Hazen Union sophomore Sullivan Laflam (right) looks to pass by Carlos Martinez (left) of Lake Region at Hazen Union, February 9. The Wildcats took the victory 58-38.
STOWE – Point guard Xavier Hill continued his stellar senior campaign last week, leading the Hazen Union boys’ basketball team to wins over Stowe, North Country, and Lake Region to keep pace atop of the Division III standings.
Ryan Morrison poured in 16 points last Monday night as the Wildcats breezed to an 89-33 road win over Stowe.
Gabe Michaud added 14 points and Hill filled up the stat sheet in limited minutes with 12 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.
Morgan Michaud chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds in the win as all 12 Wildcats scored.
Ben Sherman led the Raiders with seven in the loss as they fell to 4-12.
Hill dropped 19 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to power Hazen to a hard-fought 49-44 road win over Division II North Country last Wednesday.
Gabe Michaud scored eight points to help the Wildcats take a 33-23 advantage into the break.
Haidin Chilafoux connected on a trio of three-pointers for a game-high 20 points to fuel a 15-5 run to start the second half, knotting the score at 38-38 with eight minutes to play.
Hill and freshman Jameson Lamarre were a perfect 8-8 from the line down the stretch to help snap the Falcons’ four game winning streak.
Hazen Union freshman Wildcat Jameson Lamarre (right) dribbles around Nicholas Robillard (left) of Lake Region during home action Friday. Hazen outscored Lake Region 58-38.
Lamarre finished with six points and Laflam added seven in the win. Hayden Boivin chipped in with 10 points in the loss as North Country fell to 11-6.
“This was a great win for us over a very good North Country team on the road. Our team showed great resilience in the fourth quarter to pull that one out, with several players stepping up to win a big game like that,” said head coach Aaron Hill.
Xavier Hill capped off his big week with a career-high 28 points in a 58-38 home win over Division II Lake Region. The senior point guard added 11 rebounds and six assists in the win as the Wildcats took a 28-13 lead into the break and never looked back.
Ryan Morrison and Gabe Michaud did the dirty work down low for the Wildcats, tallying eight points and seven rebounds apiece.
Jonathan Piers led the Rangers with nine points and Jeffrey Coe added eight in the loss as they fell to 8-10 on the season.
Hill is a two-time Vermont Dream Dozen selection but has added a new layer to his offensive game in his final season in a Wildcat uniform, averaging over 18 points per game. His coach is even more impressed with the other things Hill does on the court for the 15-3 Wildcats.
Hazen Union girls varsity basketball players (from left): Mya Lumsden, Julia des Groseilliers, Kelsie Rivard and Autumn Dailey cheered for the varsity boys team during their match against Lake Region Friday night at Hazen Union.
“Xavier is having an awesome season for us. There are a lot of players around each year who can score but it is extremely rare to have a player who is able to produce in so many different ways. Xavier is a player who can dominate a game with his scoring or his passing,” said Hill.
Hazen travels to Randolph on Wednesday and will welcome top-seeded Thetford Academy to the Cat Den on Friday for Senior Night. The heavyweight match-up will determine the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Division III playoffs. The Panthers clipped the Wildcats 56-54 on their home floor back in January.
