Raptors soar: Rivendell wins first D-IV boys basketball title in program history

By BENJAMIN ROSENBERG

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 03-11-2023 9:41 PM

BARRE, Vt. — A year after everything fell apart at the worst possible time for the Rivendell Academy boys basketball team, the Raptors put it all together on Saturday.

Rivendell’s fourth-quarter lead, once as large as 13 points, had been whittled down to four by another late Mid Vermont Christian push. But junior guard Finn O’Donnell made all four of his free throws in the final 25 seconds to give the No. 2 seed Raptors a 49-41 win over the Eagles and their first-ever VPA Division IV state boys hoop championship.

“I have not been a great free-throw shooter recently, and I just thought of my teammates and how it’s the least I can do for them,” O’Donnell said. “Hitting those free throws meant everything to me. Emotions were pouring out of me at the end of the game thinking of the guys.”

Coming off a stunning rally to beat top-seeded Long Trail in the semifinals on Monday and reach the title game for the first time, No. 4 seed MVCS (18-6) came out hot Saturday, using two 3-pointers by senior guard Joel Roberts and another from junior guard Abel Goodwin to build an early 13-6 lead. But Rivendell (20-4) began to find holes in the Eagles’ 2-3 zone in the second quarter, using a 10-2 run to go up by seven points at the half.

The teams traded one-point leads before senior center Harry Molesworth started to take over for the Raptors, getting two baskets in the paint and finding senior forward Josiah Welch in transition for another. Molesworth was all over the box score with 15 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and five steals.

“There’s not many guys who are as big and athletic and can move as well as me,” Molesworth said. “I’m trying to use that to my advantage.”

Rivendell’s man-to-man defense tightened up after MVCS’ hot start, with junior guard Jacoby Patterson keeping Roberts in check, Welch limiting Goodwin and Molesworth shadowing Eagles senior center Roman Goeppner.

Welch and Molesworth missed the first few games with injuries, but since the Raptors have been at full strength, they’ve lost just once, ending the season on a 13-game winning streak.

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“It’s a team effort,” Rivendell coach Andy Perkins said. “We made a point very early on that we’re going to be a scrappy and tough man-to-man team. Injuries prevented us from doing what I wanted to do in December, but since we’ve been healthy, that’s the kind of team we’ve been.”

Each team made just two field goals in the third quarter as the Raptors failed to capitalize on a series of turnovers, but Rivendell got a big boost off the bench from senior guard Derek Vogelien to extend the lead to double digits early in the fourth. Vogelien got a steal and fed Patterson for a transition layup, then drew a hard foul on a drive to the basket moments later.

Roberts and the Eagles would not go down easily, though — the senior connected from NBA range for his first 3-pointer since the opening quarter, then hit another inside of a minute left to make it a six-point game. The Raptors missed the front end of a one-and-one on three occasions, and a rare 3-pointer by Goeppner with 24.6 seconds to go cut the MVCS deficit to 45-41.

The Eagles will return their entire roster save for Roberts, who led all scorers with 17 points, and Goeppner.

“It’s hard to replicate what we did on Monday,” MVCS coach Erva Barnes said.

“All season we try not to be in that situation. We don’t want to put ourselves in a spot where we have to do something like that. But I was proud of how they executed. The boys are a great group, and they work so hard.”

Following Goeppner’s shot, O’Donnell put an end to Rivendell’s foul-shooting woes and iced the game at the line.

The Raptors were making their seventh appearance at Barre Auditorium in the last 12 years, and after failing to close out last year’s semifinal game against Blue Mountain as the top seed, they finally sealed the deal in their first year under Perkins, who replaced Ross Convertino.

Senior forward Ashton Pierson added 11 points and six rebounds, and O’Donnell’s late free throws put him in double figures as well with 10 points. Welch, Vogelien, Pierson, Molesworth and forward Josh Gould will be remembered as the senior class that brought Rivendell to the mountaintop for the first time in program history.

“It feels incredible,” Perkins said. “I’ve known this group for a very long time, I coached them in youth ball, and it’s a group that is near and dear to me. This is really a special day.”

Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.

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