ORFORD — Get ready for the re-rematch.
Second-ranked Rivendell rolled up a 40-point lead and made liberal use of its bench for a 72-57 win over No. 15 Black River to open the VPA Division IV boys basketball tournament on Wednesday night at Rivendell Academy.
The win sets up a third date with Southern Vermont League rival White River Valley after the seventh-ranked Wildcats rolled to a 61-24 victory over No. 10 Mid Vermont Christian in South Royalton.
The Raptors (19-2) won two tight contests over WRV (13-8) during the regular season. The Wildcats let a seven-point lead slip late in a 47-44 loss in Orford on Jan. 18, and Rivendell made it a clean sweep with a 44-37 road win on Feb. 11 in a game that was tied with three minutes to play.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Rivendell coach Ross Convertino said. “They know us well; they know our gym. They’re a very good basketball team that’s been playing well, especially of late. We had a couple of really good games. We will have our work cut out for us.”
Rivendell had little difficulty with the Presidents, building a 50-23 lead by halftime.
Zach Gould led the Raptors with 19 points, while eight other players had at least two baskets apiece.
White River Valley was similarly strong in ousting the Eagles (9-10). With Dominic Craven (24 points), Jacob Barry (11) and Alex Lober (seven) leading the transition, WRV used 3-pointers to build a 34-17 halftime advantage.
Wildcats coach Mike Gaudette knows Saturday’s quarterfinal will be a big test.
“The kids are playing well right now,” Gaudette said. “You want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the season. I think we are right now.”
Seniors Cade Paquette (nine points) and Hunter Cooper (eight) led the way for MVCS, which also graduates Dylan Patel, Stan Nelson and Elliot Renninger.
The Rivendell-White River Valley quarterfinal is set for 2 p.m. in Orford on Saturday.
BARRE, Vt. — Ty Chapin beat Websterville’s junk defense for 19 points and Olly Skeet-Browning went 5-for-5 at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to cap a 13-point evening as the ninth-ranked Phoenix (12-9) found patience enough in the second half to win their VPA D-IV tournament opener.
Sharon beat Websterville by 14 points twice during the regular season, so the Warriors came out with an odd defense — three players up high, one deep and one shadowing Chapin — to slow the Phoenix. TSA trailed, 23-21, at the half but settled down as the game progressed.
“It was being patient and letting the game come to us,” TSA coach Blake Fabrikant said. “It’s hard to beat a team three times. We underestimated them, but thankfully we got the win.”
Sharon visits No. 1 Twin Valley on Friday.
THETFORD — The defending VPA D-III champions needed a 27-9 final quarter — fueled by an 8-for-11 performance at the free-throw line — to shake off an upset bid from the 10th-seeded Chieftains in the first round of the D-III tournament at Vaughan Gym.
Eli Dunnet led the attack for the Panthers (11-10), scoring a game-high 17 points. Jackson Ransom had 16 points and Alex Emerson contributed 14 for seventh-ranked TA. Dunnet and Emerson both had 10-point final periods for the Panthers, who faced a 38-36 deficit entering the fourth quarter before stepping on the gas.
Thetford visits No. 2 Randolph — a 71-38 winner over No. 15 Vergennes — on Saturday at 2 p.m.
WESTMINSTER, Vt. — The 14th-seeded Olympians (3-18) put up their best fight of the season against the third-ranked Terriers, ultimately succumbing to fouls late in a first-round D-III tournament contest.
Bryce Ilsley scored 10 of his team-high 21 points in the first half, leaving Oxbow facing only a 24-21 deficit entering the second. The O’s stayed close, forcing BF to the line in the fourth quarter. Both Ilsley and Cooper Simmons fouled out in the final stanza; the Terriers, meanwhile, converted seven of 13 free throws in the fourth. Trevor Moore finished with six points for Oxbow, which graduates Moore, Simmons, Hunter Locke, Daniel Sweet and Jace Page but will return Ilsley (19.3 ppg).
WHITEFIELD, N.H. — The 12th-seeded Royals (9-12 overall, 8-11 league) produced one of their better defensive efforts of the season but couldn’t match it at the other end of the floor, losing their NHIAA Division III tournament opener.
