Leland & Gray held its annual Hoops for Hope fundraiser on Feb. 10 and 11. The event, now in its seventh year, is a fundraiser where all proceeds from the games went toward scholarships named in memory of community members Ann Chapman, Lexy Giallella, and Arthur E. Monette.
Players and coaches in both the games wore the Hoops for Hope T-shirts during warmups, and all proceeds from donations, T-shirt sales, and various raffles during the games went toward the scholarship funds. Over the years, these games have raised thousands of dollars, thanks to the generous support of “Rebel Nation.”
Once again, Green Mountain was the opponent for both the Rebels teams. The Rebel girls had the first game on Feb. 10, and came away with a 49-35 victory. This was a physical game from start to finish, but only one team seemed to paying the price for the rough play as Green Mountain picked up 26 fouls compared to 12 for the Rebels.
The disparity in fouls was most evident in the fourth quarter. Prior to that point, the teams were about even on the scoreboard. GM battled back from a 7-0 deficit to take a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the teams played to a 23-23 tie at the half.
The Rebels started out the second half with a 7-2 run, but GM again rallied to take a 34-33 lead going into the fourth. Then everything fell apart for GM as their players were getting whistled for fouls and the Rebels all but camped out at the free throw line.
Leland & Gray attempted 16 free throws, but made only six of them. That could have hurt, but Hannah Greenwood scored six points and Sam Morse added four as the Rebels outscored GM 16-1 in the fourth quarter.
Maggie Parker scored 18 points, including a pair of three-pointers, to lead the Rebels. She led the free throw parade in the fourth quarter, going 4-for-8 at the line. Greenwood finished with 13 points, 10 of them coming in the second half, while Morse added eight points. Mary Sanderson was named the player of the game. She only scored two points, but she spent most of the game diving for loose balls and playing tenacious defense.
Callie Spaulding led GM with 11 points, while Riley Paul added eight points.
Earlier in the week, the Rebels stopped Bellows Falls, 58-37, on Feb. 7 in Townshend. Parker scored 18 points, Morse added 12 points, and Sanderson scored 10 points for the Rebels. Laura Kamel led BF with 16 points. Leland & Gray finished the week at 14-3 and the No. 2 ranking in Division IV.
Boys’ basketball
• Paul McGillion had a career-high 41 points as he led Brattleboro to an 87-80 overtime win over Mount Anthony on Feb. 9 at the BUHS gym.
The Colonels needed a big night from McGillion as the Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit midway though the third quarter to force overtime. Shemar Sookdar, who scored 23 points before fouling out midway through the final quarter, and Carter Thompson keyed the rally. Finn McRae hit a three-pointer with seconds to play to tie the game at 77-77.
In the overtime, it was the Colonels who rallied as Tate Chamberlin drilled a three-pointer and Cam Frost drove in for another basket to give the Colonels a quick five-point lead in the first. McGillion later added a pair of lay-ups and Frost sank a free throw in the final seconds to close out a dramatic win for the 9-7 Colonels.
• It’s always a battle when Twin Valley and Leland & Gray get together in any sport, and Feb. 8 was no exception as they did basketball battle in Townshend. This time, it was the Rebels that came away with a 53-41 victory.
The first half was close all the way, as the defenses dictated play. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Connor McPhail gave the Rebels a 7-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, but a pair of threes by Noah Dornburgh and three inside baskets by center Caleb Dupuis pushed the Wildcats to a 21-18 halftime lead.
The Rebels then turned up the heat on defense and outscored Twin Valley, 21-4, in the third quarter to take a 39-25 lead. After a scoreless first half, Trevor Stillwagon scored nine points in the third quarter on the way to scoring 15 points in the second half, while Alex Parker-Jennings got six of his game-high 19 points in the third quarter.
Twin Valley tried to battle back in the final quarter and cut Leland & Gray’s lead to 47-40 with 1:14 left in the game, but ultimately ran out of time. Dupuis led the Wildcats with 15 points, while Cody Magnant and Dornburgh added 13 and nine points, respectively.
With a 66-51 win over Green Mountain in the Hoops for Hope game on Feb. 11, the Rebels ended the week at 7-8.
• Earlier in the week, on Feb. 6, Twin Valley got routed by Bellows Falls as the hosts rolled to a 77-28 victory. A 17-0 run by the Terriers in the opening quarter pretty much wrapped up the proceedings at the point. Everyone got into the scorebook for BF, which led by Colby Dearborn (13 points), Jamison Nystrom (12 points), Cole Moore (11 points) and Jake Moore and Jaxon Clark (10 points each).
• BF also started out hot against White River Valley, taking a 25-4 lead after one quarter on the way to a 63-52 win on Feb. 8 in South Royalton. Walker James led the way with 18 points, while Jake Moore added 10 points. The 11-4 Terriers ended the week ranked No. 4 in Division III.
• Twin Valley ended a three-game losing streak with a 56-35 win over Mill River on Feb. 8 in North Clarendon. Dornburgh and Magnant led TV with 20 and 13 points, respectively. The Wildcats are now 4-11.
