HARDWICK – After a first-round tuneup against Stowe, the Hazen Union boys basketball team solved storied rival Peoples Academy (PA) for a fourth time this season to punch their ticket to the Division III Final Four at the Barre Auditorium for a fifth consecutive season.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Junior Jameson Lamarre punished the Wolves with 22 points and 10 rebounds to power the Wildcats to a 66-48 quarterfinal win Saturday afternoon in front of a standing-room-only Cat Den crowd. Hazen struggled to shake PA early as senior Jack Lafayette followed up a steal and a thunderous dunk with a pair of contested threes to keep the Wolves within a free throw at the break 28-27. Morgan Michaud (12 points) and Lamarre had back-to-back finishes inside to maintain a 36-35 lead for Hazen with just under three minutes to go in the third quarter before junior Jeter Demers nailed a corner three for a 39-35 lead a minute later. Lincoln Hill swished a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 6 thirty seconds later, but Rupen Mara (10 points) ended the quarter with a finish inside to make it 41-37 and keep the Wolves within striking distance with eight minutes to play.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
“Peoples came in playing incredible basketball the past few weeks and we knew it was going to be a challenge beating them a fourth time,” said head coach Aaron Hill. “They started in a triangle-and-two defensively and we really struggled early on to get into an offensive flow. Lafayette is one of the most gifted offensive players in the entire state and we will not miss facing him again. After that dunk, I think the boys took their intensity to another level in the second half,”
A Hill steal and finish and another corner three from Demers pushed the lead to 46-37 in the opening minutes of the fourth and opened up the flood gates for the Wildcat offense, outscoring the Wolves 25-9 to end the game. Senior Sully Laflam added 12 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists and Hill finished with nine in the win. Michaud and Laflam added to their big nights by holding Lafayette to one point in the second half on 5-21 shooting for the game. The loss snapped PA’s five game winning streak as their season came to an end at 12-10.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
“Just unreal defensive efforts from Sully and Morgan. We had great help team defense on top of that, blitzing the ball and trapping. Jeter’s 3-pointers were just huge for us, and we took off offensively as a team from there,” said Hill.
Next up will be a familiar foe for Hill and his squad as they square off against two-time division III state champion Thetford Academy. The two teams split their regular season series this winter, but the Panthers have beaten the Wildcats in the last two state title games. Hill liked the pace his team came out with against Thetford in their 66-43 road win last month.
“There are no secrets at this point between our two teams. They are very physical in the post, and their size advantage creates a significant challenge for us. They really want to grind you down pace wise, and they accomplished that earlier this season. I liked the tempo we came out with against them last time and that will be a determining factor in our next matchup in Barre,” said Hill.
Lamarre torched Stowe for 27 points in the opening round of the state tournament, with Hill (15 points) hitting a trio of threes and Chayse Newell adding eight in a 74-25 win last Wednesday.
Second seeded Hazen and #6 Thetford will do battle once again at the Aud on Thursday night. Top seeded Randolph and #5 Vergennes will square off in the other Division III semifinal.
