Local Roundup: Mount Royal Girls Beat Lin-Wood at the Line

Lincoln, n.h. — The Mount Royal Academy girls basketball team went 16-for-20 from the free-throw line against Lin-Wood on Monday night and overcame a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn a come-from-behind 34-31 victory.

“We took a ridiculous amount of shots,” said Mount Royal head coach Derek Tremblay. “They just didn’t fall. They ran up the fouls really high, to the point where we were shooting bonuses in the third quarter.”

Alexis Matte led the way with 17 points, nine from free throws, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter to give the Knights the lead for good. Marylin LaRose scored eight points, and Jacinta Hogan netted five.

The Knights (4-4) have won three in a row and are above .500 for the first time since Dec. 9. They travel to Farmington on Saturday.

Mid Vermont Christian 56Black River 25

Ludlow, Vt. — Balanced scoring and a defensive adjustment in the third quarter was all it took for the Eagles to win their fifth of the season.

“We got our defense back on track and shut them down in the third quarter,” Mid Vermont coach Chris Goodwin said.

Danyelle Goodwin scored 19 points, Rachel Seale added 18 and Sydney Goodwin netted 14 as Mid Vermont’s top three scorers spread the wealth. Chris Goodwin said he was pleased with his team’s offensive balance.

Mid Vermont (5-4) travels to Whitcomb-Rochester on next Tuesday.

Newport 52, Stevens 28

Claremont — The Tigers outscored Stevens 12-2 in the second quarter and 16-7 in the third to overpower the Cardinals.

Alexis Hurd scored a game-high 13 points for Newport. Anna Pysz added 12 points, Kyrstin Kibbey scored nine and Selena Coronis provided eight as Newport improved to 6-7 overall. Stevens’ Jenna Pond led the Cardinals with eight points.

Newport (4-6 league) hosts Hillsboro-Deering on Friday. Stevens (4-5) travels to Newfound on Friday.

Chelsea 42Whitcomb-Rochester 32

Chelsea ​— The Mountaineers cut the deficit to five points late in the fourth quarter, but Chelsea hit five foul shots in the last minute to give Whitchester its eighth loss of the season.

Sammy Barcomb and Hayley Mears each had nine points for Whitchester. Kiana Johnson had a game-high 11 points for Chelsea.

The Mountaineers (2-8) host Rivendell on Thursday at Whitcomb High.

Boys Basketball

Woodsville 59, Rivendell 42

Orford — The Raptors trailed by five at halftime but gave up three straight turnovers to begin the third quarter, all of which turned into Woodsville baskets, to give the Engineers all the momentum they needed.

Garrett Olsen scored a game-high 21 points for the Engineers. Eric Thornton added 13 points and Cooper Davidson finished the game with 12. Woodsville (10-2 overall, 9-1 league) outscored Rivendell 28-16 in the second half, largely aided by a 2-3 zone that Woodsville coach Jamie Walker extended to pressure Rivendell’s guards. The Raptors finished the game with only one successful free throw.

“Our defense was the difference in the second half,” Walker said.

Freshman Zach Gould scored 12 points, including two 3-pointers, to keep Rivendell in the game. Shane Smith hit four 3-pointers to also finish with 12 points in the loss.

Rivendell (5-5) hosts Twinfield on Wednesday. Woodsville hosts Gorham tonight.

Craftsbury 52, Sharon 43

Craftsbury, Vt. — Sharon was outscored, 22-6, in the first quarter and couldn’t muster enough offense late to close the gap.

“The first quarter killed us,” said Sharon head coach Blake Fabrikant. “We just didn’t come ready to play.”

The Phoenix, which dressed just seven players, outscored Craftsbury, 26-18, in the second half. Harvey Kelley led the way with 15 points. Sam Knoerlein had 14 points, and Fisher Kelley added eight. Craftsbury’s Austin Masi finished the game with 24 points, 14 in the first quarter.

Sharon (6-4) travels to Websterville on Saturday.

Lin-Wood 57Mount Royal 49

Lincoln, n.h. — The Knights took a 9-0 lead before giving up 17 consecutive points in the first quarter as Mount Royal suffered its sixth loss of the season.

“We just got in a slump,” said Mount Royal head coach Matt McMenaman. “They got us on our heels.”

Andrew Normandin scored 16 points. Gus LaRose netted 15 and Alex Normandin added 10. The Knights cut the deficit to six points in the fourth quarter but couldn’t close the gap.

The Knights (4-6) travel to Farmington on Saturday.

New Hampton 68Kimball Union 57

Meriden — KUA cut its deficit to five points with 2½ minutes to play but couldn’t pull even.

Spencer Cline had a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds for Kimball Union. William Engelhardt scored 13 points. The Wildcats (6-10) travel to Holderness on Wednesday.

Indoor Track

Oxbow, TA Start StatesAt Weight Throw Meet

St. Johnsbury, Vt. — The Oxbow and Thetford winter track teams got a head start on the state meet by competing in Saturday’s weight throw championship at St. Johnsbury Academy.

The Olympians sent three girls to the Division II meet, with Claire Cook taking second place with her throw of 27 feet, 2 inches. Sarah Stevens (22-10) and Lana Wood (22-3) were fifth and sixth, respectively, netting Oxbow 14 team points. Thetford’s Grace Clement threw 24-11 to take third place.

Sully French (30-1) and Jake Stimson (29-2.5) competed among the boys for Oxbow but didn’t score.

The bulk of the Vermont state indoor track meet will be held on Feb. 4 at Norwich University.

Women’s Basketball

Lebanon Native IsCCC Athlete of Week

Biddeford, Maine — University of New England junior guard Sam MacDonald, of Lebanon, was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference’s athlete of the week on Monday.

MacDonald helped the Nor’easters go 2-0 against conference foes, averaging 17 points per game and shooting 52.2 percent from the field. She recorded a career-high 19 points in a 64-53 win over Eastern Nazarene last Tuesday and had 15 points, two rebounds and two steals in a 57-45 win over Salve Regina on Saturday.

NECBL Baseball

NECBL Announces 2017 Schedule

White River Junction — The Upper Valley Nighthawks will open their second season in the New England Collegiate Baseball League on the road at the Newport (R.I.) Gulls on June 9. The team and league released schedules and preliminary rosters on Monday.

After the opener at Cardines Field, the Nighthawks will spend most of the next two weeks at their Maxfield Sports Complex roost, playing 10 of their next 11 games at home. The Maxfield opener is June 10 against the New Bedford (Mass.) Bay Sox.

The Vermont Mountaineers will make their first trip to Maxfield Sports Complex on June 16. Upper Valley will play seven of its last 10 games on the road and will finish the season at the Plymouth (Mass.) Pilgrims on Aug. 1.

The Nighthawks initial roster features 11 pitchers, three catchers, five infielders and four outfielders. Lefty pitcher Mike Coss, from Marist, and outfielder Grayson Padgett, from the University of Houston, are both listed to return to the Upper Valley.

Outfielder Anthony Godino, a senior from Wagner College who was a 2016 NECBL All-Star for the Winnipesaukee Muskrats last season, is also listed on the Nighthawks roster.