WEST RUTLAND – The Hazen Union girls basketball team saw their school record 31-game win streak come to an end last week as the three-time defending Division IV champs evened the two teams budding rivalry from last season, crowning a new Vermont high school all-time scoring champ along the way.
photo by Amy RenaudHazen Union’s Mya Lumsden guards West Rutland’s Peyton Guay last week. Guay broke the all-time Vermont scoring record held by Jade Huntington for 37 years.
Peyton Guay led the Golden Horde with 20 points and needed just 18 of them to surpass Oxbow’s Jade Huntington as Vermont’s new scoring king, as West Rutland held off Hazen at home over the weekend 54-49. The former Gatorade Player of the Year and Rice Memorial star sank a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter to pass Huntington’s career scoring mark of 2,114 set back in 1988.
Officials stopped the game to recognize the historical feat, including a video message from Huntingon. Huntington is now the head coach of the St. Johnsbury Academy girls basketball program and has the Lady Hilltoppers sitting atop the Division I standings at 14-0.
Sophomore Mya Lumsden single handedly kept Hazen within striking distance, draining seven threes on her way to a 21-point performance. Kelsie Rivard chipped in with 12 in the loss. Aubrey Beaulieu and Hayley Raiche added nine points a piece for the Golden Horde as they improved to 13-2. Hazen ended West Rutland’s 40 game win streak last winter at the Cat Den on their way to their first state title in over three decades.
Earlier in the week, Rivard scored 16, Isabelle Gouin added 10, and Julia des Groseilliers chipped in with seven as the Lady Cats held off Enosburg at home Monday night 41-24. Lisey Robtoy led Enosburg with 10 as they fell to 8-7 on the season and are now hovering just inside the top 10 in the current Division II standings. Rivard pumped in 20 in limited action on Friday night as the Lady Cats blew past Blue Mountain on the road 66-26. Julia des Groseilliers continued to play her best ball of the season with a 15-point effort and Autumn Dailey and Lumsden were solid with 10 points apiece in the win. Ava Kingsbury was the entire offense for the Lady Bucks in a losing effort, scoring 17. Rivard is the reigning Mtn. League Freshman of the Year and is averaging just over 18 points per contest in her sophomore season.
Hazen looked to get back on track with a trip to Enosburg on Monday and will stay on the road for a divisional clash with Richford on Thursday night. They wrap up a busy week by welcoming Stowe to town on Saturday afternoon and Northfield next Tuesday. All home games can be streamed on Hardwick Community Television (hctv.us).
