Windsor showed why it is the top-ranked team in Division III boys' basketball with an easy 56-39 win over the Bellows Falls Terriers at Holland Gymnasium last Saturday afternoon.
The Yellowjackets, who improved to 8-2 on the season with the win, put the game away early with a 12-0 run in the first four minutes. They were aided by the Terriers' inability to hit any outside shots in the first quarter.
“I don't why it takes so long for them to get warmed up,” said BF coach Ryan Stoodley, whose team fell to 1-9 on the season.
At least the final result was an improvement over their first meeting on Dec. 19 in Windsor, which ended in a 84-48 win for the Jacks. Stoodley said he thought his team played at too fast a pace in the loss, which usually happens against a team like Windsor that likes to run and gun. As a result, the Terriers tried a new half-court offense in the rematch.
“It was designed to give us more space and room to shoot,” he said.
But room to shoot didn't lead to points for BF. While the Terriers had lots of open looks at the basket, the shots were not falling. By the time they started sinking their three-point shots - five came in the fourth quarter - the game was far out of reach.
“If we just could have shot 50 percent,” Stoodley said. “We had good looks, but we had so many lip in and lip out.”
Two statistics really stood out in this game. Eight of BF's 14 field goals were three-pointers, and they only made six trips to the free throw line compared 24 for the Jacks.
In other words, the Terriers had trouble scoring inside and committed too many fouls on defense. Credit the height of the Jacks' front line for that, as 6-foot-5 center Michael Bradley and 6-foot-3 forward Nick Kapuscinski made it tough for BF to put together a run on offense. The Jacks led 30-15 at the half, then outscored BF 14-7 in the third quarter to put it away.
Bradley finished with 15, Kapuscinski scored 11, and Russell Simonds went 8-for-8 from the free throw line on the way to a 13-point afternoon. In all, nine different Jacks got in the scoring column.
Brian McAnuff made two three-pointers and led the Terriers with 13 points. Colby Howe added nine points. Jason Chartier and Cam Joy each hit two three-pointers to finish with six points.
This is not the best of seasons for Stoodley, who is in his first year as head coach of the Terriers. He does see some hope that the team might be able to put together a strong finish. “We've got nine games left and I think we can win a few,” he said.
Boys' basketball
• Brattleboro traveled to Burlington for a Jan. 10 matchup with the Seahorses and were completely overwhelmed. Burlington took a 32-5 lead at the half and cruised to a 58-18 win. Lyndon Bunker led the Colonels with seven points.
• Nick Swane scored 17 points as Proctor rolled to a 53-37 win over Bellows Falls on Jan. 12.
• Undefeated Twin Valley made it 10 wins in a row by crushing Black River, 96-27, in Ludlow on Jan. 9. All 11 players in the Wildcats' lineup scored, with six players in double-figures: Skyler Boyd (19), Sam Molner (14), DJ Lazelle and Jack Lyddy (11 each), and Jacob Hicks and Brett Swanson (10 each).
The Wildcats had a tougher time of it against Poultney on Jan. 17, with a 54-51 squeaker in Whitingham to improve to 11-0.
• Leland & Gray won their third game in a row with a 44-28 win at West Rutland on Jan. 16.
Girls' basketball
• Leland & Gray got lots of offense from Holly Landon (11 points), Jordan Gouger (13 points) and Haley Buffum (10 points) on the way to a 52-44 win over Twin Valley in Whitingham on Jan. 9. Colton Butler had 16 to lead the Wildcats.
Three nights later, Rachel Borgesen scored six of her 11 points in the last 90 seconds of the game and Jessie Stockwell stole the ball with 24 seconds as the Rebels eked out a 48-45 home victory over Bellows Falls on Jan. 12.
Chelsea Wilder kept the Terriers in it with a game-high 25 points, including five three-pointers. But Wilder was held to only six points in the third quarter and was scoreless in the fourth, thanks to great defense by Emily Thibault.
Keri Ticino added 10 points for the Terriers. Holly Landon and Haley Buffum led the Rebels with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Borgeson again led the way with 11 points as Rebels took a 45-14 win at Poultney on Jan. 15. The 4-8 Rebels led 18-6 at halftime and pulled away from the Blue Devils in the second half with their speed and rebounding.
