Senior girls who played basketball for Hazen Union are (from left) Sarah Collier, Caitlyn Davison, Tessa Luther and Craftsbury student Sadie Skorstad.
WINDSOR – Several local athletes and coaches were honored on Saturday by the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association (VBCA) for Senior All-Star Weekend at Windsor High School.
Hazen Union’s Randy Lumsden was named Division III girls’ Coach of the Year over the weekend after leading his Lady Cat program to their first state title in 33 years. Lumsden became the first in school history to capture a basketball state championship as both a player and as a coach. He is 40-3 in his first two seasons on the sidelines, with a pair of 19 game-winning streaks.
Hazen boys’ head coach Aaron Hill was also honored for his 400th career coaching win this past season. Hill has yet to turn 50, but already has captured six Division III state titles and has led his Wildcat program to 15 Final Fours, including his fifth state runner-up earlier this month.
Craftsbury seniors who played basketball included Dylan Washer (left), Sterling Blodgett (center) and Chris Haefs (right).
Former Craftsbury Academy great Jeff Davis was also honored for his 300th career coaching win earlier this year in his first season at the helm of the Colchester girls’ program. Davis has already turned around a sputtering Lakers girls’ program in his first season, winning 15 games and advancing to the Division I quarterfinals with a young team. He returned to coaching this winter after a three-year hiatus from a two-decade-plus run at Mount Mansfield Union, where he won three Division I state titles.
Hazen’s Caitlyn Davison, Craftsbury Academy’s Dylan Washer, and Danville’s Andrew Joncas were honored in a star-studded 1,000-point career scorers category. Davison put the wraps on a historic career at Hazen with a Division III state title two weeks ago. She put herself amongst the likes of Jennifer des Groseilliers and Penny Libercent as one of the all-time great Lady Cats, finishing with 1,173 career points. Washer put a bow on a sensational Charger career with a pair of 40-plus point games down the stretch to reach 1,049 career points. Making the feat extra special was joining his legendary grandfather Allen Reed (1,674 career points) on the scoring banner hanging from the rafters in Craftsbury Academy’s gymnasium. Andrew Joncas led the top-seeded Bears in scoring once again, hitting the 1,000-point career mark in just his junior season. Records have a chance to be broken next season in Danville.
Hazen’s Kelsie Rivard, Danville’s Lauren Joncas, Twinfield-Cabot’s Tej Stewart, and Andrew Joncas were all honored at Vermont Dream Dozen selections as some of the best underclassmen high school hoopers in the state. Rivard averaged over 17 points a game for the top seeded champion Lady Cats, including a school record 33 points in her first game at the Barre Auditorium. After a historical freshman season, school records are definitely in play for Rivard the next three years at the Cat Den. Lauren Joncas led a young Lady Bear team in scoring and to the playoffs as just a sophomore. Stewart earned his second straight selection despite an injury plagued season but was averaging north of 20 points per game before a broken wrist ended his season early. Joncas also earned his second straight selection after leading the Bears to the Division IV state title game.
Hazen Union and Hartford also took home the prestigious Mona Garone Sportsmanship Award.
