Local roundup: Hartford’s Seaver lights up GM in opener

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — If an athlete’s opening-night game sets the tone for the rest of his team’s season, then Hartford High’s Jacob Seaver made a statement on Friday night of the Stretch Gillam Kickoff Classic.

Seaver scored 36 points to lead the host Hurricanes boys basketball team to a 71-54 victory over Green Mountain, the defending VPA Division III state champions. Seaver was particularly active on the glass, reeling in many offensive rebounds and creating second-chance opportunities for himself and for his teammates.

“We all have roles in our team, and my role is to get rebounds and make the outlet pass and set everyone up,” Seaver said. “I’m glad I can do that.”

The game was often tighter than the final score suggested. The Chieftains’ 3-point shooting kept them in the game, and they cut Hartford’s lead to three points in the fourth quarter. But the Canes stormed back to put it away.

Senior guard Tarin Prior also scored in double figures for Hartford, racking up 20 points.

Hartford head coach Jeff Thomas praised Seaver’s performance.

“It’s nice that he steps up like that,” Thomas said. “He can change a lot of shots with his length, gets a lot of rebounds, he was making some shots. We tried to go to him a couple times on little pick-and-roll stuff. And even if we can’t find him, he finds the ball.”

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — White River Valley cruised to an opening night victory over Oxbow in game one of the Stretch Gillam Kickoff Classic at Hartford High.

Oxbow’s offense struggled in the first quarter, as White River Valley held the Olympians scoreless for the first 6:30 of the game and built up a double-digit lead that held the rest of the game.

The Wildcats pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Olympians 23-6 to grow the lead to 30 points.

Senior guard Dominic Craven led WRV with 23 points, including 13 in the third quarter. He made four 3-pointers. Senior center Weston Trombly added 14 points, and freshman forward Brayden Russ chipped in 12. Sophomore guard Brady Nickles led Oxbow with eight points.

Wildcats head coach Mike Gaudette was pleased with the way his team played together in its first game of the season.

“Our young kids, they really gelled early, a lot quicker than I thought they would, like Brayden and (sophomore guard) Tattin (Griffin),” Gaudette said. “We’ve got good senior leadership, Dom and (senior guard) Austin (Tracy) and Wes. They really lead our younger guys, and our younger guys feed off of them. I thought we did a lot of good things tonight.”

ConVal 60, Hanover 34

HANOVER — ConVal shut out HHS (0-1) in the first quarter, and Hanover couldn’t recover from the slow start.

Hanover scored its first points early in the second quarter, by which point the Cougars were already at 15. ConVal’s 3-point shooting caused big problems for Hanover, as the Cougars knocked down 10 triples.

Senior guard Max Galbraith led Hanover in scoring with 10 points.

Hanover will look to even its record Monday at home against Pembroke.

PEMBROKE, N.H. — Lebanon (0-1) saw its 17-game winning streak end in its first game of the season.

This was the Raiders’ first loss since the 2019-20 season, as they were undefeated state champions last season.

The game was a back-and-forth affair. Pembroke led 22-20 at halftime, and the teams were tied at 33 at the end of the third quarter.

Senior guard Braeden Falzarano led the Raiders in scoring with 16 points. Senior guard Cole Fabry also scored in double digits, putting up 14.

Lebanon head coach Kieth Matte said Pembroke made the necessary plays at the end of the game and his team didn’t.

“It was it was a great game. It was a perfect opening-night game for us,” Matte said. “I told the kids we don’t feel that thing very often, losing on opening night, so we’re not going to be babies about it. We’re just gonna come back to work on Sunday.”

Lebanon is back in action at home Monday against Laconia.

NORTH SUTTON, N.H. — Mascoma (0-1) opened its season in the loss column.

Kearsarge led by just four points at halftime, but a big third quarter gave the Cougars a comfortable lead.

Junior forward Zach Thompson led Mascoma in scoring with 12 points. Sophomore guard James Thomas added 11.

Mascoma head coach Silas Ayres said his team’s lack of experience and discipline in running the offense hurt them in the third quarter.

“They are a very good well-coached, experienced team so you can’t have those lapses,” Ayres said. “Our kids played extremely hard, so that bodes well for us moving forward.”

Mascoma’s next game is Tuesday at Newport.

CRAFTSBURY, Vt. — Mid Vermont Christian (1-0) missed the entire 2020-21 season for a lack of players, to the Eagles’ return to the court went pretty well in a victory over Craftsbury.

MVCS will travel to face Richford on Monday.

HOPKINTON, N.H. — Newport (0-1) struggled out of the gate Friday.

Gabe Howe was the Tigers’ leading scorer with five points off the bench.

Newport head coach Rob Clark was high on Hopkinton.