• St. Michael’s School closed out its home schedule on Feb. 8 with a 57-20 win over The Academy at Charlemont (Mass.) at the Austine gym. The Saints led 24-9 at the half and kept up the scoring pace in the second half against Academy’s full-court press defense. Michael Pierce led the 5-6 Saints with 20 points, while Anthony Bills added 17 points.
Girls’ basketball
• Fair Haven took a 27-11 halftime lead and went on to beat Brattleboro, 57-32, at the BUHS gym. Izzy Cole had 14 points and six rebounds to lead the Slaters. Abby Henry was the Colonels’ top scorer with eight points, while Emily Worden added seven points.
The Colonels fared no better against Rutland on Feb. 10 in a 50-29 loss at the BUHS gym. Anna Moser scored 14 points to lead Rutland. Reese Croutworst was Brattleboro’s top scorer with 12 points, while Henry added 11 points. With a 62-42 loss to St. Johnsbury on Feb. 11, the Colonels are now 5-11.
• With only seven players available, Twin Valley was overwhelmed by visiting Arlington in a 59-5 loss. The Eagles led 27-0 at halftime. An Alanna Bevilacqua basket in the third quarter and a Bianca Place three-pointer in the fourth accounted for all the Wildcats’ points. Sidney Harrington led Arlington with 18 points.
On Feb. 10 against Proctor, the winless Wildcats had their highest point total of the season, but it was not enough in a 46-22 loss to the visiting Phantoms. Isabel Greb had 28 points for Proctor.
• Bellows Falls lost to White River Valley, 51-20, to fall to 5-13.
Nordic skiing
• In the second leg of the Southern Vermont League Championship, a classic race at Prospect Mountain in Woodford on Feb. 8, Mount Anthony again dominated.
In the boys’ race, the Patriots swept the top four spots, led by Luke Rizio’s first place time of 14 minutes, 0.89 seconds on the 5K course, to win with a team score of 10 points, Woodstock was second with 46 points, followed by Brattleboro (83), Burr and Burton (96) and Rutland (100).
In the girls’ race, the Patriots swept the top three spots, with Tanis White the winner in 18:13.26. Katherine Normandeau was the only Colonel to crack the top 10, she was fourth in 19:10.64. Mount Anthony’s winning score was 11. Woodstock was second with 30 points, and Brattleboro was third with 56 points.
The SVL championships conclude with the team relays, which are scheduled for Feb. 15, at 2 p.m., at the Brattleboro Outing Club’s trails at the Brattleboro Country Club on Upper Dummerston Road.
Ice hockey
• The Brattleboro girls lost to Rice, 3-1, on Feb. 8. Abby Booth scored two goals and Addison Bryan added another for the victors. Willow Romo scored the Colonels’ only goal, assisted by Avery Hiner and Maisie Arnold. Goalie Angela Jobin had another busy game in goal, making 32 saves. After suffering an 11-1 loss to U-32 on Feb. 11, the Colonel girls have a 2-15 record
• The Brattleboro boys lost to Burr & Burton, 6-2, on Feb. 8, then got shut out by U-32, 5-0, on Feb. 11 to drop their record to 5-10-1.
Rec. Dept. offers Saturday strength and conditioning class with Lissa Stark
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department announced that Lissa Stark will lead a strength and conditioning class on Saturdays at the Gibson-Aiken Center on Main Street from 2 to 2:45 p.m., beginning Saturday, Feb. 18.
This class will be ongoing and will focus on strengthening and toning the body, building muscle, improving core structure, stretching, and increasing energy and endurance.
The fee per class is $8. Pre-registration is not required. This class is open to anyone 16 years old and older and is suitable for all fitness levels. Be sure to arrive a few minutes early to register and sign in. For more information, call the Rec. Dept. office at 802-254-5808.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 5 of the winter/spring season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on Feb. 9 saw Slo Movers (19-6) have a 5-0 week to move into first place. The Markers (18-7) slid down to second place, followed by Split Happens (16-0), The A-1’s (13-12), Trash-O-Matic (12-13), Fab Four (10-15), and 10 Pins and The Strikers (both 6-19).
Deb Kolpa had the women’s high handicap game (252), while Doris Lake had the high handicap series (643). Pete Cross had the men’s high handicap game (264) and John Walker had the high handicap series (691). Fab Four had the high team handicap game (905) and series (2,570).
In scratch scoring, Walker led the men with a 637 series that featured games of 222, 215, and 200, while Robert Rigby had a 578 series that featured games of 211 and 192. Marty Adams had a 572 series with games of 205 and 199, while Gary Montgomery had a 553 series with games of 201 and 189. Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 552 series with games of 237 and 209, Jerry Dunham had a 519 series with a 181 game, Pete Cross had a 513 series with a 218 game, and Stan Kolpa had a 183 game.
Carol Gloski had the women’s high scratch series (490) and game (186) for the third straight week, while Deb Kolpa rolled a 180 game.