Girls' basketball
• Sometimes, all it takes to have a great game is just a little adjustment.
Leland & Gray center Kelsi Bostrom wasn't having much luck scoring inside against Poultney. Coach Terry Merrow suggested that she try taking some outside shots. The result was 18 points in the first half for Bostrom on the way to a 52-17 blowout of the Blue Devils on Dec. 11.
The visiting Rebels turned a 7-7 tie at the end of the first quarter into a 24-14 lead at the half, thanks to Bostrom's hot streak, and ended all possibility of a comeback when they outscored the Devils, 14-1, in the third quarter.
Bostrom finished with 21 points, Sierra Fillion added 16 points, and Sydney Hescock chipped in six as the Rebels improved to 1-1.
• Bellows Falls opened its season with a 67-59 loss to West Rutland on Dec. 9. The visiting Terriers had a hard time dealing with West Rutland's Kiera Pipeling, who led the Golden Horde with 19 points and plenty of key rebounds, steals, and assists.
The Horde had just as hard a time dealing with Halle Dickerson, who led BF with 19 points. Molly Goodell added 10 and Michelle Marchica chipped in eight.
BF showed quickness on defense, and kept the game close all the way. The Terriers led 33-29 at the half, but the Horde came back in the fourth quarter and hung on for the win.
The Terriers rebounded from that loss with a 48-31 win at Arlington on Dec. 13. Dickerson scored 14 points for BF, and Taylor Goodell added 12. Madison Streeter keyed a strong defensive effort with seven steals.
• A good first quarter on offense was negated by three not-as-good quarters, and the result was a 55-37 loss by Twin Valley to the Mid-Vermont Christian Eagles in the season opener in Hartford on Dec. 13.
Senior Tayler Courchesne scored 11 of her team-high 18 points in that first quarter, as the Wildcats took a 16-9 lead.
But the Eagles got back into the proceedings in the second quarter and the teams were tied 24-24 at the half. Their top scorer, senior forward Rachel Seale, had 18 points in the first half.
The Eagles kept up the scoring in the second half, despite Seale being held to just two points. Seales' teammates picked up the scoring slack, and the Wildcats never responded.
• Brattleboro journeyed to St. Johnsbury on Dec. 16, and came away with a 66-27 loss. Rachel Rooney led the 2-1 Colonels with 11 points. Josie Choiniere paced the Hilltoppers with 17 points, eight assists, and three steals.
Boys' basketball
• Brattleboro is off to an 0-2 start after two lopsided road losses.
Against Amherst, Mass., on Dec. 13, the Colonels lost, 71-50. Shaky shooting and turnovers by Brattleboro opened the door for Amherst to take a 31-point halftime lead. The Colonels played a little better in the second half, but had too much ground to make up.
Adam Newton scored a game-high 18 points, including 16 in the third quarter, to lead the Colonels. Leif Bigelow, Charlie Galanes, and Kyle Derosia all added nine points. Akeme Hilson-Mallory sank three three-pointers and finished with 13 points to lead Amherst.
On Dec. 16 at South Burlington, the Wolves made 13 three-pointers and they routed the Colonels, 92-37. Brattleboro got 11 points from Jack Price and 10 from Galanes.
• Despite a 20-point night by Shane Clark, Bellows Falls lost their opening game to Long Trail, 57-47. Turnovers, foul trouble, and a lack of rebounding doomed the Terriers' chances, as they trailed 28-21 at the half.
The Terriers rebounded from that loss with a 51-41 win over Springfield on Dec. 15. Visiting BF got 16 points from Ryan Kelley and 10 more from Clark as they played a much better game on defense. BF forced 25 turnovers and held the Cosmos to just four points in the third quarter.
• Twin Valley got swept in the Bob Abrahamson Tip-Off Classic in Proctor last week. In the tourney opener, Joe Valareio scored 18 points to lead Proctor to a 57-47 win over the Wildcats. Dylan Howe had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists) for Twin Valley.
In the consolation game, the Wildcats lost Otter Valley 49-38. Dylan Mackie led the Otters with 25 points, while Howe scored a career-high 15 points and Logan Park chipped in with nine points and 12 rebounds for Twin Valley.
Ice hockey
• The Brattleboro boys lost at Lyndon, 6-3, Miles Hiler, Gavin Howard and Anthony Palomba did the scoring for the Colonels.
• The Brattleboro girls got shut out, 9-0, at Missisquoi on Dec. 16. Elisa Petrie made 29 saves in goal for the Colonels as she faced a barrage of shots by the Thunderbirds.
Nordic skiing
• How deep is the Brattleboro nordic team this season? In their season opener on Dec. 16 at Prospect Mountain in Woodford, the Colonels were without their top skiers - Isaac Freitas-Eagan, Evan Koch and Sarah Gallagher - who were competing in an Eastern Cup event in Fort Kent, Maine, and Brattleboro still swept the four-team meet.
