BARRE – Sixth-seeded Williamstown capped off a Cinderella run through the Division IV state tournament over the weekend with a stunner over the top-seeded Twinfield-Cabot boys basketball team.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Senior big man Nick Mascitti finished off an epic run through the state tournament with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Williamstown to a 71-64 championship win over the Trojans on Saturday at the Barre Auditorium. Mascitti and the Blue Devils (18-6) finished off a two-week championship run that saw them knock off 22-0 West Rutland in the semis before finally solving a Trojan team that had beaten them by double digits twice during the regular season.
Mascitti cemented his status as a Blue Devil great after terrorizing the Division IV bracket with 98 points in their four wins, including the 1,000th of his career. Weston Pouliot (13 points) and Alex Clark (10) complimented the big man with balance inside and out and point guard Keeton Hull withstood Twinfield-Cabot’s pressure in the backcourt with 11 points, seven assists against just a pair of turnovers.
The Trojans (22-2) came into the championship riding a 19-game winning streak after dismantling Long Trail, Richford and No. 5 Twin Valley in the semifinals. Head coach Kris Bador had his team playing with a torrid pace that seemed unguardable the last few weeks, but Williamstown turned the tables on the Trojans Saturday with an up-tempo style that led to 30 Blue Devil free throws.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
“When meeting a team for the third time in a season you can throw out all the records and stats, especially in a state championship game at the Barre Auditorium. It comes down to all the little details. This was our first title game as a group and it will make us better as a program and me as a coach learning from this experience,” said Bador.
It looked like the same old hat in the first half for the Trojans, using a 9-0 run to push the lead to nine before Williamstown weathered the storm to go into the half down 36-30. After Mascitti opened the third with an up-and-under move to pull the Blue Devils within four, senior Eli Russell (18 points) buried a three to push the lead back to seven. The two teams went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, but a Mascitti-finish in the closing seconds gave the Blue Devils their first lead at 51-49 with eight minutes to play. The senior continued to punish the Trojans inside to open the fourth to push the lead to four and a third straight Twinfield-Cabot turnover led to a Clark free throw and a 54-49 lead less than forty seconds into the quarter. Senior Tej Stewart (16 points) returned from foul trouble to give the Trojans back the lead at 58-57 with four minutes to play but a perfect post pass from Mascitti led to an easy Pouliot finish seconds later and the Blue Devils would never trail again.
Sophomore Omar Miksic-Knibb finished with 17 points for Twinfield-Cabot and senior Thomas Gouge chipped in with six in the loss. It was the first state title for Williamstown under head coach Sid Sweet and first since 2017. Sweet took over for legendary coach Jack Carrier who retired after bringing six state championships back to Williamstown over a 13-year period.
Bador has rebuilt a title contender quickly at Twinfield-Cabot in his three seasons on the sidelines, winning consecutive Mountain League and Division IV Coach of the Year honors. He’ll graduate a historic senior class that has won over 50 games, including back-to-back trips to Barre. Russell and Stewart each eclipsed 1,000 career points this season, and Russell was named Mountain League Player of the Year after leading the Trojans in scoring for a second straight year. He also captured Mountain League Player of the Year honors on the soccer pitch this past fall for a record setting Trojan team that suffered their only loss in the Division IV state title match. Stewart has been a Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) Outstanding Underclassmen selection in basketball since he was a freshman phenom. Bador will also graduate Gouge, Sam McLane, Zepherin Hebert, Sam Churchill, Ben Monaco and Wyatt Bickford, who all have had a hand in an unprecedented rate of winning at Twinfield-Cabot in both sports. He will return a dynamic back court in sophomores Miksic-Knibb and Azeem Stewart, along with an incoming freshmen class infused by the excitement that has resonated across two communities the last three years.
“I couldn’t be more proud to coach this group of young men. It wasn’t the outcome we wanted but unfortunately in sports, this happens. The road wasn’t easy for this special group and looking at my guys in the face in the locker room with handshakes and hugs after the game hurt, but they are a resilient group, and this will not define who they are. We will look quite different next season, and the torch will be passed on from this incredible group of seniors. We have great numbers at the youth level, and I can’t thank our administration, athletic departments and communities enough for the support and love they’ve shown me, the kids and this program. A special thank you to Brenden McLane, Pam Quinn, Lori Hebert and Tammy Russell. Trust me, the future here at Twinfield-Cabot is looking bright,” said Bador.
