by Ken Brown
MARSHFIELD – The Twinfield-Cabot girls’ basketball team remained perfect under first year head coach Jack Whalen last week, defeating Rivendell Academy (RA) at home to improve to 2-0.
Kendall Fowler poured in a game-high 19 points to lead the Lady Trojans to a 41-30 divisional home win over RA last Tuesday. Fowler connected from long range five times to help Twinfield-Cabot race out to a 38-15 lead after three quarters.
“We did a good job offensively being patient and moving the ball and it was great to see our defense hold them down through three quarters. We need our playmakers to attack the basket a little more, take the open shot, and then fight for the rebound on a miss,” said Whalen.
The Lady Raptors made it interesting with a 15-3 run in the final eight minutes behind seniors Mason Fahey and Colleen Underhill, but the hole Fowler dug for them was too deep. Senior captain Alice McLane added nine for the Twinfield-Cabot and Jorja Washburn chipped in with seven in the win. Rivendell fell to 0-3 and is looking to bounce back from a one-win season last winter under first year head coach Ross Jensen. They’re seven returning players, along with four added freshmen will try to end the program’s 18 year Final Four drought.
“I’m very proud of this group for fighting through a fourth straight Monday and a second straight game without a practice, yet still going out and executing. Winning our first two games is a great start to the season and we need to remain focused to make it three straight,” said Whalen.
The Lady Trojans got their first road test of the season in a rematch with Peoples Academy on Thursday and will be off through the holiday break before welcoming Northfield to town on January 2.
Wildcats Dominant in First Road Win
ENOSBURG – The Hazen Union boys’ basketball team passed their first road test with flying colors with a one-sided victory over Enosburg last week to improve to 3-0.
Xavier Hill led the offense with 20 first half points to power the Wildcats to a 68-27 road win over the Hornets on Tuesday night. The senior point guard finished his night with 22 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, as Hazen raced out to a 42-14 lead at the break and never looked back. Brendan Moodie added 11, Gabe Michaud did the dirty work inside with 8 points and 10 boards, and Morgan Michaud chipped in with eight points and five assists. Pete Stiebris led Enosburg with eight points in the loss. The 0-4 Hornets, a perennial title contender in both division II and III not long ago, have lost their first four games by an average of 38 points.
The Wildcats traveled to the Barre Auditorium to take on Peoples Academy in the inaugural Winter Solstice Tournament over the weekend. After the holiday break, they’ll travel to Lake Region on January 3.
Oxbow Comes Back to Stun Trojans
MARSHFIELD – Oxbow erased a double-digit deficit to hand the Twinfield-Cabot boys’ basketball a stunning loss last week, earning their first win of the season.
The Olympians sank a deep three and converted a steal into a layup to take their first lead of the game with under a minute left, as they hung on for a hard fought 62-60 win last Tuesday. Senior Meles Gouge drove to the lane and was fouled with the Trojans down one, but missed both free throws with nine seconds left to play. Tej Stewart led the offense once again for Twinfield-Cabot, pouring in 28 points. Eli Russell added 14 in the loss, as the Trojans fell to 2-2 on the season.
Twinfield-Cabot will get a stiff road test on Wednesday when they travel to take on an undefeated Vergennes squad. After the holiday break, they welcome crosstown rival Danville to town on January 3.
