Thetford
The Yellowjackets (2-0) were led by Olivia Rockwood’s 19 points. The sophomore guard, who scored 32 in Friday’s season opener against Green Mountain, finished with a 3-pointer, a pair of 2-pointers and 12 free throws.
Rockwood seemed to still have March’s heartbreaking defeat in the state finals fresh in her mind.
“I’m so excited,” Rockwood said. “Ever since last year, that championship game, this is all I wanted to do is come back and play Thetford and show them that we’re the better team and that we should have won that day, but it just slipped out of our hands.”
Monday’s result may have helped Rockwood and company calm a painful memory.
“It was definitely tough,” Rockwood conceded. “It’s still a touchy subject sometimes, but we just know that it’s in the past. This year is the one that matters right now.”
Windsor got off to a hot start, amassing a 15-6 run to open the contest against the Panthers (1-1). Rockwood and Angelina Bigwood (10 points) both hit 3-pointers during the stretch, and Evelyn Page and Alyssa Slocum contributed key buckets as well.
Thetford slowed the damage with a three-point play by Lily MacVeagh that was set up by a feed from Grace Davis. The Panthers continued to close the gap early in the second quarter thanks to a jumper by Jordan Mousley, a 3-pointer by Kate Vaughan and a free throw by Emily Vaughan.
The score was knotted at 18 with the first half winding down when Rockwood made an impressive one-on-one dribble move before hitting a 16-foot, step-back jumper with less than 3 seconds remaining.
“Olivia never changes,” Windsor coach Bruce Mackay said. “She just plays. She doesn’t get upset. She doesn’t get down. Just does so many little things beside put the ball in the hole.”
Windsor gradually rebuilt its cushion after halftime, leading 35-24 after three quarters. TA never got closer than eight points down the stretch.
Losing to Thetford, 53-52, in Barre Auditorium last March seemed like something of a distant memory to Mackay, currently in his 12th year with the Jackets.
“There’s no such thing as revenge,” Mackay said. “Last year is last year; it’s gone. This year is this year — entirely different teams, atmosphere. The programs are still the same.”
A new year brings new challenges and Mackay seems to like the outlook.
“They’re athletic, they work extremely hard and they get along well,” Mackay said. “So I think the confidence level is going to come and the trust level from one player to another player is going to come, and when that happens, I think we’re going to be a pretty good team.”
Senior Danielle Robinson had a strong performance for Thetford, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Thetford hit 15 field goals to Windsor’s 12, but the Panthers were just 3-for-9 from the foul line while the visitors hit 18 of their 29 attempts.
Thetford coach Eric Ward said he was glad the Panther defense held Rockwood to just three field goals despite the fact she did have it going from the foul line.
“We just wanted to play straight man,” Ward said. “(Davis) did a great job defending her, did what we wanted her to. … I was very pleased with what we were doing defensively. Offensively, I think we’re still trying to find ourselves.”
The Panthers and Yellowjackets will square off again in Windsor on Dec. 27.