added 12 points while both Zach Nothnagle and Steve Burns chipped in 8 points apiece. Pullyblank also pulled down 10 rebounds on the night. Chris Logsdon was the top scorer for Pavilion with 20 points. Leland Reynolds added 9 points to the Gopher cause. The Raiders, who have been shooting well as of late from the free throw line, shot very poorly at the charity stripe against Pavilion. A 6 for 21 effort from the free throw line translated into a paltry 28.5% conversion rate for the game. Six costly missed free throws in the 3rd quarter allowed the Gophers to climb back into this game. I’m sure Coach Dan Dickens will have his players concentrating on this aspect of their game as the Raiders look to improve during the middle portion of their schedule.
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Raiders come up short against Letchworth 58 to 53 The Raiders were in this game right up to the final seconds. A rash of turnovers in the last minute and thirty seconds shattered any chance of winning the contest though. Late in the game, Raider Aaron Hallett had just made both free throws on a one and one free-throw situation, giving the Raiders the lead at 53 to 52 with just 2:10 remaining in the contest. That would be the last points scored by the Raiders in the game. Letchworth’s Allen Golibersuch gave the lead back to Letchworth, on a put back shot and a Mark Beyer basket and two free throws by Travis Helmer would close out the Letchworth scoring. The Raiders lack of taking care of the ball down the stretch cost them as they had few good scoring opportunities late, due to their turnover dilemma. The Raiders jumped out on top in the first quarter, sprinting to an early 11 to 2 lead with just 3:28 gone in the opening stanza. Letchworth’s Coach Tim McMullen called a time out and settled his players down. The Indians responded as they rattled off the next 12-points to take a 14 to 11 lead. The Raiders did manage to come back and tie the score, as Aaron Hallett hit a basket late, was fouled and he made the free throw to even the score at 14 at the end of the quarter. The second quarter continued to be played at a rapid pace. The lead went back and forth for most of the quarter. The Raiders were trailing 27 to 23 before they put together a run of their own, to end of the half. Cody Osborn started things rolling with a driving lay-up. Justin Walsh then scored off a Zach Nothnagle assist. Nothnagle then scored off a Brian Pullyblank assist and Nothnagle returned the favor for an assist on a Pullyblank basket. The Raiders ended the half by scoring the last 10 points, good for the 33-27 halftime advantage. The Indians came out on fire to start the second half. The first three minutes belonged to Letchworth as they quickly turned the 33-27 deficit into a 36 to 33 lead. The game from this point was tight. The teams were never more than 4-points apart as they took turns scoring baskets. The final period was an intense, physical battle all the way. Letchworth’s offense was restricted mostly to the Indian big men, as Mark Beyer and Allen Golibersuch scored 12 of the Indian’s 14 points. The Raiders were kept in the game by the free throw shooting of Aaron Hallett as he went 8 for 8 from the free throw stripe. In the end, the Raiders’ inability to protect the basketball was the difference in the game. Justin Walsh led the Raider offense with 12 points and Aaron Hallett was runner up with 10 points. Brian Pullyblank chipped in 8 points and 17 rebounds. Letchworth’s leading scorers on the night were Travis Helmer with 19 points and Allen Golibersuch with 14 points. The Raider offense struggled in its low post offense all evening long. Cal-Mum missed numerous in close shots that just would not fall. If they made these shots, they could have put the Letchworth away by halftime. Combine the poor low post shooting with the unexpected turnovers, these were the major components of defeat for Cal-Mum. The 2-2 Raiders next play Pavilion at home this coming Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m.
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Raiders Stun Perry 45 to 40 Cal-Mum was clinging to a one-point lead with only 41 seconds remaining in the game. Aaron Hallett was just fouled and he was at the free throw line. Hallett responded by knocking down his two free throw attempts to open a 42-39 lead for the Raiders. Hallett then followed those two free throws with two more free throws with 16 seconds left to make it a two-possession game for Perry. The final 3:40 of the game was as intense as any basketball game can get. Perry had just forged its first tie of the game at 37 and the game appeared to be slipping away from the Raiders. One minute later, Perry’s Carl Emory connected on two free throw attempts to give Perry its first lead of the contest at 39 to 37. Raider Jeff Grattan then steps up and hit probably the biggest shot of the night for Cal-Mum, a 3-pointer, to give the lead back to Cal-Mum who would hold off the Yellow Jackets for the rest of the game and the win. Though Hallett and Grattan were pivotal at the end of the game, this night belonged to the big men of the Raiders. Center Justin Walsh and Forward Brian Pullyblank carried the scoring load on offense for the Raiders, in addition they both turned in strong performances in the rebounding department. The two worked well together all night long, as several of Walsh’s easy lay-ups were the direct result of nice passes delivered by Pullyblank. The Raiders opened the game fast as they jumped out to a 4 to 0 lead on a Zach Nothnagle lay-up and two Justin Walsh free throws. Perry cut the lead to 12 to 10. The Raiders closed out the first quarter with baskets by Grattan and Walsh to take a 16 to 10 advantage. A Brian Pullyblank 3-point basket followed by a Pullyblank assist to Walsh for a lay-up, opened the second quarter and pushed the Raider lead to 21 to 10. The Raiders scoring outburst opened up the largest lead of the game for Cal-Mum. Perry’s Chris Bzduch finally scored with 4:42 remaining in the quarter, ending the Yellow Jackets’ scoring drought. Perry offense managed to settle down as they scored the final six points in the quarter to cut the Raider lead to 23 to 18 at halftime. The third quarter was played evenly as the Raiders pushed their lead to nine points before Perry once again whittled it back down. A Chris Hall’s basket just before the end of the third quarter pushed the Raider advantage, once again to five at 28 to 33. Perry’s Carl Embury was the man for the Yellow Jackets in the final quarter. Embury’s two free throws with 4:29 remaining in the final quarter pulled Perry to within two of Cal-Mum at 37 to 35. Justin Walsh then had an opportunity to extend the Raider lead with a one and one free throw situation but on the first free throw the ball bounced around the rim before finally settling on the back of the rim against the backboard, just sitting there motionless. The play resulted in a change of possession to Perry, as the Yellow Jackets controlled the possession arrow. Neal Eberstein’s basket followed by another Embury basket gave Perry a tie and then its first and only lead of the game. This set the stag for the exciting close of the contest for Cal-Mum. Offensively, the Raiders were led by Justin Walsh with 17 points followed by Brian Pullyblank with 11. Perry's leading scorer was Carl Embury with 14 points. Wash and Pullyblank were also huge in rebounding the basketball. Walsh had 16 rebounds on the night and Pullyblank followed with 11 of his own.
