NORTHEAST KINGDOM – Coaches voted Hazen Union’s Caitlyn Davison the Player of the Year for a second consecutive season last week, as several local athletes were honored for their stellar seasons on the hardwood in the Mountain League.
Davison capped off an incredible high school basketball career earlier this month with Hazen’s first Division III state championship in over three decades. The star point guard led the Lady Cats in scoring for a third consecutive season, ending her incredible career with 1,173 points.
The other half of the dynamic duo behind Hazen’s dominance this past winter was the emergence of Kelsie Rivard. The phenomenal freshman finished percentage points behind Davison for the Lady Cat scoring title in her first season and earned Mountain League Freshman of the Year honors for her efforts. Rivard dazzled a packed Barre Auditorium in the semifinal round with a school-record 33-point performance against White River Valley. Davison reset the bar two nights later in the championship game with a 34-point masterpiece against defending champion Windsor.
Davison and Rivard also led Mountain League First Team honors and were joined by Twinfield-Cabot’s Alice McLane. The senior center was a walking double-double for the Lady Trojans this past season, leading them in scoring, while dominating the glass, and protecting the rim for first year head coach Jack Whalen. McLane had career highs with 25- and 28-point performances down the stretch for Twinfield-Cabot, as they won 13 games, securing the program’s first winning season in over a decade. Whalen’s young squad came three points away from a trip to the Barre Auditorium in their quarterfinal match-up against fourth seeded Williamstown. Rounding out First Team honors were Destiny Campbell (Williamstown), Kyrielle Deuso (Richford), and Blue Mountain’s Jordan Alley.
Hazen’s Julia des Groseilliers and Mya Lumsden were given Second Team honors after their breakout seasons for head coach Randy Lumsden. des Groseilliers did the dirty work inside all season long for an undersized Lady Cat team in just her sophomore season. Lumsden gave Hazen a second ball handler in the backcourt behind Davison and the impressive freshman also became a threat from long range down the stretch and throughout their title run.
Hazen senior Tessa Luther was a key starter all season for the Lady Cats, earning her Mountain League Third Team honors. Twinfield-Cabot’s Jorja Washburn had an outstanding junior campaign, pushing McLane for the season scoring title, and was a Mountain League Honorable Mention along with Danville’s Lauren Joncas. The super sophomore led the Lady Bears in scoring this past season.
Richford’s Tim Lagasse was named Mountain League Coach of the Year after leading his squad to the Division III Final Four. Hazen was named Defensive Team of the Year after putting together a school record second straight 20-win season under Lumsden. BFA-Fairfax earned the Mountain League Sportsmanship award. Hazen’s Sarah Collier, Twinfield-Cabot’s McLane, and Danville’s Myah Morgan were given the Pete Hart award for demonstrating a strong work ethic, compassion, and devotion to their team, as well as respect for coaches, teammates, and officials. The award is named after Hart, the former editor of the Stowe Reporter and longtime Vermont sportswriter and basketball fan who passed away in 2009.
