At the other end of the floor, Randolph was showing why it is one of the teams to beat in Class C.

Anderson poured in 22 points, in the process becoming Cassadaga Valley’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball, but the Cardinals beat the Cougars 74-42 to wrap up a share of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 3 title inside the Art Asquith Gymnasium.

Anderson entered the game needing 16 points to tie 1979 graduate Vicki Swanson-Martin, who at the time of her graduation was Chautauqua County’s all-time leading scorer with 1,576 points.

After a slow start to the game, Anderson hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter that seemed to get her going. Another pair of 3-pointers and a free throw in the second quarter left the senior with 10 points at halftime.

Cassadaga Valley’s Emiley Anderson is pictured with her parents, Darren and Jen, and sister, Hailey, after Emiley passed Vicki Swanson-Martin as Cassadaga Valley’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball during Wednesday’s CCAA Division 3 game against Randolph in Sinclairville. Photo courtesy of Debbra Bailey

“I was a little nervous before the game,” Anderson said postgame, “but once the game started I was just trying to do what’s best for my team.”

In the third quarter, Anderson started to take advantage of her inside game, putting in three buckets in the paint to tie Swanson-Martin.

“This year, she’s been struggling shooting-wise, but she’s scoring a lot of points in the paint,” Cassadaga Valley head coach Al Roller said. “She’s been hitting the weight room … even though she’s still probably 105 pounds. She’s putting in the work.”

Following the break in between the third and fourth quarters, Anderson dribbled the ball up the floor and passed off to a teammate before getting the ball back in the paint and scoring on a runner in the lane.

“She has to bring the ball up and has the ball in her hands. We try to get a lot of action with her and Alyiah (Hopkins),” Roller said. ” … We’re playing one of the best teams in the state and that makes it hard.”

Anderson is pictured with Swanson-Martin. Photo courtesy of Debbra Bailey

The crowd erupted and then, after a defensive rebound at the other end of the floor, Roller used a timeout to allow the Cassadaga Valley cheering section the appropriate time to honor Anderson.

“It’s a good day for Cassadaga Valley,” Roller said, ” … a proud moment.”

The Cardinals, despite being without senior Payton Morrison due to an illness, were in cruise control all night. They led 17-4 after the first quarter and 38-15 at halftime as sophomore Skylar Herington had 14 points and senior Sadie Steward added 10.

“I thought we came out and played really strong defensively,” Randolph head coach David Pihlblad said. “It wasn’t our cleanest beginning to a game, but we finally found our groove.”

Herington, who happens to be Swanson-Martin’s granddaughter and is a 1,000-point scorer in her own right, added 18 more points in the second half to finish the night with a game-high 32.

“I thought we played really unselfish at times,” Pihlblad said. “We had a couple of possessions where, against a different post player, we probably would take that shot, but one more pass and we would get something easy.”

Following the game, Anderson took time to take pictures with family, coaches, teammates and Swanson-Martin, who was in attendance to watch the milestone.

“I know her pretty well because I go to the gym and work out,” Anderson said of Swanson-Martin, who is a fitness center supervisor at Cassadaga Valley. “It was really special having her here to watch me break it. I thought it meant a lot.”

Now the Cardinals will look to sharpen up before the playoffs with nonleague games at Nichols tonight and at St. Mary’s of Lancaster next Tuesday. They will be preparing for a likely rematch with Frewsburg in the postseason. The Bears and Randolph split their Division 3 games this year with each winning on their home floor.

“Our first goal always is to win the league title, that usually sets us up for a good seed for playoffs,” Pihlblad said. ” … We obviously have bigger goals now, moving on to a sectional title.”

Cassadaga Valley will host Clymer tonight to start a string of four nonleague games before the end of the regular season. Those games will give the Cougars a chance to prepare for another possible meeting with Randolph or Frewsburg in the postseason as well as give Anderson more action to add to her school scoring record, which currently stands at 1,582 points.

“We are the three best teams in Class C. I will play any team, any time, anywhere … if they don’t play Frewsburg and Randolph twice a year they have no idea what’s coming for them, “ Roller said. ” … I’ll play anybody in the playoffs and we’ll look the part, but when you play those two teams, they are just that good.”

NOTES: Senior Quinn Pence had 13 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals; Steward had 14 points, four rebounds and three steals; Herington had four steals; and junior Gianna Bowles had 9 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals for Randolph, which shot 31 of 64 from the field, including 11 of 28 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times. … Senior Aliyah Hopkins had 17 points and 12 rebounds; Anderson had seven rebounds; and sophomore Breonna Hopkins had seven rebounds for Cassadaga Valley, which shot 15 of 51 from the field, including 5 of 22 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 26 times.

RANDOLPH (74)

Hind 2 0 4, AMorrison 0 0 0, Bowles 3 1 9, Pence 5 0 13, Herington 13 0 32, Shawley 0 0 0, Bushey 1 0 2, Steward 7 0 14, Smallback 0 0 0. Totals 31 1 74.

CASSADAGA VALLEY (42)

DFanara 0 0 0, MFanara 0 0 0, Debo 0 0 0, Meder 0 1 1, Pattyson 0 0 0, Johnson 0 0 0, EAnderson 8 3 22, BHopkins 0 0 0, HAnderson 0 2 2, AHopkins 7 1 17. Totals 15 7 42.

3-point goals–Bowles 2, Pence 3, Herington 6, EAnderson 3, AHopkins 2.

Randolph 17 21 21 15 — 74

Cassadaga Valley 4 11 14 13 — 42