HARDWICK – The Hazen Union boys basketball team sandwiched a pair of losses to Lamoille and Thetford Academy around a resounding win against Randolph on Senior Night last week and will enter the Division III state tournament as the fifth seed at 14-6.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Azariah Hungerford scored a team-high 15 points to lead Lamoille to a 55-46 road win over the Wildcats last Monday. Sully Laflam’s game-high 20 points helped give Hazen a 26-23 edge heading into the break. James Wallace scored 13 to help fuel a 16-0 Lancer run to start the second half, putting the Wildcats in chase mode the rest of the way. The win evened the season series between the two teams after Hazen defeated Lamoille back in December to win the Dave Morse Classic.
Morgan Michaud pumped in a season-high 18 points and ripped down 10 rebounds to power Hazen to a 71-51 home win over Randolph on Wednesday. Laflam added 16 more points and 10 rebounds, Brendan Moodie (13 points) drilled a trio of threes. Ethan Gann chipped in with 13 points and six boards in the win. Trent Spinks led the Galloping Ghosts with 12 in the loss as they wrapped up their regular season at 9-11. Moodie was joined in the starting lineup by senior teammates Taylor Cloutier and Craftsbury Academy’s Evan LaMare as all three athletes were honored before the game for their outstanding high school basketball careers.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Hunter Clay and Braxton Adam combined to connect on 8 three-pointers to lead defending Division III champion Thetford Academy to a hard-fought 66-61 home win over the Wildcats Friday night. Clay led the Panthers with 19 points and Adam added 15 as Thetford erased a one-point halftime deficit to sweep the season series. Laflam’s game-high 23 points and Moodie’s 20 helped the Wildcats claw back to within a single point late, but the Panthers 9-11 performance from the foul line proved to be the difference. Dillon Vance chipped in with 10 in the win and Thetford (17-3) will begin their title defense this week as the No. 2 seed. Wildcat head coach Aaron Hill has led his program to three consecutive state championship appearances and watched his team cut down the nets at the Barre Auditorium in 2022. His young team has been inconsistent down the home stretch of the regular season, but the confidence he has in his resilient squad is unwavering as they look to make a deep run in the tournament.
“This is a special team! They have incredible resilience and have surprised people all season long. I am so excited to see where our season ends up, but no matter what, it is a team that has made me proud,” said Hill.
The fifth seeded Wildcats hosted No. 12 BFA-Fairfax on Tuesday, and if they advance, will go on the road to face the winner of Richford vs Peoples Academy on Saturday in a quarterfinal match-up.
