WINDSOR — The Thetford Panthers are state champions until someone tells them they aren’t anymore.
Fifth-seeded Windsor got the first crack at knocking No. 12 Thetford off its perch as two-time VPA Division III boys basketball kingpins on Wednesday evening at Windsor High. As has happened so many times the past three years, Thetford left holding the victory, 57-46.
The Panthers (3-6) have won eight straight VPA tournament games and 10 of their last 11. The only blemish: a semifinal loss to Windsor (5-4) in the 2019 D-III semis at Barre Auditorium.
Ryen Wolf and Eli Dunnet led four players in double figures with 14 points each for TA, which controlled the second half after trailing through the first. Jacob Gilman had 11 points and Jackson Ransom 10 for the champs.
“The eight-game schedule is really hard,” Thetford coach Jason Gray said. “In the past years, it’s been in the past quarter of the season that’s left over (that) we’ve been playing. We’ve flicked a switch and it’s just everybody’s clicking, everybody’s buying in for what I have for information, then they retain it and put it out on the court.
“The championship thing, that’s just another stepping stone. You’re only as good as you play.”
Windsor fell despite a heroic second-half effort from senior forward Owen Abrahamsen. Owner of as many points as fouls (two of each) in the first half, Abrahamsen hoisted the Jacks on his back and kept them relevant, ultimately finishing with 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots.
“The kid plays like that every night,” Windsor coach Harry Ladue said. “I’ve got to play him 30 minutes, and he can bust you down. He gets 20 rebounds a game. … The guy refuses to lose.”
Windsor held the 28-27 lead at the half, but Thetford appeared the more complete team through the first 16 minutes of action.
The Jacks made up for a lack of offense from Abrahamsen — a consistent 19 points-per-game force this season — by whipping the ball around the perimeter and hitting 3-pointers early. Sophomore guard Maison Fortin (13 points) found the most success, sinking back-to-back trifectas to build a 16-8 lead with 1:53 left in the period.
The Panthers were already showing their mettle on the boards, ultimately building a 22-11 advantage by the half and a 36-29 edge for the night. Thetford seemed content to blanket Abrahamsen, limit Windsor to one shot and crash the glass; it worked, at least enough to keep the visitors in the equation as the second half arrived.
“A kid that’s got a 40-some-odd-inch vertical, he gets up there,” Gray said of Abrahamsen. “Every time the ball went up, we just 100% found a body and boxed him out. And if the ball hits the floor … there’s no 50-50 balls here. You go and get on it. And if you get hurt, oh well.”
Abrahamsen scored all nine of Windsor’s third-quarter points and well as its first hoop of the fourth. The Panthers responded with variety and versatility.
Dunnet converted his own offensive rebound, drew a foul and completed the three-point play to break a 30-30 tie midway through the third. Wolf followed with a transition layup off a Dunnet rebound and outlet pass, and Thetford led the rest of the way.
Abrahamsen didn’t make it easy. Two baskets and a free throw to close the third kept the Jacks within 41-37. Thetford’s Mitchell Parkman opened the fourth with a free throw, to which Abrahamsen and Fortin answered with hoops to cut the deficit to 42-41.
Dunnet hit a short lane jumper with 3:59 left for a three-point cushion. The rest came down to free throws: The Panthers shot 9-of-10 from the line down the stretch, adding hoops from Gilman and Dunnet to advance.
Alive. Still.
“This a weird situation with nothing in the stands,” Gray said. “The best thing is all they have to focus on is me and put the ball in the hoop. If they can do that, we have an option to win.”
<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull>
Free Throws: The Panthers shot 18-for-21 from the charity stripe on the night. … Thetford will meet either No. 13 or No. 4 Winooski in a Saturday afternoon quarterfinal. … The Yellowjackets graduate Abrahamsen, Jordan Place, Blake Archambault, John Cook, Cooper Bevis, Ethan Lawyer, Caden Lockwood, Jackson Davi and Nick Langhans.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.