UCA Crusader Paul Saaman (center left) prepares to vault for the basket against South Royalton defender David Ballou (center right). In the back ground Crusader Ji Hwan Kim and Royal Hunter Brock slide into the action. Saaman converted six of 11 free throws and added a three point field goal in the Crusaders’ 39-31 win over the visiting Royals.
Photo by Richard Creaser

by Richard Creaser

copyright the Chronicle 3-4-2013

NEWPORT —  The UCA boys season came to an end on Monday evening  as they faced number six seed West Rutland (15-7) in their quarter final match at North Country Union High.  The Crusaders finished their season with a solid 15-7 record.

Their game on February 27 was a contest that came right down to the wire, but the home team Crusaders prevailed 39-31 against the visiting South Royalton Royals.  The two sides squared off in a Division Four playdown that pitted the number three seed Crusaders against the number 14 seed Royals.

“You can’t read too much into the win-loss record for South Royalton,” UCA Coach Tony DeLaBruere said after the game.  “They play a tough, mixed Division 3 and Division 4 schedule.  They are a quality team that can score with the best.”

Wednesday night’s game was the first and only match up between the two sides.  Though some players traveled to watch the Royals take on the Craftsbury Chargers a week earlier, watching them play is a far cry from playing them, Crusader Paul Saaman said after the game.

“We didn’t let the gas off the whole night,” Saaman said.  “We had to pull ourselves together at the half.  We couldn’t let this game get away from us.”

Though the Crusaders would establish and hold a lead throughout the game South Royalton battled back in the second quarter outscoring UCA 8-4 to slice UCA’s lead to only a single point and enter the half trailing 12-11.

Marquel Taylor-Webster provided the bulk of the offense for the Crusaders, skillfully converting rebounds and helping his teammates generate offense.  Taylor-Webster led all scorers with 18 points on the night.  His presence was a difference maker, Coach DeLaBruere said.

“They didn’t have an answer for Marquel,” Coach DeLaBruere said.  “That gave us opportunities to work with.”

Equally important to the evening was the proficiency of the Crusaders from the free throw line.  UCA converted 14 of 21 attempts on the evening when the final score was only eight points apart.

“Coach has been working us on higher percentage shots,” Saaman said.  “That means making sure we shoot well on free throws.  We didn’t do a lot with three-pointers but we didn’t take as many chances either.”

Indeed, on a night when the Royals recorded nearly half of their points on field goals, Saaman accounted for UCA’s lone three-pointer.  By comparison, however, the Royals shot only 20 percent from the line netting two baskets on ten attempts.

UCA Crusader Chris DeLaBruere (center) breaks through a tight screen as he drives for the basket in Wednesday night’s play down action against the visiting South Royalton Royals. trying to stop his charge are Royals Ian Kinnarney (left), Troy Tracy (center back) and Ben Vesper (right). UCA would go on to win the game 39-31 to advance to Friday night’s quarter finals.
Photo by Richard Creaser

“We have a lot of really good free throwers on this team,” Coach DeLaBruere said.  “Those are the shots you need to make in close games and we knew this was going to be a close game.  We knew it was going to come down to fouls and foul trouble.”

The Crusaders shot from the line 11 times converting on six of those attempts in the final three minutes of the game alone.  The Royals converted on only two of nine attempts in the same time frame.

The game played by the boys, while solid, did expose a potentially fatal flaw for UCA — the frequency of turnovers.

“We’ve got to cut down on turnovers,” Coach DeLaBruere said.  “With our next game on Friday, it’s not like we have a lot of time to work on that but we will.”

UCA’s Taylor-Webster’s 18 points, including a perfect two-for-two from the foul line, led all scorers while Chris DeLaBruere chipped in 10 points and Saaman added nine in the winning effort.  Ian Kinnarney led the Royals with 15 points and Nate Moore added 8 for South Royalton.

contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

The Lake Region seniors honored before the game. Front row left to right are Shaquille Urie, Drew Gallup, and Caleb Prue. In the back row are the parents of the seniors. Left to right are Shaquille’s parents, Chastity and Brad Urie; Drew’s parents, Andy Gallup and Elaine Gallup, and Caleb’s mother, Mandy Young.  Photo by Harris Kinsey

by Harris Kinsey

copyright the Chronicle 2-27-2013

Coming off a tough loss to Enosburg, the Lake Region Rangers boys basketball team hoped to get back to their winning ways at home on February 19.

