Twin Valley has speed, but not much height. Leland & Gray has height and speed. In basketball, height and speed usually bests just speed alone, and that was the case last Tuesday as the Rebels clobbered the Wildcats, 72-32, in Townshend.
The Rebels were coming off a 54-29 win over Twin Valley in the Green Mountain Tourney a week earlier, so the Wildcats knew exactly what they were in for. The Rebels went on a 27-1 run in the first 10 minutes of the game, and the Wildcats never recovered.
Bobby Culver led the Rebels with 23 points, and Brandon Reilly scored 16 of his 17 points in the first half. Sophomore guard Colin Lozito led the Wildcats with 14.
Boys' basketball
• The Brattleboro boys' basketball team improved to 6-1 with a 68-42 win over the Hartford Hurricanes at the BUHS gym on Thursday.
Four Colonels were in double figures, led by Soren Pelz-Walsh with 15 points. Jay Vinci, Tommy Heydinger, and Jackson Batchelder added 14, 13, and 11 points, respectively. Josh Clafin scored 13 points for the Hurricanes.
Brattleboro was in control all the way. They led 30-19 at the half and opened up a 28-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
• Bellows Falls beat Black River in Ludlow, 59-36, last Tuesday, and then got a scare from Twin Valley at home on Friday. The Terriers needed a last second three-pointer by Drew Guild to pull out a 44-41 win over the Wildcats.
Mike Hall led the undefeated (5-0) Terriers with 21 points. Lozito led the 1-6 Wildcats with 23 points.
• Leland & Gray improved to 6-2 with a 54-44 win over Otter Valley on Friday. Christopher Lasch and Reilly each scored 19 points in the victory. Lasch also had 5 steals and 5 assists, while Reilly pulled down 8 rebounds.
Girls' basketball
• The holidays may be over, but Twin Valley was still in a giving mood last Wednesday. They turned the ball over 29 times, and gave Proctor a 50-40 win in double overtime. Shannon Lozito led Twin Valley with 15 points. Abbi Molner finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds, Savannah Nesbitt added 6 points, and Lexi Reinertson hauled down 10 rebounds.
• Brattleboro suffered its worst loss of the season as St. Albans hammered the Colonels, 75-39, at the BUHS gym. The Comets hit six three-points, sank 23 free throws, and used a solid pressure defense to open up a big lead by the second half. Mary Richardson and Arianna Harrison scored 8 points each to lead the 3-3 Colonels.
Hockey
• The Brattleboro boys have a 2-6 record and are struggling through the first half of their season, and the source of their struggles seems to be a lack of consistency in their play.
An example of this came last Wednesday at the Withington Rink against the Rutland Raiders. The Colonels and Raiders were even through most of the game, but Rutland scored the game-winner with 1:48 left in regulation for a 3-2 victory.
Brattleboro got out of the first period with a 1-1 tie when Andy Harris scored with just 1.1 seconds left, and took the lead in the second period on an Adam Griffin goal with 11:32 remaining.
Jordan Godfrey did the rest for the Raiders as he scored the tying goal with 7:15 left in the third period, and then got the winning goal. Greg DiSilva had 22 saves in goal for the Colonels, while Rutland's Casey Greene had 32 saves.
The Colonels bounced back from that frustrating loss with a 7-1 beating of the winless Woodstock Wasps on Saturday.
The Wasps were just the tonic the Colonels needed to get their game together as Philip Perkins and Colin Campbell both scored two goals. Griffin, Romello Lindsay and Logan Turner-Renaud each added a goal. DiSilva made 20 saves in goal.
• For the second time this season, Madison Doucette scored a game-winning overtime goal for the Brattleboro girls.
Doucette knocked in a loose puck at 2:21 of overtime to give Brattleboro a 4-3 win over North Country in Newport last Wednesday. Emily Watson had a pair of goals in regulation time, and Maddie Rollins also scored for the Colonels as they rallied from a 2-0 deficit.