“Great height, balance and wellcoached. We certainly didn’t match up well with them,” Clark said. “I’m happy we never gave up. Frustrated naturally, but worked hard to the end. One step at a time.”

Newport will host Mascoma on Tuesday.

WINDSOR — The Yellowjackets opened up a 29-7 halftime lead and cruised over the Raptors.

Reese Perry filled the statsheet for Windsor, tallying 19 points, 18 rebounds, nine steals and five assists. Peyton Richardson added 12 points and four steals. Elliot Rupp had 10 points, six assists and six steals. Sydney Perry chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.

Kylie Taylor had six points for Rivendell.

Windsor is off for a week and will host Bellows Falls on Friday. Rivendell hosts Blue Mountain on Tuesday.

WEST CANAAN — Tonya Young’s debut as head coach at her alma mater went well — for about three minutes. The Royals jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead before falling apart, and Kearsarge used a 19-5 second quarter to pull away.

Senior Liberti LaCasse led Mascoma (0-1) with 10 points, and her younger sister, junior Madisun LaCasse, added eight. Caroline Camp led all scorers with 21 points for the Cougars (1-0).

The Royals shot just 8-for-18 from the foul line.

“The wheels fell off the bus,” Young said. “It’s our first time out as a team. They got a couple baskets in transition that caught us off-guard; the pressure caught us off-guard. We need someone who’s got that offensive-minded presence — we can’t score the ball if we don’t take shots.”

Mascoma is back in action on Tuesday at home against Newport.

BRADFORD, Vt. — The Olympians came undone in the fourth quarter to fall in their season opener.

Oxbow built a 27-21 lead at halftime and held the lead until Blue Mountain erupted for a 21-7 run to close the game in the fourth quarter.

Maggi Ellsworth had 13 points to pace the Olympians. Emma Parkin added 12, including an 8-for-11 performance from the free throw line. Alexa Kosakowski had seven points.

Oxbow (0-1) will host Lyndon on Monday.

SOUTH ROYALTON — White River Valley (1-0) emerged with a close victory at home on opening night.

The Wildcats opened the game on an 8-0 run, but Proctor stormed back with a 15-0 response. WRV head coach Tim Perrault said the game leveled out from there.

“Lots of nerves and energy to start,” Perrault said. “(After that), both teams settled in and it was back and forth the rest of the way.”

Junior guard Jillian Barry hit four clutch free throws late in the game to secure the victory, finishing with 13 points. Sophomore guard Tanner Drury led the Wildcats with 19 points. Freshman guard Ashlyn Rhodes chipped in 16 points. Junior forward Shannon Hadlock hauled in a team-high 15 rebounds. Junior forward Ella Perrault grabbed 11 rebounds and added six points.

The Wildcats will hit the road on Tuesday to take on Thetford.

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — Hanover (1-0) continued its long regular-season winning streak.

HHS went undefeated in the regular season last season before falling the semifinals. They haven’t lost in the regular season since 2019-20.

All 12 Hanover players saw game action and scored.

Head coach Dan O’Rourke said his team’s strong rebounding led to potent transition offense. He was pleased with Hanover’s ball movement.

“We had a terrific turnout for opening night. The girls were excited, and the crowd was electric,” O’Rourke said. “We started the game slowly but eventually settled down. I was most impressed by our rebounding and sharing the basketball, which are two keys to our success.”

Hanover hits the road on Monday to face Pembroke.

LEBANON — Down early in Chris Boucher’s coaching debut, the Raiders cut the visitors’ lead to one point in the third quarter before Pembroke pulled away.

Catherine Cole led Lebanon with 13 points. Clara Smyrski followed up with seven for the Raiders (0-1).

Lebanon visits Laconia on Monday.

LEBANON — The Hanover and Lebanon swimming and diving teams opened the season in a meet at the CCBA on Tuesday.

Rosie Keith had two solo victories and a pair of wins as part of relay teams for Hanover. Keith won the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. Keith also won, along with teammates Grace Clerkin, Rebecca Berger and Tirza Savellano, the 200-yard freestyle relay. Keith, Berger, Caroline Healy and Annika Lackstrom won the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Clerkin added wins in both the 200-yard IM and the 100-yard free. Freshman Elizabeth Staats won both the 500-yard free and the 100-yard backstroke for Hanover. Claire Uiterwyk added a win in the 50-yard free.

Benton Cesanek picked up a pair of wins (200-yard free and 100-yard fly) for the Hanover boys. Aidan Lackstrom added a win in the 50-yard free, and freshman Theo Cook won the 100-yard backstroke.

Ellen Wolstenholme won the 100-yard breaststroke for the Lebanon girls. Teammate Sarah Cunningham had two second-place finishes, in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Nicholas Lamonta took second in the 100-yard breast for the Raiders boys.