On the night seniors Caleb Prue, Shaquille Urie, and Drew Gallup were honored, they played hard and came out on top 69-49.  Junior Clint Provoncha led Lake Region with 20 points, Alex Beauregard had 16, and Dennis Newland added 13 points for the Rangers. Kris Wehner led BFA Fairfax with 22 points but didn’t have much help as Lake Region played tough defense and kept them at bay.

The first quarter started out fast for Lake Region with Newland connecting on a jumper only 20 seconds into the game to put Lake Region up 2-0. Beauregard followed with a field goal right after that to put Lake Region up 4-0. BFA was held scoreless until the 4:08 mark when Wehner scored on a layup for BFA’s first points of the game. However, Lake Region’s defense continued to be very good, and BFA only sscored six points in the first quarter compared to 25 points for Lake Region. After the first quarter of play the score was 25-6 Lake Region.

Lake Region scored the second quarter’s first point at the 6:40 mark on a free throw by Gallup, but it was BFA getting the first field goal of the quarter at the 5:55 mark on a jumper by Doug Legris. Lake Region would not hit a field goal until the 4:58 mark on a layup by Beauregard. BFA made a little bit of a run in the quarter and scored 15 points but Lake Region scored 11 points to maintain their lead. At the end of the first half the score was 36-21 in favor of Lake Region.

The third quarter started out with Wehner getting the first score of the quarter for BFA with two free throws at the 7:21 mark. Lake Region answered right back 14 seconds later on a layup by Newland. Lake region got a little careless in the third with forcing plays that weren’t there and had some turnovers. BFA played well in  the quarter and scored 16 points to 12 points for Lake Region. After the third quarter came to a close the game was closer with Lake Region leading 48-37.

Newland hit a free throw 35 seconds into the fourth quarter for the first score of the quarter. Lake Region’s defense took over the fourth forcing bad passes, travels and steals, as well as forcing BFA to throw passes that were not smart passes. Lake Region scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, many coming on transition baskets. BFA could only manage 12 points. The game ended with Lake Region winning 69-49.

After the game LR Coach James Ingalls said, “The guys played with intensity on defense tonight. We had kind of been in a lull on the defensive end, so to see that, was great. Another reason we played better is defense turned into offense for us, we controlled the boards, and our half court offense was better. The guys worked their butts off tonight. It was a team effort to get this win tonight.”

The 2012-13 Craftsbury Academy Chargers girls basketball team is pictured above. In the back row, left to right, are: Anna Strong, Coach Rick Thomas, Kisiah Waterhouse, Renee Spiese, Sarah Dunbar, Meghan Brown, Janet Bohannon, and Aysha Hodgdon. In the front row, left to right, are: Meghan Pennock, Abbie Martin, Thaila Thomas. Missing from the picture are Assistant Coach Laura Brown, Maleighna Perkins, and Emma Spiese. Photo by Val Adams

by Harris Kinsey

copyright the Chronicle 2-20-2013

Coming off a recent win, the Craftsbury Academy girls varsity hoped to continue their winning ways against Cabot.  They played hard for four quarters and came out on top 51-17.

Janet Bohannon led all scorers and outscored Cabot by herself, with 23 points.  Maelily Robison led Cabot with eight points but, like her teammates, struggled to put the ball in the basket.

The first quarter started out slow but picked up speed at the 4:55 mark on a layup by Bohannon, who scored the first eight points for Craftsbury.  She scored 11 points in the quarter, with Thaila Thomas and Meghan Pennock each contributing two points.  Cabot failed to score all quarter and couldn’t figure out, or break down, Craftsbury’s defense in any way.  After the first quarter of play, the score was 15-0 in favor of Craftsbury.

