WOODSTOCK — Woodstock Union High School’s Dailey Gymnasium was charged on Tuesday.
Rivals Woodstock and Hartford played a chippy boys basketball game, heavy on fouls and emotions. The Hurricanes ultimately left with a 65-50 win.
“There’s a pretty big rivalry between Woodstock and Hartford, always — in soccer, usually, but now I think it’s back in basketball,” Hartford head coach Jeff Thomas said.
The first half saw a technical foul after some physical play on a rebound. The second half saw an exclamation-point dunk by Hartford’s Jacob Seaver as the final seconds ticked off. And the entire game saw both benches — and fans in the stands — show extra passion for every call and play that went their way.
Woodstock (1-3) hung in with Hartford (5-1) for much of the first half. The Hurricanes pulled away a bit before halftime, taking an eight-point lead into the break. The physicality continued into the second half, but the Wasps had trouble cutting into the deficit significantly.
Hartford maintained a 10-point lead for much of the second half. Woodstock made a late run with about three minutes remaining and got as close as five points, but Hartford put the game away at the free-throw line.
Seaver was the difference-maker for Hartford, as usual. The senior forward’s length combined with his aggressiveness in the paint makes him a tough assignment for defenders. He finished with a game-high 27 points. Senior guard Tarin Prior added 11.
Junior guard Declan McCullough led the Wasps with 18 points. He orchestrated several key fast-break opportunities throughout the game. Senior guard Cooper Dorsogna chipped in 14.
Despite the loss, Woodstock head coach Steve Landon was pleased with the way his team battled against a difficult opponent.
“At the end of the game, second half, they made the shots they needed to make and got the stops they needed, and we just didn’t,” Landon said. “But I’ll tell you what: I’m in the right locker room tonight. My guys showed up.”
Woodstock’s next scheduled game against Springfield on Friday has been postponed, so the Wasps are back in action on Tuesday at Brattleboro. Hartford will host St. Patrick Academy on Saturday.
Lebanon 55, Kingswood 18 LEBANON — The Raiders showed no signs of rust playing their first game since Dec. 17, leading by double digits after a quarter and coasting to a blowout win over the Knights.
It was Kingswood’s first time taking the court in even longer, since Dec. 15, as both teams had paused activities due to COVID-19 issues.
Senior forward Jack Stone led the way with 16 points for Lebanon (4-1), while senior guard Braeden Falzarano, who was the first Raider to enter COVID protocol and missed the last two games, added 14.
Lebanon used an effective full-court press and forced the Knights into contested shots all game long. James Donnelly had nine points to lead Kingswood.
“I thought it was going to be decently close,” Lebanon coach Kieth Matte said. “Sometimes you just don’t know. Our defensive effort was good, our rebounding was pretty good. This was our first game where we had everybody back and healthy.”
The Raiders’ game Wednesday at Pelham has been postponed due to COVID concerns with the Pelham team, so Lebanon will next play Friday at Bishop Brady.
Rivendell 49, Blue Mountain 42 WELLS RIVER, Vt. — The second half belonged to the Raptors in this comeback win over the Bucks.
Rivendell (6-0) was outscored 18-3 in the second quarter to trail, 28-18, at halftime. The Raptors’ defense tightened after the break to help spark a second-half comeback in which the visitors outscored the Bucks by a 31-14 margin.
Kyle Carter had 18 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, to lead the Raptors offensively. Harry Molesworth added 14 points and Chris Pierce had 11. Ashton Pierson came off the bench to start the fourth quarter and provided a pair of big buckets while playing tough defense to help continue the momentum for Rivendell.
“Tonight’s game felt more like a playoff game than an early season January game,” Raptors coach Ross Convertino said. “BMU is incredibly talented, long, strong and experienced. We knew we had to play not only hard, but the smartest we’ve played yet this season. I’m proud of our resiliency and that we never quit mentally.”
Rivendell hosts Oxbow on Thursday.
Northfield 69, Mid Vermont Christian 59 NORTHFIELD, Vt. — The Eagles fought back from an early deficit but couldn’t rally all the way back in a loss at the Marauders.
Joel Roberts had 20 points, including a 3-for-5 effort from 3-point land, to go along with seven rebounds and three steals for MVCS. Roman Goepper added 18 points, 11 rebounds and six steals. Abel Goodwin had 19 points, seven assists, three steals and a block.
The Eagles trailed by 18 at one point but were able to get Northfield into foul trouble to spark a comeback attempt in the second half.
MVCS looks forward to its home opener on Friday against Christ Covenant at 4 p.m.
Girls Basketball Thetford 51, Montpelier 30 MONTPELIER — The Panthers opened the game on an 18-3 run and never looked back to take down Montpelier.
Madi Mousley led the way with 13 points for Thetford (4-2). Charlize Brown added 10 points. Kelsey Bogie and Mason Fahey chipped in eight points each. The Panthers opened up a 33-12 lead at halftime.
“We played an excellent half,” Thetford coach Eric Ward said. “Slowly, we’re becoming the team we want to be.”
The Panthers will visit Hartford on Saturday with tipoff at 11:30 a.m.
Girls Hockey Hanover 3, STA-Winnacunnet-Dover 0 DOVER, N.H. — Hanover picked up a shutout win on the road to improve to 3-1-1 overall, 3-0-0 in NHIAA play.
Nora Bradley, Greta Schutz and Gail Morse found the back of the net for Hanover. Morse, Rory Seelig, Maeve Lee and Lily Seelig all had assists. Goalies Katie Smith and Eleanor Edson split the shutout.
Hanover is now off until a matchup with Lebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge at Campion Rink next Wednesday.