The Bellows Falls girls' basketball team is better than its record would indicate. While the Terriers lost their first four games, they've made opponents work for every victory.
An example of that came on Jan. 6, when BF traveled to Proctor to take on the Phantoms, a perennially powerful team in Division IV.
Proctor led by as many as 18 points, but defensive pressure by the Terriers in the second had trimmed the lead to single-digits before the Phantoms got it together and won, 57-48.
Senior forwards Taylor Goodell and Molly Potter played a big part in the BF effort in the second half against Proctor. Goodell had 11 second-half points and finished with 19 for the game, while Potter added 13 points, nine of them in the second half. Senior forward Emily Bazin had a team-high seven rebounds.
The Proctor game was the first that the Terriers played since Dec. 23. Coach Todd Wells said that between the holidays and a flu outbreak, the team was rusty, a bit disjointed, and still trying to find itself.
What the Terriers needed was a confidence booster. The Twin Valley Wildcats turned out to be just what BF needed as they crushed the Wildcats, 74-19, at Holland Gymnasium on Jan. 8 for their first win of the season.
Twin Valley was also scuffling heading into the BF game. They too had a long layoff due to the holidays, with 15 days between games. On Jan. 6, the Wildcats lost to Mid-Vermont Christian, 54-43, despite getting 14 points and 12 rebounds from Kate Longe and 13 points from Sadie Boyd.
The Terriers used a zone defense and got a good shooting night from its top players to quickly eliminate any suspense over the outcome. BF led 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, 35-8 at halftime, and 53-12 after three quarters.
“This was the first game that we've come out with intensity,” said Wells. “It's a good sign.”
Everyone on the BF roster scored. Senior guard Halle Dickerson led the way with 20 points, with 12 of them coming in the second quarter. Sophomore guard Maya Waryas scored 12 points, sophomore guard Sydney Bazin had 11 points and seven steals, Goodell scored 10 points, and Emily Bazin had five assists.
Longe was the only Wildcat in double-figures with 11 points, thanks to a 7-for-9 night at the free throw line.
Things didn't get better for Twin Valley, as they lost at home to Proctor, 55-11, on Jan. 10. Proctor started out slow, but they heated up in the second quarter as the Phantoms held the Wildcats scoreless.
The defensive pressure also took its toll as Twin Valley committed 31 turnovers. Celia Betit and Jayden Crawford led the Wildcats with four points each, while Maddie Flanders scored 16 to lead Proctor.
Girls' basketball
• Brattleboro started its week on a down note as the Colonels lost on the road to Windsor, 61-36, on Jan. 7.
The Yellowjackets took control early. They led by 13 after the first quarter, and never looked back. Olivia Rockwood led the Jacks with 21 points, including five three-pointers.
Alyssa Scherlin led the Colonels with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Rachael Rooney and Lauren Sargent added eight points each.
On Jan. 11, Brattleboro lost on the road to South Burlington, 56-38. Ava MacDonough had 12 points and seven assists for the Wolves; Miranda Hayes chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds. Rooney led the 2-5 Colonels with 14 points.
• Leland & Gray started the week with a 36-34 win over Mount St. Joseph in Townshend on Jan. 6.
MSJ led 17-16 at the half, but accurate free throw shooting by the Rebels turned out to be the difference in the game.
Boys' basketball
• Brattleboro traveled to Windsor on Jan. 6 and blew out the Yellowjackets, 74-39.
The Colonels led 36-20 at the half, Greg Fitzgerald had a game-high 28 points. Sam Mattocks and Charlie Galanes each chipped in 14 points, as Mattocks sank four straight three-pointers in the final quarter.
Brattleboro hosted St. Johnsbury on Jan. 8, and the Hilltoppers cruised to a 73-54 victory. St. Johnsbury eked out a 20-15 lead after one quarter and boosted their lead to 10 by halftime.
The Hilltoppers had a 24-point lead heading into the final quarter, but a 19-4 Brattleboro run made things interesting before St. Johnsbury went on a 10-0 run to finish off the Colonels.
Logan Wendell led the Hilltoppers with a game-high 26 points. Galanes led the Colonels with 14 points. Fitzgerald added 13 and Tyler Millerick and Gabe Packard both had eight.
On Jan. 11 in Brandon, the Colonels completely dominated Otter Valley, 75-30. Brattleboro put the game away in the first half by outscoring the Otters, 19-0, in the second quarter.
Fitzgerald again had the hand with seven three-pointers to lead the Colonels with 24 points. Galanes added 18 points and Packard had 17, including four three-pointers. Parker Todd led the Otters with 11 points. The Colonels finished the week at 4-4.
• Ryan Kelley scored 23 points as Bellows Falls cruised past Leland & Gray, 64-43, at Holland Gymnasium on Jan. 7. BF got scoring from 11 different players, including 11 points from Dylan Clark and eight points each from Griffin Waryas and Jamison Nystrom.
Bellows Falls then rallied from a 17-2 deficit to start the game to beat the Springfield Cosmos, 45-42, on Jan. 9. The Cosmos were hot to start the game, but the visiting Terriers slowly chipped away at the lead and trailed 29-21 at the half.
As the shots started falling for BF, the Terriers started gaining confidence and the lead kept shrinking and the Cosmos big early lead was down to two, 37-35, heading into the final quarter. Clark and Kelley paced the BF comeback as they finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Noah Zierfus led the Cosmos with 12 points.
• Twin Valley rolled to a 60-37 win over visiting White River Valley on Jan. 6. Jack McHale led the Wildcats with 17 points. Izaak Park (13 points), Dylan Dupuis (11 points), and Owen Grinold (10 points) also contributed.
Boys' hockey
• Brattleboro traveled north to deliver a 11-2 beatdown to U-32 in Montpelier on Jan. 8.
