Published: 3/4/2022 10:28:47 PM
Modified: 3/4/2022 10:28:23 PM
SOUTH ROYALTON — Dominic Craven felt cathartic.
His White River Valley boys basketball team had lost in the quarterfinals in each of his first three years, and in Friday night’s VPA Division IV matchup with visiting Mid Vermont Christian, both the senior guard and the Wildcats were struggling offensively through three quarters.
But Craven, who entered the fourth with just three points, came alive when it mattered most. It started with a floater in the lane, then a few free throws, and finally a 3-pointer from the corner, after which he turned to the home crowd and let out a roar.
“It looked like the weight of the world off his shoulders,” WRV head coach Mike Gaudette said. “Better late than never. That let some of the air out of the room a little bit.”
The No. 3 seed Wildcats (16-4) used a 15-3 edge in the fourth quarter to get past the sixth-seeded Eagles, 35-23, and reach the hallowed ground of Barre Auditorium for the first time in their brief history. Craven scored 10 of his game-high 13 points in the final period, and senior center Weston Trombly was also in double figures with 10.
At halftime, neither side was in double figures as a team — the score was 9-9 at that point, with both defenses active and both offenses struggling to move without the ball. WRV was down a key rotation piece in sophomore forward Tattin Griffin, who will miss the rest of the season for disciplinary reasons.
“The positive was we couldn’t play any worse offensively in the second half than we did in the first,” Gaudette said. “We knew we had to hang our hat on our defense tonight. We were struggling offensively, and for the first time all year, we were tentative, for whatever reason. Thankfully, our defense was outstanding tonight. The trapping worked.”
The offenses picked up in the third, after which the game was tied at 20. But MVCS (14-7), which has played exclusively with its five starters essentially the entire season, began to wear down in the fourth. The Eagles did not have the size to match up with Trombly in the post, and Craven’s offense took over late.
MVCS had not scored in the fourth until sophomore guard Abel Goodwin’s 3-pointer with less than a minute to go. By then, the home fans’ chants of “Bar-re!” had already taken over the gym.
Goodwin and junior guard Joel Roberts led the Eagles, who had no seniors on the roster, with eight points apiece.
“Turnovers killed us. We were turning the ball over all night, but especially in the second half,” MVCS head coach Erva Barnes said. “It’s a tough environment, and nobody on this team has ever been to the quarterfinals before. We’re young and inexperienced.”
The Wildcats will face either No. 2 seed Long Trail or No. 7 seed Arlington in Wednesday’s semifinal. Long Trail handed WRV a three-point loss on Feb. 19, and the ‘Cats did not play Arlington during the regular season.
“The kids are excited,” Gaudette said. “We persevered tonight. I’m proud of them. These kids have hearts of champions, and they’ll continue to keep working.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.