THETFORD — The Thetford Academy boys basketball team is on target for a continued defense of its VPA Division III crown after being on target in a Saturday quarterfinal.
Caught in a tight game with No. 13 Northfield, the No. 12 Panthers shot 14-for-21 from the floor and 13-for-17 from the free-throw line in the second half to hold off the Marauders, 72-64, at Vaughan Gymnasium. The two-time defending state champions will hit the road for a semifinal encounter on Wednesday.
The Marauders (4-7), as they showed in Wednesday’s first-round upset of No. 4 Winooski, came primed to play, trailing just 30-28 at the half. Caiden Crawford-Stempel delivered nine of his team-high 24 points to keep Northfield deadlocked, 50-50, at the third-quarter buzzer.
Thetford (4-6) continued to shoot well in the fourth quarter, no more so than at the line when it mattered. Noah Anderson led the charge by going 4-for-4 down the stretch, with leading scorers Eli Dunnet (27 points) and Jackson Ransom (16 points) also contributing two free throws.
Dunnet shot 10-for-19 from the floor to power TA. Nick Gray had 10 points, and Anderson completed the day with nine.
Thetford will visit No. 1 Green Mountain in a 6 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.