Orford
The senior tandem combined for eight 3-pointers as Rivendell defeated Woodsville, 53-35, on Monday night in Orford.
“We’ve been playing together for so long, normally if one of us is on, the other one doesn’t need to be,” said DeBois, who hit five long balls en route to 19 points against the Engineers. “But as far as 3-pointers go, it’s normally been like at least one of us going.”
Rivendell won its sixth straight game, improving to 7-2, and the Engineers fell to 6-4 in NHIAA Division IV play.
The Raptors also got 11 points from Mikayla Stever. The speedy sophomore attacked the Woodsville paint consistently and was rewarded with five free throws, three of which she converted.
The hosts opened the contest with an 8-2 run via Jenna Gilbert’s baseline jumper, DeBois’ steal and layup, a foul-line jumper by Thomson (15 points) and two free throws by Stever.
Woodsville’s Alyssa Prest stifled the run with a long 2-pointer, but the Engineers were generally out of sync and turnover-prone. The Raptors, by contrast, took better care of the basketball and got several lengthy possessions out of their motion offense.
“I really liked the way that we moved the ball,” DeBois said.
The Raptors took a 29-18 lead into halftime following no major threats by Woodsville during the second quarter.
The Engineers opened the second half with a layup by McKenzie Dennis and a free throw by Olivia Sarkis, sandwiched around a backcourt steal and coast-to-coast layup by Stever. DeBois then hit a 3-pointer before Dennis scored on a three-point play to close the gap to 34-24 as Woodsville’s newfound basket-attack mode began paying dividends. But Thompson and DeBois hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Rivendell never looked back.
DeBois reflected on her team’s overall development as the Raptor and Engineer boys teams warmed up for the nightcap of Monday’s twinbill.
“I can see us getting better, and I can see us improving,” DeBois said of a squad that began the campaign 1-2. “We’re not done growing, and we need to keep getting better for the rest of the season. … It’s halfway through, so we should be halfway to where we want to be.”
Dennis led Woodsville in scoring with nine points, and Sarkis and Lily Kinder both chipped in eight.
The Engineers have endured a rough stretch after starting off 5-0.
“We’ve been in a stretch of two games with Rivendell, two games with Colebrook and one with Littleton,” Woodsville coach Russ Wilcox said. “Colebrook was undefeated until we beat them the other night, Littleton is undefeated and Rivendell is probably one of top two teams in Division III in Vermont. With that said, we came out 1-4 and that’s not where we want to be at this point in the season.”
Woodsville’s 54-48 victory on Jan. 10 at Colebrook came via double overtime. The Engineers temporarily lost their senior point guard, Molly Clough, in the process. Clough is expected to miss at least two weeks with a head injury, according to her coach.
Wilcox stayed on the court following Monday’s game and quickly prepared to co-broadcast the boys game for WYKR radio.
“Tonight, I probably should have done the radio for the girls game,” Wilcox quipped before changing hats for the evening.
Notes: DeBois and Thomson were the only players on either team to connect from 3-point land. … Stever was the only Raptor to earn a trip to the charity stripe. … Four Woodsville players combined to shoot 13-for-18 from the foul line. … Rivendell beat Woodsville, 40-35, on Jan. 3. … The Raptors travel to Blue Mountain on Thursday, and Woodsville returns to action on Friday at home against Pittsfield.