In close games, free throw shooting often is the difference between victory and defeat.
Against Mill River, the Brattleboro Colonels went 18-for-20 from the line and pulled out a 63-57 win over the Minutemen in boys' basketball action in North Clarendon on Jan. 14.
Tyler Millerick was 12-for-12 at the line and led the Colonels with 25 points. Charlie Galanes added 14 points in a game that was close from start to finish.
The Colonels led 36-28 at the half, but Mill River kept at it and cut the lead down to two points with 34 seconds left in the game. But when the Minutemen committed a pair of fouls, the Colonels drained all four of their free throws and escaped with the win. Will Farwell led Mill River with 12 points.
After the nailbiter against Mill River, the Colonels welcomed Lyndon to the BUHS gym on Jan. 17 and pulverized the Vikings, 85-31.
This was a game to fill up the stat sheet for many of the Colonels. Greg Fitzgerald had 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, while Galanes scored 21 points and Trinley Warren added 15. Millerick had 14 points, nine steals, and five assists, and Gabe Packard chipped in with 10 points.
It was the third straight win for Brattleboro, which ended the week ranked sixth in Division I with a 6-4 record at the midpoint of the season.
Boys' basketball
• Green Mountain cooled off the Bellows Falls Terriers with a 54-45 win in Chester on Jan. 16. The Chieftains took control of a close game with a 21-0 run in the third quarter. BF rallied in the fourth, but the Chieftains held on for the win.
James Anderson led the Chieftains with 17 points, while Dylan McCarthy had 12 points and Ty Merrill added 10. Isaac Wilkinson had 16 points to lead Bellows Falls.
• Twin Valley remained undefeated in Division IV with a 55-34 win over Poultney on Jan. 14 in Whitingham. The Wildcats opened with a 12-0 run and kept the Blue Devils on the ropes the rest of the game.
Izaak Park led the 9-0 Wildcats with 16 points, while Jack McHale added 10 points. Levi Allen was Poultney's top scorer with 10 points.
• Leland & Gray ended a seven-game losing streak with a 53-44 win over Long Trail on Jan. 13 in Townshend.
Liam Towle led the way with 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Jeremy Graves had eight points and nine rebounds for the 1-7 Rebels.
Girls' basketball
• Champlain Valley, the top team in Division I, made its annual trip to Brattleboro on Jan. 13. Like their previous visits to the BUHS gym, the result wasn't pretty for the Colonels as the Redhawks soared to a 74-32 win.
Brattleboro briefly had a lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter, as Rachael Rooney scored seven of her game-high points in the first three minutes of the game.
However, CVU crushed any hope of an upset with a 27-0 run that started in the final minute of the first quarter and stretched through the second quarter. The Redhawks had a 39-9 lead at the half.
The Colonels did their best to keep the game from being as embarrassing as the 81-5 beatdown that undefeated CVU hung on Mount Anthony on Dec. 21. But CVU is really that good. No team so far this season has scored more than 36 points against the Redhawks.
Madison Reagan led the Redhawks with 15 points, while Shelby Companion had 15 points and seven rebounds and Makkena Boyd had 11 points and eight assists.
At 2-6, the Colonels have not won a game since the Leland & Gray tournament in early December.
• Bellows Falls is starting to roll. Taylor Goodell had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Terriers beat Hartford, 47-42, at Holland Gymnasium on Jan. 14.
Halle Dickerson added 13 points for the Terriers, while Kennedy Mullen was Hartford's top scorer with 17 points.
The Terriers then traveled to North Clarendon and whipped Mill River, 58-29, on Jan. 17. Maya Waryas had 14 points and five steals, while Dickerson and Goodell each scored 12 points and Emily Bazin had 10 rebounds.
It was BF's fourth win in a row after a 0-4 start to the season.
• Twin Valley's struggles continued on Jan. 14 with a 45-24 loss to Mount St. Joseph in Rutland. MSJ led by nine at the half and used an 18-3 run in the third quarter to put the game away.
MSJ's Meghan Cole led all scorers with 16 points. Kate Longe had eight points for the Wildcats.
But two nights later, the Wildcats picked up their second win of the season, a 40-24 decision over Poultney. Twin Valley controlled the boards and kept the Blue Devils at bay throughout the game.
