Local Roundup: TSA Boys Pull Away

Sharon — Sharon Academy boys basketball head coach Blake Fabrikant said things had been a little too easy for his undefeated squad. Blue Mountain’s stall offense — with its slow, time-consuming possessions — was the perfect wake-up call.

The Phoenix (7-0) pulled off a 53-33 win over the Bucks on Thursday night thanks to a 20-point run in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. Sharon’s Sam Knoerlein finished with a game-high 18 points, including an momentum-changing 3-pointer to begin the late surge.

“It was an interesting game,” said Fabrikant, whose fast-paced team finished with its second-lowest point total of the season. “They came in with a great game plan to slow us down. … They were really patient and picked their spots. It worked brilliantly, made us uncomfortable.”

Blue Mountain tied the game, 31-31, midway through the fourth quarter before Sharon went off. Fisher Kelley scored 14 points for the Phoenix, and Austin Gaudette added 12 before he fouled out. Fabrikant was impressed with Knoerlein’s performance down the stretch, particularly with his point guard — Gaudette — on the bench.

“Sam’s always been a scorer, but he just carried us,” Fabrikant said. “He became a leader tonight.”

Sharon travels to Chelsea on Tuesday.

Sunapee 55Concord Christian 38

Sunapee — Lakers junior Sean Shisko scored a game-high 16 points as the Lakers improved to 4-1 in NHIAA Division IV.

Cade Robinson added 13 points and Mac Cahill added seven for Sunapee, which outscored Concord Christian, 28-16, in the first half. The Lakers (5-3 overall) travel to Colebrook tonight.

Windsor 65Bellows Falls 53

Westminster, Vt. — Seth Balch and Adam Stapleton led the way with 13 points each as the Yellowjackets used a dominant second quarter to score a season high and win its third game in a row.

Windsor (6-1) outscored the Terriers, 22-5, before halftime and built up enough of a cushion to withstand being outscored 18-9 in the fourth. Robert Slocum and Ben Meagher finished the game with eight points. Duncan Frazer scored five points.

The Yellowjackets travel to Newport on Thursday.

Williamstown 63Rivendell 45

Orford — Turnovers in the first half hurt the Raptors against undefeated Williamstown.

“They weren’t missing many shots (in the first half),” Rivendell head coach Jeff Huntington said. “They’re a very good team. … We just turned the ball over way too much in the first half.”

Owen Pelletier led the Raptors with 16 points. Isaac Martel finished the game with 13 points, and Noah Martel scored six. Rivendell (1-6) travels to Oxbow on Saturday.

Hazen 71, South Royalton 43

South Royalton — The Royals found themselves in a 25-6 hole after the first quarter and never recovered, but South Royalton head coach Pete Howe said he’s seen the kind of progress from his team that could begin resulting in victories.

“We’re a young team, trying to find combinations we like. But most of all, what we’ve lacked this year has nothing to do with Xs and Os,” he said. “Passion, energy, commitment. The team lit it up tonight. We made great strides.”

Troy Walker led the Royals with 10 points. Connor Lambert and Dominick Small each had six and Jacob Hewitt added five free throws. The Royals (0-4) travel to Mid Vermont Christian on Saturday.

Girls Basketball

Sunapee 54Concord Christian 10

Sunapee — Kaleigh Durkee led the way with 16 points and five steals as the Lakers allowed a season-low 10 points to improve to 5-5.

Abbey Pollari had 11 points, 10 steals and six rebounds. Fiona Nolan scored 11 points and added four steals and four rebounds. Sunapee won its second game in a row after dropping five straight. Kara Jarvis scored all 10 points for Concord Christian.

The Lakers travel to Colebrook (6-1) today.

Springfield 72Woodstock 12

Woodstock — The Wasps (0-5) take on Black River at Green Mountain High on Saturday.

MSJ 56, South Royalton 23

Rutland — Iris Hudson handled half of the Royals’ offense with 13 points in a Wednesday loss to the Mounties.

Twinfield visits South Royalton (0-4) tonight.

Boys Hockey

Lebanon-Stevens 2Oyster River 1

Durham, n.h. — Ian Garland scored the game-winning goal with 1 minute, 17 seconds left in the third period and goaltender Andrew Friend made 26 saves at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center.

Nate Chickering tied the game at 1-1 with 2:26 left in the second period and assisted on Garland’s deciding tally.

Chickering, the junior forward, has registered a goal all but one game this winter and enters the season’s second half with 15 goals and nine assists in 10 games.

Defenseman Aaron Damren assisted on both Lebanon goals. Oyster River scored on a five-minute power play in the first period for a major penalty for hitting from behind called on freshman Andrew Duany.

The Raiders (5-3 state, 5-4-1 overall) take on Merrimack on Saturday at West Side Arena in Manchester.

College Basketball

Dartmouth Icons Barton, Wielgus Honored

Princeton, n.j. — The Ivy League announced the second annual 16-member class of Legends of Ivy League Basketball with Dartmouth greats Jim Barton, a 1989 graduate, and Chris Wielgus included in the group. Each member of the Ancient Eight is represented by one male and one female honoree, as selected by the university athletics department.

A two-time All-Ivy League first-team performer and the conference rookie of the year, Barton, from Memphis, Tenn., is the most prolific scorer in Dartmouth men’s basketball history with 2,158 points, more than 500 beyond the next Big Green player on the list and second only to Princeton’s Bill Bradley in Ivy League history.

Wielgus, the winningest coach of any Big Green women’s program with a career record of 393-342 (.535), guided Dartmouth to 12 Ivy League titles, seven trips to the NCAA tournament and two more to the WNIT during her two stints spanning 28 seasons as the program’s head coach.