by Ken Brown
MARSHFIELD – The Twinfield-Cabot boys’ basketball team blew past Christ Covenant last week to improve to 2-1 on the season under first year head coach Kris Badore.
Sophomore Tej Stewart continued to lead the Trojan offense last Thursday, pouring in a game-high 22 points in a 68-53 home rout of Christ Covenant. Senior captain Sam Russell returned from injury to score 16, including four first half three-pointers to give Twinfield-Cabot a comfortable lead heading into the break.
“The boys put together two very good practices with big time energy at the end of the week. My assistant coaches have been helping out tremendously and the focus from our players continues to get higher with every practice and game,” said Badore.
Eli Russell added 12 points in the win for another solid performance from the sophomore who scored a career-high 19 against Proctor in the championship game of the Bob Abrahamson Tip-off Classic
The loss dropped the Saints to 0-1 on the season.
Stewart led the Trojans in scoring last season, averaging over 15 points per game as a freshman, earning him a Vermont Dream Dozen selection. Badore praised Stewart’s development coming into the season from the work he put in on his game and his body and so far, the proof is in the pudding. The super sophomore is averaging just under 28 points through three games, but he and the Trojans will get their biggest tests of the early season starting this week with a pair of Division III matchups in the rugged Mountain League.
“Oxbow has played some really good teams and we need to be ready for Wednesday night when they come to visit Trojan Nation. It’s important that we set the pace and tempo early on. They have some quick guards that like to get out on the break, so we need to find that extra boost on the defensive end,” said Badore.
Badore’s squad is ranked in the top 10 in the Division IV standings and already have a top five win against a 3-1 Twin Valley team. Oxbow will be hungry for their first win of the season after a challenging schedule to start their year and Vergennes is off to a hot 2-0 start, including a road win against crosstown rival Danville.
“Controlling and setting the tempo is going to be key for us in what will be some good tests for us heading into the Christmas break. We hope to see a packed house on Wednesday night as we love the support from our community!” said Badore.
The Trojans will welcome the Olympians to town on Wednesday night and will hit the road for a match-up against Vergennes next Wednesday.