• Brattleboro turned in another great defensive effort against Burlington on Jan. 10 in a 38-23 victory at the BUHS gym.
The Colonels held Burlington to just one point in the opening quarter. Morgan Derosia had 14 points off the bench to lead the Colonels, while Gabrielle Carpenter added eight points and reserve Devin Millerick had six points and four assists.
It was a different story on Jan. 13 against Springfield. Chelsea McAllister, one of the best players in the state, dropped 29 points on the Colonels as the Cosmos won 49-39 at the BUHS gym.
McAllister, who passed the 1,000-point mark for her high school career against Brattleboro last season, took over the game and scored at will. The Colonels did not have any player who could match up with her, but somehow they hung around until the fourth quarter, when McAllister scored 11 points, including 9-for-10 shooting at the free throw line.
Carpenter scored 10 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the 5-4 Colonels, while Derosia scored a team-high 13 points and had six rebounds.
• Proctor pulled away in the second half and defeated Twin Valley, 48-32, in Whitingham on Jan. 13. Abby McKearin led the Phantoms in a game-high 21 points.
Twin Valley trailed 22-19 at the half, but was undone by turnovers and a lack of rebounding. Colton Butler led the 5-6 Wildcats with 10 points. Karlee Walkowiak scored eight points, and Teya Johnson finished with four points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, and four steals.
• Bellows Falls bounced back from its loss to Leland & Gray with a 53-7 beatdown of Black River. Wilder scored 19 points and had 13 steals, while Hannah Kelly added nine points as the Terriers evened their record to 4-4.
Nordic skiing
• Declan King placed 11th and freshman Bella Thurber finished in 16th to lead the Brattleboro boys and girls teams in 5K freestyle races in Woodstock on Jan. 9.
King's finish in the boys' race was noteworthy considering that the BUHS skiers were involved in a crash during the mass start. Following King were Brattleboro's Jonah Koch (20th), Spencer Loggia (26th), Phelan Muller (28th), Isaac Freitas-Eagan (31st), Dan Burdo (36th), Tyler Clement (39th) and Josh Meachen (41st).
Woodstock's Zane Fields and Rutland's Chloe Levins were the race winners. Thurber (16th), Catey Yost (28th) and Alicia Loyola (33rd) competed for the BUHS girls.
Neveah Beauchamp finished 11th in the mixed boys/girls middle school race.
Ice hockey
• The Brattleboro boys seem to have fallen into the habit of spotting their opponents several goals, then storming back to win. Their Jan. 10 game at Northfield was another example of this pattern, as the Colonels fell behind in the first period and then rallied to beat the Marauders, 8-6.
John Peloso and Evan Perkins each scored two goals for Brattleboro. Jon Curtis, Braxton Lynn, and Declan Lonergan also tallied for the Colonels. Nick Perusse and Darin Hoyer combined to make eight saves in goal for Brattleboro.
Against Middlebury on Jan. 17, the Colonels played the Tigers to a 1-1 tie in regulation, but Middlebury's Tyler Crowingshield would score the game-winning at 2:55 of overtime for a 2-1 victory.
Colton Leno, who assisted on Crowingshield's goal, scored the Tigers' first goal. Goalie Doug DeLorenzo made 19 saves. Peloso scored the Colonels' only goal as Brattleboro fell to 5-6.
• Burr & Burton scored early and often in a 6-0 win over the Brattleboro girls on Jan. 14 in Manchester. The Bulldogs got three goals in the first period and two more in the second. Brattleboro goalie Keagan Jameson made 18 saves as the Colonels fell to 2-7.
Gymnastics classes
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department will offer another session of gymnastics glasses starting Feb. 2, at the Gibson-Aiken Canter, 207 Main St. Classes will run for an eight-week session and end on April 4. The cost of the 8-week program will be $65 for Brattleboro residents and $80 for non-residents. Late registrations will be pro-rated.
Amanda Montgomery will direct the classes, which will run Mondays through Saturdays for ages 18 months and up. There is also an Open Gym time available on Tuesdays and Thursdays for ages 1-5 with parent for $4, or Saturdays for ages 6 and up for $7.
For more information on class times, or if any special needs are required, call the Recreation & Parks Department at 802-254-5808, or visit their website at brattleboro.org.