LYNDONVILLE – The Hazen Union boys’ basketball team shook off a stunning buzzer beating loss to Lyndon Institute (LI) earlier in the week, with a dominating win over Division II Spaulding to improve to 9-2 on the season.
Ethan Lussier scored 14 second half points, including the game-winner from half court to lead the Vikings to an improbable 41-40 home win over the Wildcats last Wednesday.
Xavier Hill fought through an ankle injury to lead Hazen with 21 points and 12 rebounds, giving the visitors a 33-25 edge with eight minutes to play.
The Vikings clamped down on defense and launched a furious comeback behind Lussier’s team-high 19 points, knotting the game in the final minute.
Hill reclaimed the lead for Hazen with just under five seconds to play, before Lussier’s game-winning half court heroics sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
Gabe Michaud pulled down nine rebounds in the loss, as Hazen was without fellow big man Ryan Morrisson. The Viking defense held Brendan Moodie and freshman Jameson Lamarre to a combined 10 points. It was the third win of the season for second year L.I. head coach and former Wildcat Eli Appleton. The 2013 Hazen graduate played point guard for head coach Aaron Hill, who had nothing but praise for what he is building in Lyndon Center.
“That’s definitely a tough one to swallow, but I’m happy for Eli and his kids and I think he’s doing a phenomenal job with that program. They’ve been in every ball game all year, he had his kids prepared, and we knew it was going to be a tough game. We missed way too many layups throughout the game, and it was my fault for not having our guys foul before that last play. We had fouls to give and could’ve taken more time off the clock, but credit to them for making a great shot,” said Hill.
Moodie bounced back with a 15-point performance, knocking down a trio of three pointers to lead the Wildcats to a 61-37 home win over the Crimson Tide Friday night.
Hill added 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists and Morrisson returned to the court to add 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Gabe Michaud chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds for Hazen.
Brennan Langlois led Spaulding with nine points and Liam Trembley added eight in the loss.
The Wildcats hung on to their No. 2 ranking in Division III, trailing only undefeated Thetford Academy. White River Valley, Winooski, and Richford round out the top five.
The Wildcats are scheduled to travel to Lamoille on Wednesday before squaring off against Peoples Academy for a third time this season at home on Friday night. Hazen outscored the Wolves a combined 146-71 in their first two meetings.
