WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Headed for an easy fast-break layup late in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game, Tarin Prior slowed down near midcourt on the run to adjust his mask.
The junior on the Hartford High boys basketball team quickly pulled up the white, mesh covering over his nose and finished off the coast-to-coast play. His reflex was a reminder of how far the state of Vermont’s come to OK school-based sports during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hurricanes blew Springfield out of Hanley Gym, 82-46, in the season opener for both teams. February is typically the midway point for VPA basketball, but Friday night felt like a sigh of relief for both teams as they started an abbreviated season that has been more than two months in the making.
“You know what? It was great,” admitted second-year Hartford coach Jeff Thomas. “We’ve been ready to play for a long time, I think, like everybody. It was kind of exciting, home game. Our athletic director got this game; it wasn’t scheduled. I saw a lot of really good things from a lot of players tonight.”
The Hurricanes’ bench seemed excited from the opening tip. With no spectators in the gym and a handful of staff on site, the only cheering they were going to get was their own.
Up 8-6 less than three minutes into the game, Thomas called a timeout. Over the span of the final five minutes of the first, Hartford (1-0) built a lead it never lost thanks to a handful of players.
Jacob Seaver had three points, Shea Bean added five, Colin Vielleux contributed six points off the bench and Brandon Potter added a layup as the Hurricanes outscored the visitors, 16-5, to build a 24-11 lead they never lost.
“We played hard,” Thomas said. “I didn’t think we played that hard last year at times; we picked and chose. I think our goal tonight was to play hard every possession, and I saw us do that. You can rebound well, you can shoot well, you can do a lot of things well, but the one thing you can control is how hard you play, and I think our kids did that tonight.”
The Hurricanes built a 44-20 lead at the break as all 12 players on their roster saw playing time in the first half.
The VPA Division II foes seemed like a mismatch at times. The Hurricanes dominated the glass, winning the rebound battle, 35-20.
Hartford opened the third quarter on an 11-point run to seal the win, and the Cosmos didn’t score their first points of the quarter until the 2:44 mark.
“It felt awesome, just to go out and play four quarters,” said Aidan Brooks, who started at point guard. “We were content with whatever the governor gave us, but just being able to compete like we did tonight and have a big game was amazing. With only eight or nine games this year, we just want everyone to succeed.
“I think the belief that we have what it takes to go deep this year, and the love we got with each other is really important.”
Prior didn’t enter the game until the second quarter, but he still finished with 10 points. Bean finished with a game-high 15 points, and Potter had 13. Seaver and Danny Bushway each contributed 11 points.
Springfield’s Sam Presch had 13 points for the Cosmos.
“It seemed like just when you were getting sick of drills and skills, you started practicing,” Thomas said. “We’ve been tired of practicing, going at each other. We got some competitors, and that’s a pretty tough practice when you’re beating on each other. So it was really nice to get out and play a game.”
In the girls contest to cap off the doubleheader, the Hurricanes breezed past Springfield, 51-24.
Hartford (1-0) held a 23-10 halftime lead as Jasmine Jenkins led all scorers with 14 points. Bailey Cameron and Elsie Davis each had seven points. The Hurricanes allowed just five points in third quarter to enter the final frame up 43-15.
“You have to work harder to get your girls to be motivated on the bench to help the team (in a gym without fans),” Hartford coach Heidi Bushway said. “It’s so quiet. It’s hard with the mask because the kids can’t hear you. We can play. That’s what I care about.
A season ago it was the Cosmos who got the better of Hartford, winning a first round D-II tournament matchup. But since then Springfield graduated seven players while the Hurricanes added a trio of juniors who all have varsity experience.
Sarah and Sophie Howe transferred in from White River Valley at the start of the school year and combined for seven points. Emily Wright, who played for Lebanon last year, contributed six points.
“They are scrappy,” Bushway said of the Howe sisters. “They are hard workers; they play really tough defense. They know where each other are on the floor, so if you notice they were trying to back door all night long. It’s nice to have two that connect like that.”
Notes: The Hartford boys visit Bellows Falls on Monday, while the girls make the same trip on Tuesday. … In Thomas’ first season, Hartford finished 9-12 and was bounced by Mill River in the opening round of the VPA D-II tourney. The program hasn’t won a playoff game since 2013. … The boys won the season series with Springfield last year 2-0. … The Hurricanes’ girls squad combined for six 3-pointers. They also shot 5-of-10 from the free-throw line. … The game had other reminders of playing during a pandemic. Refs wore masks and had whistles positioned inside them because they don’t care for the electronic whistles.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com.