Wilmington and Whitingham never won a state boys' basketball title when they were separate high schools.
It's been about a decade since the two schools merged as Twin Valley, but a state title in Division IV boys' hoops continued to elude them.
This was the season when it looked like the Wildcats' fortunes would change. Many of the players who keyed an undefeated state championship team in soccer were playing basketball. They lost only one game in the regular season and advanced to the state finals for the first time in four tries.
Heartbreak continued on Saturday at Barre Municipal Auditorium as the top-seeded Wildcats lost to the second-seeded Danville Indians, 50-43, in the Division IV championship game.
Danville is used to breaking Twin Valley's heart: The Indians knocked the Wildcats out of the playoffs last season and the season before that. But this game was even more heartbreaking than those.
Twin Valley had a 10-point lead with five minutes to play. But Danville outscored the Wildcats, 17-0, to win its first state title since 1989.
Danville was led by Patrick White and Kyle Johnson, who each scored 20 points. During the 17-0 run Johnson went 7 of 9 from the free-throw line, and White scored 6 points.
Compared to their usual pattern this season, the Wildcats got out to an early lead on Danville. The Indians kept the game close; the first half ended tied at 24-24. Twin Valley started to pull away in the third quarter, and had a big lead early in the fourth, but in the final five minutes the shots stopped falling - the door was now open for Danville to take the title.
Dal Nesbitt had 13 points to lead Twin Valley, which finished the season 22-2. Colin Lozito added 12 points. In the three games leading up to the championship, they scored a total of 51 and 67 points, respectively. Cade Nesbitt had 6 points and four steals, while Eli Park, Sam Molner, and TJ Lazelle each scored 4 points.
Twin Valley got to the state final with a 61-46 win over fourth-seeded Chelsea in a semifinal game at the Aud on March 4.
Lozito led the way for the Wildcats with a game-high 21 points. Dal Nesbitt added 11 points and five rebounds, while Lazelle added 8 points and six rebounds.
If there was a sour note in the Wildcats' win, it was a mediocre, 14 for 34, performance at the free-throw line.
Chelsea got 11 points from Brandon Poulin. The Red Devils finished the season at 20-3.
Lozito and Dal Nesbit ended their Twin Valley careers as members of the 1,000-point club. Park, Cade Nesbitt, Dylan Johnson, and Jeremy Hunt will also graduate. They can hold their heads high knowing that they brought their school closer to a basketball title than did any of their predecessors - and that, under head coach Chris Brown, a foundation has been laid for continued success.
Doucette, Fellows, DiSilva tapped for All-Star game
• It may have been a tough year for Brattleboro Colonels hockey, but the three best seniors in their program are All-Stars.
Goaltenders Greg DiSilva and Alex Fellows and defenseman Madison Doucette were selected as Brattleboro's representatives to the 30th annual Essex Rotary Key Bank All-Star Hockey Classic, scheduled for Saturday, March 15, at Essex Skating Facility.
Boys and girls in their senior years are selected from high schools across Vermont to participate in this event. Fellows and Doucette will play in the girls' game, set for a 1 p.m. start; DiSilva will play in the boys' game, which starts at 3:30.
Tickets are $10 per person, which gets you into both games. Children 12 and under are admitted free. All proceeds are donated to charity by the Essex Rotary Club. For more information, call Jason Ruwet at 802-876-7147.
Mount Snow to host 'Devin Day'
• The Deerfield Valley's newest Olympic medalist, Devin Logan, will be honored for her freesking silver with a “Devin Day” parade through West Dover on Saturday, March 22. Logan was a member of the first U.S. Olympic women's ski slopestyle team, which debuted at the Sochi Games.
Wondering why there isn't a “Kelly Day” for halfpipe legend and fellow Deerfield Valley Olympic medalist Kelly Clark? Organizers regret to say that Clark had other commitments. Fresh off her bronze-medal performance in Sochi - her third medal in four trips to the Winter Olympics - Clark is still riding on the pro snowboard circuit.
The parade, set to start at 10:30 a.m., will go up Route 100 and end at Mount Snow's main base. There, Logan will be given the Key to the Valley. Autographs follow on the deck of Cuzzins Bar & Grill. To join the parade, call Adam or Katie of the Mount Snow Chamber of Commerce at 802-464-8092.
Hunter safety course offered in BF
• A free spring hunter education and safety program, sponsored by the Vermont Agency of Fish and Wildlife and Polish American Club No. 1, is set for the Polish American Club, 37 Rockingham St., Bellows Falls. Registration is Saturday, March 29, at noon, and classes meet the next four Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. A half-day firing range/field day is set for Saturday, April 12, and Saturday, April 19.
Students must enroll in person. First come, first served. Class completion provides certification that is recognized nationally and internationally.
For more information, contact Vinnie Cherico at 802-463-9314 or [email protected].