Mascoma graduates three: Michaela Dowd (team-leading 8.2 points per game), Nikki Williams and Jordan Henry.
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. — Charlie Scribner and Kyle Hamilton scored third-period goals to reverse a deficit and give the Hurricanes (13-6-1) a win over the Vikings to secure the fourth seed in the upcoming VPA Division II state tournament.
Down 1-0 entering the final stanza, Scribner tied the contest on a Connor Tierney pass for just his second goal of the season to tie the game. Hamilton with a power-play goal with 1:59 to play, and the Canes killed off a late Lyndon power play to clinch the win.
Hartford will learn its first tournament assignment on Thursday.
BURLINGTON — Henry Greene threw down another gem in the Woodstock net, making 19 saves as the Wasps (15-3-2) clinched the second seed in the VPA D-II tournament, which they will enter as two-time defending champions.
Charles Greene had two goals and one assists to lead the attack. Andrew Gubbins and Michael LaCroix also scored for the Wasps.
Woodstock can expect a first-round bye and a quarterfinal home game next week when the tourney field is revealed on Thursday.
WEST LEBANON — The Marauders (11-9-0, 9-8-0) couldn’t build off Rowan Wilson’s first-period goal in an NHIAA Division I loss at Campion Rink.
The Bulldogs tied the game on the first shift of the second period, took the lead for good with six minutes left in regulation and added an empty-netter with 10 ticks on the clock. Augie Oberting and Brendan Brigham had assists on the Hanover goal, and Ben Plottner made 35 saves.
The Marauders wrap the regular season by hosting Bishop Brady on Saturday.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Caitlin Slider scored shorthanded for her team-leading 11th goal of the season and Jacqueline Gour made 14 saves in her senior night outing in goal as the Hurricanes (1-19-0) dropped their season finale.
The Canes will learn their VPA Division II tournament seeding on Thursday, with a road playoff game to follow either Friday or Saturday.
HANOVER — Hanover High’s Noah Phipps outdistanced the competition by more than a second to provide the highlight of a 5K freestyle race at Garipay Field.
Phipps cruised through the course in a winning time of 16 minutes, 16 seconds. Eric Goodney (third, 17:34), Diego Aspinwall (fourth, 17:41) and Adam Gilbert-Diamond (fifth, 17:44) led a dominant effort by Hanover, which had seven skiers in the top 10. John Bieszczad (16th, 19:55) and Sam Shipman (18th, 20:04) had the top times for Lebanon.
Kennett’s Grace Castonguay won the girls race in 19:30. Hanover’s Margaret Frost (20:13) and Sage Gilbert-Diamond (20:53) finished 3-4, while Maria Goodwin paced Lebanon by taking sixth (21:36).
Boys team scores: Hanover 391, Fall Mountain 375, Kennett 352, Lebanon 342, Con-Val 254.
Girls team scores: Kennett 382, Hanover 374, Lebanon 360, Con-Val 343, Fall Mountain 188.
ALLSTON, Mass. — Dartmouth broke a school mark in the 800-yard freestyle relay on the opening day of the Ivy League championship at Harvard.
Connor LaMastra, Tim Park, John Hall and Joe Moll combined for a fifth-place time of 6 minutes, 28.88 seconds, breaking the school record from last year by nearly five seconds. The Big Green also placed eighth in the 200 medley relay. The four-day championship continues on Friday.
HANOVER — The Dartmouth College athletic department announced the promotion of Dr. Kristene Kelly to the role of executive associate athletic director for varsity sports on Wednesday. Kelly assumes oversight of the school’s 35 varsity sports as part of her new job. She will also continue as the department’s senior woman administrator and deputy Title IX coordinator.
Kelly takes over the position held the past 18 years by Brian Austin, who died last month after a lengthy battle with cancer. Kelly is a past athletic director at Keene State College.
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Scores that missed Wednesday’s paper due to deadline. Find updates online at www.vnews.com.
CLAREMONT — The Cardinals closed out the regular season with a victory on senior night. Freshman Alyssa Paquette tallied 14 points, and Abigail Faro and Zahna Rice each had 10 points.
Stevens (8-10) will now wait for the announcment of the NHIAA Division II tournament field on Monday.