PROCTOR – For a second straight season, the Twinfield-Cabot boys basketball team won the Bob Abrahamson Tip-off Classic in dominant fashion at Proctor High School last week.
Seniors Tej Stewart and Eli Russell were too much for Twin Valley and tournament host Proctor over the weekend as the Trojans stormed to another Bob Abe Classic title. Stewart pumped in a team high 25 points and hauled in 11 rebounds Friday night to lead Twinfield-Cabot to an impressive 78-57 over Twin-Valley in the opening round.
Brayden Brown did all he could to keep the Wildcats within striking distance with a game-high 37 points, but the Trojan’s depth was too much.
Russell orchestrated the offense to perfection with 21 points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals. Fellow senior Sam McLane added six points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore Omar Miksic-Knibb chipped in with 11 points and five assists.
The two schools got reacquainted with each other after the Wildcats denied Twinfield-Cabot a perfect soccer season in the Division IV championship match six weeks ago.
“Brown is a great offensive player, and he and their program is a class act. It was great to start the game on a 17-3 run and carry that right into the second half. Tej and Eli’s shooting and distribution of the ball was on another level. Ben Monaco came off the bench and played really well. Continuing to develop and stabilize our bench is going to be key for us as we navigate the season,” said head coach Kris Bador.
The Trojans blitzed Proctor with an explosive second half to raise the Bob Abe Classic trophy with a 74-42 win on Saturday night.
The Phantoms hung tough, trailing 30-22 at the break behind 7 points from Dean and Braden Mason.
Twinfield-Cabot went on a 24-11 run in the first eight minutes of the second half to put the game away. Stewart and Russell led the Trojans with 18 points apiece, Miksic-Knibb added 15 and Zepherin Hebert was strong inside with 11.
Twin-Valley raced past Poultney 110-29 in the consolation game as Brayden and Landon Brown combined for 61 points.
“Zepherin led us defensively in the second half after I thought we came out a little flat in the first sixteen minutes. Effort and leadership like that becomes contagious and we wore them out as a team,” said Bador.
“It was a physical game that tested us mentally and I loved our kids’ composure throughout the tournament. Proctor did a great job coming out with a lot of energy in the first quarter but we adjusted really well and stuck to our game plan. It was a great tournament, great crowd and great atmosphere. I love how tight knit this group is but I don’t want it to be easy for them, and it’s good to see them go through some adversity and have to figure things out. “
Bador’s veteran squad will get another full week of practice under their belt before traveling to Stowe on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. tip-off. The Trojans will be on the road for the first six games of the season.
