Barre, Vt.
The one-handed heave, which looked like something from a game of H-O-R-S-E, was also a microcosm of the evening for the Yellowjackets — everything seemed to go their way in a 51-34 victory over defending state champion Thetford.
Rockwood dominated the rematch of last year’s final, finishing with 29 points including three 3-pointeers.
The Yellowjacket standout offered her take on the shot of the game, which developed from a loose ball she picked up just inside the arc.
“I didn’t really shoot it,” Rockwood said. “I kind of just picked it up and threw it, I guess. It looked on, but I thought it would go hard off the backboard, but I guess it was just right.”
Saturday’s nightcap at the Aud was the matchup both teams anticipated after last year’s showdown, which Thetford won, 53-52, in come-from-behind fashion. The loss served as motivational fuel for the Jacks, who gained a measure of revenge with an early season victory at Thetford’s Vaughan Gymnasium nearly two weeks before falling to the Panthers in Windsor.
The championship tilt began as expected: fast-paced, intense and loud. Third-seeded Windsor (18-6) played smothering defense and kept No. 4 Thetford’s attack out of synch all evening.
The Jacks were on from downtown, with four different players connecting on 3-pointers. Rockwood, Evelyn Page, Alyssa Slocum and Adi Prior all hit from deep during the first half, while Thetford (17-7) connected only once from 3-point land and not until Grace Davis hit from the top of the key to make it 36-25 midway through the third period.
TA trailed, 40-30, after three quarters and was never able to trim its deficit back into single digits.
Rockwood, a sophomore who averages more than 20 points per game, was coming off a career-high 33 points in a semifinal win over Peoples. She started alongside a junior, a fellow sophomore and two freshmen. The older and more experienced defending champs, by contrast, started three seniors, a junior and a sophomore.
Davis, a sophomore, led TA with nine points, and senior inside player Danielle Robinson chipped in eight. Robinson, the Panthers’ leading scorer with 11 points per game, came off the bench for the second straight game due to an ankle injury that wasn’t fully recovered.
Saturday represented Windsor’s chance to gain redemption after the pain of last year’s disappointing defeat, and the Jacks took full advantage of the situation. The successful culmination of the season was in contrast to the way the campaign began.
“When we were 3-5, a lot of people said we were dead,” Windsor coach Bruce Mackay said. “We won 17 out of the last 18 games, and here we are.”
Before last year, Windsor’s last championship appearances yielded back-to-back titles in 2010-11 and before that, a runner-up finish in ’09.
Thetford, which was outscored 22-6 in Saturday’s second quarter, played in its fifth consecutive final, winning it all in 2014 and ’17.
“We didn’t play as well as we did Thursday night,” Thetford coach Eric Ward said in regard to his team’s upset of top-ranked Hazen in the semifinals. “When we miss shots in this type of game, you think about it more than you do if you’re playing a game in January.”
Though clearly disappointed by Saturday’s result, Ward was already looking toward the future.
“I’m watching the game and I’m thinking about next year,” he said. “OK, we’re not going to get this game tonight, but we’ve got some sophomores that are going to be playing, and we’ll get some kids from Chelsea, we’re going to be OK. So I’m disappointed we lost, but we had a great season.”