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Raiders Outlast York 43 to 36 Thirty seconds remained in the game, York had cut a 7-point lead down to three and Raider, Justin Walsh was just fouled by a York player. Justin came to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times and calmly sank both free throws, clinching the game for the Raiders. The basketball contest Friday evening in York was a game of runs by each team. After a close first half, York opened a 28 to 20 advantage on Cal-Mum early in the third quarter. The Raiders came storming back as they opened a 37 to 30 lead of their own in the fourth quarter, eventually holding off the home standing York Knights. The Raiders opened the scoring in the game but York scored the next seven points for a 7 to 2 lead. A Brian Pullyblank lay in brought the Raiders to within 7 to 6 before a Steve Burns 2-pointer finally gave the Raiders their second lead of the game at 8 to 7. The first quarter ended though with the Knights on top 10 to 9. Brian Pullyblank was saddled with three fouls early in this game, sending him to the bench till the second half. York continued to play well in the second quarter as they slowly began to separate themselves from the Raiders. The Knights held a 23 to 16 lead just before halftime when Justin Walsh hit both ends of a one and one to bring the Raiders to within five points at 23 to 18 at the half time buzzer. Brian Pullyblank started the second half but quickly collected his 4th personal foul at the 5:24 mark of the third quarter. York was threatening to run away with the game. York went on a run and led 28 to 20 mid-way through the 3rd quarter. Cal-Mum responded and chipped away at the York lead to make the score 28 to 27, York leading at the end of three-quarters. Pullyblank was inserted into the lineup early in the 4th quarter and his presence was quickly felt as he contributed 5 quick points. No sooner did Brian appear to get into a rhythm when he was called for his 5th and final foul, disqualifying him for the remainder of the game. The Raiders pulled together in this one and built their own small lead before Justin Walsh’s heroics at the end of the game. Chris Hall scored the final points of the game as laid the ball in as the buzzer went off. Justin Walsh was the offensive leader with 14 points as he made 4 baskets and was 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Brian Pullyblank added 9 points in limited playing time. Kody Thompson led York offensively with 9 points.
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Cal-Mum Drops Opener to Avon 46 to 37 Cal-Mum Boys Basketball team opened the 2004 - 2005 basketball campaign against the Avon Braves. The Raiders task was made more difficult by playing a team who had already played four games and had performed well in those contests. This was to be the first game of the season for the Raiders and they were eager to make a statement by coming out and getting a victory over their rival, Avon. The Raider’s predictably started out slowly. Cal-Mum in an attempt to force the action turned the ball over several times in the 1st quarter. Avon’s offense appeared to be more patient and they were looking for the better scoring opportunities. Their patients paid off as they were ahead at the end of the initial period, 11 to 7. The Raiders did come out in the second quarter and played much better defense, holding the Brave to only 4 points in the period. The Cal-Mum offense was not prolific itself but the Raiders scored 10 points and went into half time with a 17 to 15 lead. The Braves came out of the halftime break on fire. They quickly established their offense as they took control and stretched their lead to 8 points. Avon, on three occasions in the period, worked the clock down to the single digits and then fired in a 3-point basket, negating the strong defensive stand by the Raiders. The Raiders offense did manage 13 points in the quarter but the 22 points scored by Avon gave the Braves a comfortable 37 to 30 lead entering the final stanza. Both teams’ offenses cooled off considerably in the last period but Avon defense kept the Raiders from making any serious threat for the rest of the game. Brian Pullyblank led Cal-Mum with 16 points. He was followed in scoring by Justin Walsh with 8 points. Paul Heydweiller led Avon’s offense with 15 points and Joey Sattora chipped in 11 points for the Braves as each put in three 3-pointers apiece. The Raiders did not help themselves as they went only 4 for 11 from the free throw line on the evening.
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2004-2005 ROSTER
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PLAYER |
GRADE | POSITION | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
| 22 | Steve Burns | 12 | G | 6'0" | 175 |
| 4 | Jeff Grattan | 12 | G | 5'9" | 140 |
| 44 | Zach Nothnagle | 12 | G/F | 5'11" | 190 |
| 20 | Aaron Philp | 12 | G | 5'10" | 160 |
| 10 | Brian Pullyblank | 12 | F | 6'1" | 210 |
| 45 | Justin Walsh | 12 | F | 6'4" | 220 |
| 41 | Chris Hall | 11 | F | 6'2'' | 160 |
| 32 | Aaron Hallet | 11 | G | 5'7" | 155 |
| 13 | Cody Osborn | 11 | F | 6'0" | 180 |
| 40 | Aaron Rodger | 11 | G | 6'0" | 160 |
| 25 | Nate Sims | 11 | G/F | 6'0" | 175 |
Varsity Coach - Dan
Dickens
JV Coach - David Pero
Modified Coach - Eric Amorese