On Saturday, Brattleboro traveled to Manchester and lost to Burr & Burton, 5-2. The Bulldogs capitalized on early miscues by the Colonels and took a 3-1 lead after one period. Emily Wilson scored both of the Brattleboro goals.
Wrestling
• Sophomore Nolan Viens won six straight matches and was crowned the tournament champion at the 145-pound weight class as the Bellows Falls-Hartford wrestling team finished seventh out of 16 teams at the Hubie Wagner Wrestling Tournament at Middlebury High School on Dec. 28 and 29.
This was Viens' second tournament championship in a row, as he improved to 16-1 overall this season.
In the 106-pound class, freshman Austin Viens won five straight matches to place third at the event. He improved to 17-2. Steve Cerrone also placed third in the 132-pound weight class, while freshman Kyle Record won his first five matches in the 152-pound class, but lost his final two matches against two of the state's top wrestlers to finish fourth.
Patrick Libuda, Josh Morey, Chris Earle, and Shane Brown also participated in the event for BF-Hartford.
On Saturday, BF-Hartford traveled to Brandon for the Otter Valley tournament. Nolan Viens advanced to the finals of the 145-pound class, where he lost to Tyler White of Mount Anthony. Cerrone also made it to the 132-pound finals, where he lost to two-time state champ Zak Hale of Mount Anthony.
Injuries and illness left BF-Hartford with only five wrestlers for this event, yet their top two wrestlers held their own against two of the best wrestlers in the state. That is a good sign as BF-Hartford hits the midpoint of the season.
Skating classes offered
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department will offer skating classes at the Withington Rink this month.
A speed skating program, for skaters ages 7 and up, will be held on Sundays from Jan. 15 to Feb. 19, from 7:30-8:30 a.m. The cost is $30 for adult residents ($50 for non-residents) and $15 for children ($30 for non-residents). For more information, call Edwin at 802-254-6965.
Ice skating lessons for children will be offered on Saturday mornings from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18. Beginners classes will from 10:30-11 a.m., advanced beginners meet from 11:10-11:40 a.m., and intermediate skaters meet from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The cost is $40 for residents, $55 for non-residents. Call instructor Mollie Burke at 802-257-4844.
Youth gymnastics classes begin
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department will also offer an eight-week gymnastics class for children from 18 months to 18 years, starting Jan. 23 at the Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St.
Classes on Tuesday or Thursday are from 4-4:45 p.m., ages 4-5; 5 -6 p.m., ages 6-8; and 6-7 p.m., ages 9-18.
On Saturday, times are from 8:30-9 a.m., 18 months-3 years with parent; 9:15-9:45 a.m., age 3; and 9:45-10:30 a.m., ages 4-5, 6-8.
Lorraine Cote will be the instructor. The cost for the eight-week session is $55 for residents, $70 for non-residents. Call the Recreation & Parks Department at 802-254-5808 for more information.
Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer snowshoe series returns to Stratton
• The 10th annual Tubbs Snowshoe Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer, to benefit the Vermont-New Hampshire Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Stratton Mountain Resort.
The event, which offers a choice of a 3K or 5K snowshoe walk, or a 3K snowshoe race, drew 880 people and raised $96,900 last year, and organizers hope to top both numbers. For registration, tips on joining or forming a team, or to learn more about sponsoring or supporting the Romp, visit www.tubbsromptostomp.com.
Grafton Ponds opens some of its nordic trails
• It may be the only way that nordic skiers will get outside this winter, but the snow guns at Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center has managed to cover about 2 kilometers of trails with enough snow to ski on.
They say that they are making snow at every available opportunity, enough to cover a base area loop, and another a loop with a more advanced incline.
Grafton Ponds Director Bill Salmon said that “we've had every ski league and school within a 50-mile radius,” coming to the center, not to mention some U.S. Ski Team members and recreational skiers hungry for snow.
With the weather so variable so far this winter, it's best to call ahead at 802-843-2400 to get the latest conditions.