HARDWICK – The Hazen Union boys basketball team rebounded from a disappointing season series sweep to Randolph to start the week with dominating wins over Lake Region and Montpelier to stay in the hunt near the top of the Division III standings.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Sophomore Eli Messier punished the Wildcats in the paint with a game-high 25 points to lead Randolph to a hard fought 66-59 road win at the Cat Den last Tuesday. The Ghosts rallied from a double-digit deficit early in the first half to take a 34-32 lead into the break. Jamison Lamarre (17 points) and Lincoln Hill (four 3-pointers) helped the Cats retake the lead 48-46 with eight minutes to play. It was too much Messier and sixth man Lincoln Galenski’s 20 points off the bench down the stretch however as Randolph reclaimed the top spot from Hazen in the current division III standings. Morgan Michaud added 13 points for Hazen and Sully Laflam chipped in with 10. Randolph improved to 15-3 on the season.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Lamarre answered the bell on Thursday night, draining five threes on his way to a career-high 31 points to lead Hazen to a 63-39 home thumping over Lake Region. The junior guard added 11 rebounds to his impressive night as the Wildcats took a nine-point advantage into the break and extended their lead to 18 with eight minutes to play. Hill drained four more threes to complement with 16 points and 3 steals, Laflam added seven points and six assists and Michaud five points and seven rebounds in the win. Keagan Tartaglio led the Rangers with 11 points as they fell to 4-14.
Lamarre took it to yet another level on Saturday, pouring in 35 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a resounding 65-43 home win over five-time defending Division II state champion Montpelier. Lamarre torched the Solons with a variety of midrange floaters and finishes at the rim, helping the Wildcats open up a one possession game at the break with a 12-0 run in the first eight minutes of the second half and a 31-10 run to end the game. Hill (15 points) drained two more field goals from long distance, Michaud hauled in 15 boards and freshman Noah Foster chipped in with 5 points in the win. Stone Poor paced Montpelier with 21 points as they fell to 10-8. This was the first win for head coach Aaron Hill and his Wildcat program since joining the highly competitive Capital League in 2021.
Hazen (14-4) holds on to the #2 spot in the current Division III standings behind the Galloping Ghosts. Woodstock (15-3), Winooski (13-4) and Vergennes (10-6) round out the top five. With just one week remaining in the regular season, the coveted top two seeds in the division are still up for grabs. Hazen welcomed Spaulding to town on Monday for Senior Night and will wrap up the regular season on the road against U-32 on Thursday.
Raymonda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.