Girls' hockey
• Liv Romo scored in overtime to give Brattleboro a 2-1 road win over the Hartford Hurricanes on Jan. 15. Sophie Mikijaniec and Edie Cay assisted on the deciding goal.
Lila Alexander scored the Colonels' only goal in regulation time, assisted by Mikijaniec. Ada Acker had an unassisted goal for the Hurricanes. The Colonel girls ended the week at 5-6 and the No. 3 ranking in Division III.
Boys' hockey
• The Burr & Burton Bulldogs came to Withington Rink on Jan. 15 and delivered a 6-1 beating to the Brattleboro Colonels.
Joey McCoy, the star quarterback of the Bulldogs' Division I state championship football team, showed he was just as good on the ice, with two goals and an assist.
After a scoreless first period, the Colonels were outscored 4-1 in the second period. Nathan Powers got the lone goal for the Colonels, set up by Alex Palomba.
Duncan Chamberlin, Karter Noyes, Jakub Mulac, and Matthew Grabher were the other goal scorers for the Bulldogs.
The Colonels bounced back from that defeat with a 1-0 win over Woodstock on Jan. 18 at Withington Rink.
Goaltender Austin Wood had his best game of the season with 28 saves. The lone goal was scored by Anthony Palomba with 8:42 left in the second period. Will Taggard got the assist.
The Colonel boys finished the week ranked third in Division II with a 7-3-1 record.
Girls on the Run Vermont seeks volunteers
• Girls on the Run is an inclusive physical activity-based, positive youth development program that inspires girls in grades 3-8 to be joyful, healthy and confident. The 10-week program teaches critical life skills, encourages personal development and fosters team building and community service. Volunteer coaches utilize a curriculum to engage teams of girls in fun, interactive lessons.
Girls on the Run Vermont serves girls at 45 sites in Southern Vermont and is in need of 100 more coaches to ensure that girls will have an opportunity to participate this season.
Volunteer coaches facilitate lessons to small teams of girls who typically meet after-school twice a week for 90 minutes. The program culminates with all teams participating in a celebratory 5K event.
Individuals must be at least 18 to serve as an assistant coach, or 21 to serve as a head coach. Junior coaches are also encouraged to apply. Volunteer coaches do not need to be runners but must complete a background check and participate in on-line and in-person training.
Sites in Windham County that are most in need of coaches are Flood Brook School in Londonderry, Putney Central School, Westminster Center School, Wardsboro Elementary, and Oak Grove School in Brattleboro. For more information, or to sign up to coach, visit www.gotrvt.org/coach.
Brattleboro Little League to meet
• The Brattleboro Little League will hold its annual organizational meeting on Sunday, Jan. 26, at noon at American Legion Post 5, 32 Linden St. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
A big change for the 2020 season is that players from the New Hampshire towns of Hinsdale, Chesterfield, West Chesterfield, and Spofford are now eligible to play in the Brattleboro league.
Player registration is set for March 18-19 and March 23-24, with new player tryouts scheduled for March 28. April 27 is Opening Day. For more information, visit brattleborolittleleague.com.
Senior bowling roundup
• Stayin' Alive (13-2) took over first place after Week 3 of the winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl. Pindroppers, Bowling Stones and 4 D's (all 10-5) are tied for second, followed by Trash-O-Matic (7-8), Pin Strikers and Ageless Wonders (both 6-9), Magic in Motion and Keglers (both 5-10), and No Names (3-8).
Beverly Mittelstadt had the women's high handicap game (248) and series (674). Robert Rigby had the men's high handicap game (277), while Marty Adams had the high series (727). Pinstrikers had the high team handicap game (892), and Stayin' Alive again had the high handicap series (2,591).
In scratch scoring, Rigby rolled a 277, 204, and a 193 on the way to a 674 series to lead the men. Adams had games of 214, 212, and 202 in his 628 series, while Warren Corriveau Sr. had games of 224 and 222 as part of his 614 series.
In the 500-plus series club were Les Wigdor (567), Charles Marchant (536), Wayne Randall (533), Jerry Dunham (531), and Gary Montgomery (509). High games for the men included Wigador (204), Randall (215), Montgomery (198), Dunham (193), and Marchant (192).
Mittelstadt led the women with the high scratch games (174 and 170) and series (478). Pamela Greenblot had a 173 game.