NORTHEAST KINGDOM – Hazen Union’s Kelsie Rivard, Twinfield-Cabot’s Tej Stewart, and Danville’s Andrew and Lauren Joncas have been selected to the Vermont Dream Dozen team, joining the 12-person rosters in Division III/IV as some of the best underclassmen hoopers in the state.
Rivard burst onto the scene in the Mountain League as a freshman this winter with her hair on fire, pushing 1,000-point scoring teammate Caitlyn Davison as the scoring leader for the Lady Cats all season long. Her all-around game gave Hazen Union a dynamic one-two punch that led them all the way to the Barre Auditorium and the program’s first state title in over three decades. Rivard’s 33 points against White River Valley in the semifinals at the Aud was a freshman and school record.
Stewart had an injury-riddled sophomore season that was cut short, but not before leading Twinfield-Cabot in scoring, earning his second consecutive selection. Stewart opened the season with back-to-back 30-point performances in the Bob Abrahamson Tip-off Classic and was averaging north of 25 points per game before injuries kept him in and out of the lineup. A broken wrist ended his season with five games remaining, making the Trojans 10 wins on the season and first round playoff win under first-year Head Coach Kris Bador even more impressive. A healthy Stewart could lead to a monster junior season and a deep playoff run for Bador’s Trojans in 2025.
Junior Andrew Joncas became a 1,000-point scorer for the Bears this past winter, earning him a second straight Dream Dozen selection. The sharpshooting guard led Danville in scoring as they made it all the way to the Division IV state title game as the top seed. Joncas already has 1159 points in his career and will be recognized this Saturday at VBCA All-Star weekend along with other local 1,000-point scorers Dylan Washer of Craftsbury Academy and Caitlyn Davison of Hazen Union.
After losing their first seven games to start the season, a rebuilding Danville program finished with six wins down the stretch to make the playoffs behind a balanced scoring attack led by Lauren Joncas. Joncas and a returning young core of her teammates will have the Lady Bears on the rise next winter in Division IV.
