Taylor Thompson (right) of Hazen Union rushes up the court as Stowe’s Marin Leonardo (No. 4) tries to block the play. Other Lady Wildcats (from left) are Julia des Groseilliers, Sadie Skorstad and Autumn Dailey. Hazen took the January 4 victory, 61-23.
by Ken Brown
HARDWICK – The Hazen Union girls’ basketball team pummeled Enosburg and Stowe last week to finish off a clean sweep of their holiday schedule, highlighted by a signature win against two-time defending Division IV state champion West Rutland.
Senior Caitlyn Davison scored 20 of her game-high 21 points in the first half to power Hazen to a 61-23 home win over Stowe last Thursday.
Freshman Kelsie Rivard (10), Julia des Groseilliers (9), and freshman Autumn Dailey (8) rounded out a balanced scoring attack for the Lady Cats, who put the game away early with a 21-0 run to start the game. Zoe Leonardo led Stowe with 13 in the loss, as they fell to 1-4.
Two days before Christmas, Rivard poured in a career-high 28 as the Lady Cats dismantled Peoples Academy (PA) 75-32 in the first annual Winter Solstice at the Barre Auditorium. Davison punished the Lady Wolves with 20 of her own and freshman Mya Lumsden chipped in with eight in the win. Savannah Hanley led PA with 11 as they fell to 1-5 on the season.
Hazen Union’s Caitlyn Davison drives to the basket for two of her 21 points she scored against Stowe, January 4. At left is Lady Wildcat Maya Lumsden. Hazen won 61-23.
Rivard continued her stellar play five days later, muscling a physical West Rutland team with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hazen to an emphatic 54-40 home win.
Davison filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 12 boards, and nine steals as the Lady Cats took a 23-18 edge into the break.
West Rutland closed the gap to make it 34-32 eight minutes into the second half behind a team-high nine points from Haley Raiche. A pair of freshmen broke the game open for head coach Randy Lumsden in the fourth quarter, with Mya Lumsden connecting from long range three times and Taylor Thompson draining another to fuel a 20-8 run to close out the game.
The Lady Cat defense held reigning Division IV Player of the Year Peyton Guay to eight points, handing the Golden Horde their first loss in over two years, snapping their 40-game win streak. Lumsden finished with nine points in the win. Bella Coombs chipped in with eight in the loss for West Rutland, who fell to 7-1 on the season.
Hazen Union rang in the new year last Tuesday with a hard-fought 58-47 road win over Division II Enosburg behind a game-high 24 points from Davison. The two-time Vermont Dream Dozen selection added nine rebounds and eight steals to help the visitors take a 27-21 into halftime. Rivard helped Hazen swell the lead to 46-32 after three quarters with a 16-point eight rebound effort inside.
Enosburg handed Lumsden and the Lady Cats their only regular season loss last winter in what was the season opener for both teams. Lilly Robtoy led Enosburg with 22 points as they fell to 3-3.
“The girls have been playing really well and are starting to jell together as a team. With four new players on the team playing at the varsity level for the first time, it’s definitely been a challenge adapting to the speed of the game. We are still learning to value the ball and not make careless turnovers. Our sophomores Julia des Groseilliers and Isabelle Gouin have really stepped up over the last couple of games, giving us some much-needed depth on the roster. We matchup against a tough Richford team this week that has exceptional athletes. We are looking forward to the challenge,” said Lumsden.
Hazen is ranked second in the current Division III standings and traveled to a 5-2 Richford squad on Tuesday, who is ranked fifth. The Lady Cats will welcome BFA-Fairfax to town on Thursday at the Cat Den. They’ll be back on the road next Tuesday for a match-up with Williamstown.
