Medina Journal-Register — Getting point production from 13 different players, the Niagara-Orleans League downed the Genesee Region League 64-55 Friday in the 14th annual Exceptional Seniors boys basketball game at Medina High.

Medina’s Lonnie Taylor scored 14 to lead the balanced attack for the N-O squad which increases its lead in the series to 9-5.

Notre Dame’s Tommy Prospero took game high honors with 15, including three threes, and Wheatland-Chili’s Eric Griffin tallied 10 to lead the way for the G-R.

Leading from wire-to-wire, the N-O jumped out to a 13-5 first quarter lead as Taylor hit two buckets and Connor Sears (Newfane), Jacquille Peay (CSAT) and Matt Bker (Wilson) each chipped in with one.

A rare four-point play by Jake O’Keefe (Newfane) upped the N-O advantage to nine, 19-10 early in the second quarter, but the G-R answered with a 10-3 run to close the period cutting the deficit to two, 22-20, at the half. Kyle Morse (Elba) led that rally with six points.

However, the G-R would get no closer as the N-O countered with a big 20-8 third period scoring surge to move out to a 14 point, 42-28, advantage at the three-quarter mark. 

Four buckets by Taylor from close range spearheaded that surge which also included a three and a jumper by Marquise Riddick (Albion) and a three by O’Keefe. Riddick finished with seven and O’Keefe nine.

Two threes by Fred Koester (Albion), along with a pair of baskets by Gowah Abrams (Akron), helped the N-O extend its lead to 18, 58-40, with less than four minutes to play.

The G-R though made one last surge putting together an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to seven, 58-51.

However, the G-R would get no closer as Darnell Carson (CSAT) answered with two big baskets to up the lead back to 11 and Taylor closed out the victory with a lay-up.

Other local players in the contest included Ryan Thompson from Medina along with Brad Bobbitt, Ryan Farewell and Blake Copella from Roy-Hart on the N-O and Austin Bane from Lyndonville, Kyle Bell and Will Barniak from Holley and Dan Kelly and Jonah Dalcin from Kendall on the G-R.

N-O 64, G-R 55

G-R: Selden 6, Prospero 15, Barniak 1, Morse 8, Bender 4, Griffin 10, Bane 2, Bell 3, Jonathan 2, Cook 4, Total 55

N-O: Taylor 14, Sears 2, Carson 6, Peay 4, Weber 2, Baker 2, O’Keefe 9, Farewell 2, Riddick 7, Cole 4, Copella 2, Abrams 4, Koester 6, Total 64

3-Point Field Goals: Prospero (3), O’Keefe (2), Koester (2), Riddick

G-R: 5-15-8-27 = 55

N-O: 13-9-20-22 = 64