Hazen Wildcat Xavier Hill (center) hands off the ball to Brendan Moodie (left) as opponent Parker Guffey (right) of Stowe follows the play. Hazen won 75-33.
HARDWICK – After breezing past Stowe in the opening round, the top seeded Hazen Union boys’ basketball team needed a career night from their star point guard Xavier Hill to escape an upset bid from Randolph, punching their ticket to the Barre Auditorium for the sixth time in seven years.
Fellow senior Gabe Michaud poured in a season-high 19 points and pulled down five rebounds to help the Wildcats tip-off their 2024 postseason with a 75-33 win over Stowe last Wednesday. Hill orchestrated the offense with 15 points and eight assists, Brendan Moodie added 12 points, and Sully Laflam chipped in nine in the win.
Freshman Jameson Lamarre knocked down a three on his way to an eight-point night in his first varsity playoff game in the Cat Den. Ben Sherman paced the Raiders with 11 points as their season came to an end at 5-17.
Hill pumped in a career-high 32 points and was a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line on Saturday night to power Hazen Union past a resilient Randolph squad 56-51.
The Galloping Ghosts erased a double-digit deficit in the third quarter to take a 46-45 lead with eight minutes to play.
Hazen Union sophomore Morgan Michaud (No. 20) brings the ball down the court past Shea Fontanella of Randolph during quarterfinal play at Hazen, Feb. 24. The Wildcats took the victory 56-51.
With the Wildcat offense sputtering and his team struggling from the charity stripe (5-19), Hill took over, adding 13 rebounds, dishing out five assists, and limiting Randolph’s leading scorer Ethan Davignon to eight points.
Fellow senior Ryan Morrison battled through a neck injury to add eight points and eight rebounds in the win.
Chase Gardner led Randolph with 14 points and Shea Fontanella added 13 in the loss.
Hazen handled a banged up Galloping Ghost squad twice during the regular season by a combined score of 149-83, but head coach Aaron Hill knew his team would be tested in their third match-up.
“When Randolph is healthy, they are easily a top four or five team in our division. We knew their athleticism was going to be a big challenge coming in and when they start making shots, they are tough to beat. Really happy to get through this one and Xavier put us on his back and was just awesome all game,” said Hill.
Hazen Union senior Ryan Morrison (left) looks for an open to pass during playdown action Feb. 21 at Hazen. At right is Maddox Gregory of Stowe. The Wildcats outscored the Raiders 75-33.
Hazen advances to the Division III Final Four for the fourteenth time under Hill and will meet defending champion Winooski on Thursday night at the Barre Auditorium. The two teams have split the last two state titles in what have been physical defensive battles. Controversy has embroiled this heated rivalry with sportsmanship coming into question at various times from Winooski fans, players, and coaches. The Vermont Principal’s Association had initially considered playing Thursday night’s semifinal match-up between the two teams in an empty Barre Auditorium for safety reasons, but it was decided on Monday afternoon that fans and media would be allowed to attend. Hill is looking forward to another tough match-up against their rival and knows his team will have to meet their energy and pace.
“They like to play fast and can really disrupt you defensively. Their point guard, Perris, is a returning starter from their championship team and he is a good slasher and a hard player to defend. They also have good size and energy underneath with Baker and Turnage, so we’ll need to box out and limit their second chance opportunities. I’m so glad the VPA is allowing fans in to watch the kids compete. It is going to be an electric atmosphere and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Hill.
Hazen and Winooski will tip-off their semifinal match-up at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, at the Barre Auditorium, followed by the Thetford Academy and White River match-up in the second semifinal. The Division III state title game will be played on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
