BARRE – The roller coaster ride of the Lamoille boys basketball team ended in championship glory over the weekend as they knocked off undefeated Hartford to capture their first Division II state title since 1963.
After mounting come-backs to survive and advance against Middlebury and Fair Haven in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, the Lancers stunned top-seeded Hartford 56-53 on Saturday at the Barre Auditorium. Lamoille hit free throws and withstood a furious comeback from Hartford in the closing seconds behind a game high 20 points from Colby Hall. James Wallace (15 points) and Jackson Hoag (11) rounded out a balanced attack for a Lancer team that held the Hurricanes to one of their lowest offensive outputs of the season. Hartford came into the championship having beaten five-time defending champion Montpelier by 32 points in the semifinal round. Fifteen of Hartford’s 22 wins came by twenty points or more this season and were heavy favorites to end the program’s 97-year championship drought. Lamoille had other plans, capping off an incredible season that started with their first ever Dave Morse Classic title over Division III champion Hazen Union back in December. The Lancers last state title was in Division IV over Brighton (Island Pond) before district unification.
