by Ken Brown
THETFORD – The Hazen Union boys’ basketball team got through the holiday break unscathed but were clipped in overtime for their first loss of the season last week by Thetford Academy (TA), in what was a battle of Division III heavyweights.
Mitchell Parkman’s put-back on an offensive rebound with 30 seconds left in overtime proved to be the game-winner as the Panthers outlasted Hazen at home on Friday night 56-54.
The Wildcats took a 28-20 lead into the break behind Xavier Hill’s 10 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assist night, but TA would storm back with a 16-1 run to start the second half.
Brendan Moodie brought the Wildcats all the way back and helped them retake the lead in the final eight minutes with 15 points, connecting four times from long range.
Xander Oshoniyi (10 points) hit a game tying three for the Panthers with less than a minute in regulation. Hazen nearly stole the game in the closing seconds of regulation when Hill’s long range three rimmed in and out and a put back from Sully Laflam just missed the mark.
After Parkman gave the Panthers the lead with 30 tics left in overtime, Gabe Michaud earned a trip to the line to tie with an offensive rebound with four seconds left but couldn’t convert.
Freshman Jameson Lamare scored a career-high 15 points for Hazen Union in the loss. Hunter Clay led TA with 12 points and Dempsey McGovern added 11, as the Panthers took over the top spot in the current Division standings with a perfect 7-0 record.
Over the break, the Wildcats dismantled Peoples Academy for a second time this season 73-38 in the first annual Winter Solstice at the Barre Auditorium. The tournament was created by Hardwick Academy alum Jim McWilliam and featured both girl’s and boy’s teams from Hazen, PA, Spaulding, and Montpelier.
Senior point guard Xavier Hill recorded the second triple-double in program history, scoring 22 points, grabbing 15 boards, and dishing out 12 assists. Brendan Moodie complimented him with 16 points and four steals.
Last Wednesday, the Wildcats dodged a bullet on the road, coming back from a halftime deficit to edge Lake Region 48-44.
Hill led Hazen once again with 18 points and 12 boards, Moodie connected from long range three times for an 11-point night, and Ryan Morrison added 10 points and seven rebounds in the win. Jonathan Piers and Jeffrey Coe led the Rangers with eight points apiece, as they suffered just their second loss of the season.
Head coach Aaron Hill and his Wildcats fall to the second spot in the Division standings with a 5-1 record. BFA-Fairfax at 5-1 and a 7-1 White River Valley team are close behind in the third and fourth spots.
“I love our team. We have been battling through illness and injury the past couple of weeks. The kids showed great toughness and resilience in our win at Lake Region and loss at Thetford Academy. We need to continue to work on getting healthy and keep improving our team rebounding as we go forward in the season,” said Hill.
The Wildcats continued their road trip on Monday with a match-up against Oxbow and return home to host Randolph on Wednesday and a 6-2 Division II Harwood team on Friday night.