Bella Thurber, Liz Morse, and Elery Loggia finished in the top three spots for the Colonel girls, while freshman Henry Thurber was third for the Colonel boys in a strong opening performance.
Annie Takacs was fifth and Bella Takacs took seventh as the BUHS girls cruised to victory in the four-school meet.
The BUHS boys got big performances from their ninth-graders with Thurber, Sam Freitas-Eagan (fourth) and Nolan Holmes (sixth) leading the way, followed by Galen Fletcher (ninth) and Colin Costa-Walsh (12th).
Local snowboaders do well at Killington
• Storm Rowe, a 17-year-old snowboarder from Jamaica, scored himself a nice payday at Killington's Rails 2 Riches competition on Dec. 9.
Rowe, who rides for the Carinthia Park team at Mount Snow, took second in the event, and made $2,500. Fellow Carinthia teammate Max Lyons, 20, of Marlboro, was third in the event.
Rowe has been riding since he was 4. It didn't take long for his parents to see Storm, and his little brother, Casper, had some pretty amazing talent, so both started taking lessons at Stratton. The boys were soon winning medals at national competitions while still in elementary school.
With the help of sponsorships and a grant from the Ross Powers Foundation, Storm was able to get serious about the sport at the American Snowboard Training Center at Mount Snow.
While Casper was part of the slopestyle team that won a state championship for Leland & Gray in 2016, Storm has been home-schooled since seventh-grade so he could concentrate on becoming a professional snowboarder. He's been part of the Carinthia Park team at Mount Snow for the last couple of years, and is their youngest member.
Storm already has a win this season on the FIS World Snowboard Tour, taking first in a slopestyle event in Switzerland in Nov. 20. He's quite comfortable on the pro circuit in the U.S. and Europe.
Lyons is a 2014 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School and has also been riding competitively since he was a teen. He took first in the open division at the Vermont Open at Stratton in 2014.
Rowe and Lyons are but two examples of the depth of snowboarding talent in the Deerfield Valley. But you'd expect that from the place where snowboarding was born.
Snowmobile season begins
• With the arrival of winter's first snowstorms in southern Vermont, the U.S. Forest Service opened up the snowmobile trail network in the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) on Dec. 16.
The Forest Service is reminding snowmobilers to exercise caution when operating in the National Forest, and all other land in Vermont this winter.
GMNF officials remind snowmobile enthusiasts to heed to all gates and signs and to stay off roads and trails that are closed.
Weather permitting, snowmobile use is allowed on designated trails within the GMNF until April 15.
The Forest Service will continue to work closely with state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) to make sure that users of the trail system are respectful, responsible, law abiding, and safe.
The GMNF and VAST cooperate to maintain more than 470 miles of National Forest System trails that are part of the larger statewide snowmobile network. VAST is one of a few snowmobile associations in the United States that has a cooperative partnership agreement with the Forest Service.
Snowmobiliers should be aware that all these trails are also used for snowshoeing, hiking, and cross-country skiing, so riders should travel responsibly and yield to other users. The maximum speed is 35 mph on state and federal land and Vermont has a tough Snowmobiling While Intoxicated Law that covers alcohol, as well as drugs.
Trail users are encouraged to be mindful of fallen trees and other hazards they may encounter. Operators must maintain control of their snowmobile while riding; keep to the right at all times, wear helmets, and stay on designated trails only. All snowmobiles must be legally registered, have liability insurance, and operators must purchase a VAST Trails Maintenance Assessment decal.
And, no matter how you propel yourself over forest trails, it is always a good idea to have a pack filled with what's known as the “Ten Essentials” for day trips in the woods: navigation (map and compass), sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen), insulation (extra clothing), illumination (headlamp/flashlight), first-aid supplies, fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candles), repair kit and tools, nutrition (extra food), hydration (extra water or purification tablets), and an emergency shelter.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 15 of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League saw first place Team 5 (45-30) add to their lead, while Team 1 (40-35) jumped into second place. Team 3, Team 6, and Team 8 (both 39-36) are tied for third place. Team 2 (37-38) moved up to fourth, Team 9 (36.5-38.5) is now fifth, followed by Team 10 (34-41), Team 4 (33.5-41.5). and Team 7 (32-43).
Arlene Blum had the women's high handicap game (267) and series (733), while Warren Corriveau Sr. had the men's high handicap game (280) and series (761). Team 6 had the high team handicap game (948) and series (2,593).
Corriveau had a 700-plus series (728) with three 200-plus games (269, 234, 225). For the second straight week, Marty Adams (655) had a 600-plus series with three 200-plus games (214, 225, 216).
Three women rolled 500-plus series: Blum (514), Josie Rigby (592), and Bunny Fogg (507).
In the 500 club for the men were Jerry Dunham (576), Fred Ashworth (566), Richard Dowley (554), and Robert Rigby (577).
Also rolling 200-plus games were Josie Rigby (223) for the women, and Dunham (220), Ashworth (206), and Robert Rigby (247) for the men.