The Colonels took control early with five answered goals. The first two came from Ryan Gerard and Anthony Palomba; both were set up by Jack Pattison. Will Taggard scored the next two goals; Palomba and Nate Powers assisted on the first while Palomba got the assist on the second. Sam Hall then got his first varsity goal from Joe Goes for a 5-0 heading into the second period.
Hall got another goal off a power play in the second period, assisted by Alex Palomba and Adam McMahon, before U-32 finally got a goal from Neil Rohan to break up the shutout bid. Brattleboro responded with goals from Koes (from McMahon), Anthony Palomba (from Pattison and Brett Parsons), and Pattison (unassisted) for 9-1 lead after two periods.
Gabe Heiden (unassisted) and Parsons (from Gerard and Anthony Palomba) closed out the Colonels scoring in the third period. Greg Golonka got a goal late for U-32. Austin Wood (11 saves) and Derek Harvey (3 saves) shared the goaltending duties for the Colonels as they improved to 5-2-1.
Girls' hockey
• Brattleboro suffered a pair of losses last week. On Jan. 8 at Withington Rink, the Colonels fell to Champlain Valley, 4-1. Nicole Wright, Riley Erdman, Kayleigh Bushweller and Samara Tucker all scored goals for the Redhawks. Liv Romo scored a second-period goal for Brattleboro, assisted by Tobin Lonergan.
Three nights later, the Colonels lost on the road to North Country/Lyndon, 3-1. Sarah Tanner, Clara Andre, and Korey Champney were the goal scorers for NCL. Juliana Miskovich got the only goal for the 4-6 Colonels.
Nordic skiing
• The season is still young for the Brattleboro nordic teams but, like last year, it looks like it will again be a fight between the Colonels and Mount Anthony for boys' supremacy in the South.
At Prospect Mountain in Woodford on Jan. 8, Henry Thurber led the Brattleboro boys, winning the 6-kilometer freestyle race by 16 seconds over MAU's Charlie Dobson. Nolan Holmes was fourth place, Declyn Tourville was fifth and Sam Freitas-Eagan took seventh as Brattleboro won with a team score of 17 points.
On the girls side, it is shaping up to be a three-way race between Brattleboro, MAU, and Burr & Burton. While MAU's Sarah Umphlet and Maggie Payne finished first and third, and Burt & Burton's Leah Mowry was second, the Colonels filled up the rest of the top 10 to win the meet with a team score of 33 points to MAU's 34.
Sylvie Normandeau finished fourth, Bella Takacs was fifth, Ava Whitney came in sixth, Lily Tessitore was seventh, and Hazel Wagner finished 11th to lead the Colonel girls to the win.
Rec. Dept. offers gymnastics classes
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department is starting another session of gymnastics classes to be held at the Gibson Aiken Center, 207 Main St. Session III begins Jan, 20 and runs through March 21.
The cost of this eight-week program is $80 for Brattleboro residents and $95 for non-residents. See the Rec's Fall/Winter brochure for complete details and specific class times. There will be no classes held on the week of Feb. 17-22. Late registrations will be pro-rated.
Classes are running Mondays through Saturdays for ages 18 months and up. For more information, or if any special needs are required, call the Recreation & Parks Department at 254-5808 or follow them on Facebook.
Knights of Columbus host free throw contest
• The Knights of Columbus in Bellows Falls will hold a free throw contest on Jan. 26, at 1 p.m., at Holland Gymnasium at Bellows Falls Union High School in Westminster.
The contest is open to boys and girls ages 9-14. Age eligibility is determined by the age of the contestant as of Jan. 1, 2020. Proof of age is required. Doors open 12:15 p.m. for registration. If there are any questions, call John James at 802-463-4923.
Stratton, Magic Mtn. discount Thursday lift tickets
• If you're looking for a deal and you have your Thursdays free, you can ski or ride on any Thursday this season at Stratton Mountain Resort for $59, plus tax, excluding Feb. 20.
Proof of residency in the form of a valid Vermont or New Hampshire driver's license or state-issued ID is required. Minors must be accompanied by an adult with valid identification. For more information, visit www.stratton.com.
If you want an even better deal with flashing your ID card, Magic Mountain in Londonderry is periodically offering Throwback Thursdays, with $29 lift tickets. Check with them first at magicmtn.com before heading out.
Lacrosse officials are needed
• If you're interested in officiating boys' high school lacrosse this spring, the Vermont Lacrosse Officials Association (VLOA) is conducting a clinic on Sunday, Jan. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at Hartford High School.
Rulebooks and classroom training will be provided with on-field training offered in March. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Senior bowling roundup
• Pindroppers (9-1) took sole control of first place after Week 2 of the winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl. Bowling Stones and Stayin' Alive (both 8-2) are close behind in a tie for second. Magic in Motion, Keglers, and 4 D's (all 5-5) are tied for third, followed by Trash-O-Matic (4-6), and Ageless Wonders, No Names, and Pin Strikers (all 2-8).
Shirley Aiken (246) and Doris LaFortune (244) had the women's high handicap games, while Aiken had the high handicap series (677). Robert Rigby had the men's high handicap game (279), and series (710). 4 D's had the high team handicap game (886), and Stayin' Alive had the high handicap series (2,550).
In scratch scoring, Rigby rolled a 279, 237, and a 194 on the way to a 710 series to lead the men. Gary Montgomery had a 212 game as part of his 569 series, while Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 205 game as part of his 557 series.
Also rolling 500-plus series were Fred Ashworth (551), Charles Marchant (525), Jerry Dunham (514), Wayne Randall (505), and Les Wigdor (504). Mark Rivers had a 191 game.
Josie Rigby led the women with the high scratch game (190) and series (545). Aiken had a 188 game as part of her 503 series.