BARRE, Vt. — Hartford High remained perfect on Wednesday evening, routing Montpelier High, 79-47, in a VPA Division II boys’ basketball semifinal at Barre Auditorium.
The win puts the program one win away from securing its first state championship in nearly a century.
The No.1-seeded Hurricanes (22-0) cruised to a victory behind a shooting performance from beyond the arc that would have made Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla crack a smile.
Hartford hit 14 shots from three-point land, six of which came from senior Kole Fotion, who led his team with 21 points on the night.
“We have a few guys here with experience — coming into this game, we had nerves, but I think most of us just came out and we knew what we needed to do and we just kind of flowed throughout the game,” Fotion said.
In a sense, Wednesday’s contest was a get-back game for some of the Canes. The No. 4 seed Solons, who won the last five D-II state titles, handed Hartford a loss in the 2024 championship game.
Fotion, who played for that Canes team his sophomore year, is looking forward to the opportunity to end Hartford’s 97-year title drought.
“I wouldn’t want to do it with a different group than these guys. We had our chance my sophomore year two years ago, and it didn’t go the way we wanted, but we’re back again,” he said. “We rebuilt, we’re here to stay, and we’re ready to go.”
Hartford was ready to go to start the game as well. The Canes jumped out to an 11-2 lead by the time 2:30 remained in the first frame. Montpelier did settle down a bit before the end of the quarter, but Hartford headed into the second frame with a 16-5 lead.
The Solons did their best to reman competitive in the second quarter, but the Canes’ defense made it difficult to find quality looks and even keep possession.
Trailing by 12 with about 2:00 left in the first half, the Solons suffered a devastating blow by Fotion. The senior went on a 9-2 run by himself in the span, with all of the shots coming from distance, to put the Canes up 39-20 at halftime.
Hartford held the Solons to just four points in the third period and built its lead to 58-24 by the time the fourth quarter began.
The Canes maintained their intensity as multiple players got involved on the offensive end to close out the victory.
Hartford ended up getting points from 11 of its 12 players. Senior Noah Jenks, who scored 12 points, and sophomore Owen Jenks, who had 10 points, joined Fotion as the other Canes to score in double figures.
The Canes, who have won their postseason matchups by 28 and 32 points, have been outright dominant. Hartford Head Coach Mike Gaudette thinks his team is peaking at on opportune time.
“The camaraderie of this group, the chemistry, they work hard every day in practice,” he said. “They’re in early in the morning, getting shots in, and you can see Kole tonight, all that hard work has paid off.”
No. 2 seed Lamoille, which the Canes did not play in the regular season, stands in the way of Hartford’s first title since 1929 and a perfect season.
“There could be pressure, but you’d never know it with these guys,” Gaudette said. “You’d never know we’re 22-0 with how they play.”
The VPA Division II boys’ basketball state championship tips off at the Aud on Saturday at 3:45 p.m.