The second quarter got underway with Sarah Dunbar connecting on a layup at the 5:45 mark to make it 17-0 Craftsbury.  Craftsbury’s defense continued to dominate, forcing turnovers and getting steal after steal.  Cabot finally put points on the board at the 1:38 mark when Brittany Houghton hit two free throws.  Craftsbury scored 12 points in the quarter, eight by Bohannon to give her 19 points in the first half.

At halftime the score stood at 27-2, Craftsbury.

The third quarter started fast for Craftsbury with Bohannon scoring on a layup only 25 seconds into the quarter.  Coach Rick Thomas mostly had taken out his starters by this point, but Craftsbury continued to play well and get some good bench minutes.

Cabot finally scored at the 3:02 mark of the third on a three-pointer by Robison.  Cabot scored eight points in the third quarter, while Craftsbury scored 16.

After three quarters of play, Craftsbury had a commanding lead at 43-10.

The fourth quarter got underway, and it was clear this game was going to be a blowout.  Cabot scored 25 seconds into the quarter on a layup by Brittany Houghton.

Craftsbury answered back at the five-minute mark on a layup by Aysha Hodgdon.  Hodgdon scored six points in the quarter, and Craftsbury as a team, scored eight.

Cabot scored seven points in the quarter.  The game ended with the final score 51-17 Craftsbury.

After the game, coach Rick Thomas said, “It was great to see the bench play so well tonight.  That’s our development, so to see them play well, and play some key minutes, was great.”

For more free sports stories, look in our sports category on this site or subscribe to our print or online editions.  Click on this link for a full winter sports schedule.

This is the 2012-13 Craftsbury Academy Chargers boys basketball team. In the back row, left to tight, are: Coach Rick Thomas, Kyle Adams, Noah Sweet, Frank Spiese, Colby Masse, Alex Vetere, Logan Masse, and Assistant Coach Anthony Boyce. In the
front row, left to right, are: Joshua Paquette, Mael Le Scouezec, Jeremiah Lasher, Austin Masi, and Brandon Locke. Missing from the picture is Raymond LaMare. Photo by Val Adams

by Harris Kinsey

copyright the Chronicle 2-20-2013

CRAFTSBURY COMMON — Coming off a blowout loss, the Craftsbury boys varsity team hoped to get a win over Cabot.  They fought hard for four quarters and came out on top 46-38.  Kyle Adams led all scorers with 25 points, and got help from his teammates as they shared the basketball quite well.  Seth Herrick-Trombley led Cabot with 11 points, but didn’t have much help, as Cabot had a tough time getting the ball in the basket.

The first quarter started in Cabot’s favor as they scored first on a layup by Zachary Ducharme.  Craftsbury would fall behind by six before Adams got an offensive rebound and scored on a put back at the 4:22 mark.  The quarter was a hard fought quarter.  When the quarter came to a close, Craftsbury had the lead at 13-10.

The second quarter got under way with Cabot having possession of the basketball.  That would be short lived when Austin Masi stole the ball and scored on a layup only 28 seconds into the quarter.  Craftsbury 15, Cabot 10.  Cabot answered right back when Camden Celley connected on a jumper.  Just like in the first quarter, Craftsbury showed a lot of defensive intensity, and held Cabot to six points in the quarter. Craftsbury would only score ten points in the quarter but had the lead, 23-16 heading to halftime.

At the start of the third quarter Cabot hoped to play better than they did in the first half.  They would score first one minute into the quarter, with Lars Hammer connecting on a jumper to cut the lead to six 23-18.  Craftsbury would finally answer back on a layup by Adams.  In the quarter Craftsbury matched the defensive intensity that they displayed in the first half, but continued to struggle a little bit on offense, and especially at the free throw line.  Adams scored eight points in the third for Craftsbury, who scored ten points as a team.  Cabot matched them with ten points of their own, but the quarter ended with Craftsbury holding an eight-point lead, 33-26.

When the fourth quarter got under way it was clear that this was going to be a close game. Craftsbury started the scoring just a minute and a half into the quarter on a free throw by Mael Le Scouezec.  Cabot would score their first points of the fourth at the 5:14 mark on a layup by Tiger Bastress.  Craftsbury’s intensity on defense seemed to pick up in the fourth and they played great defense in the quarter.  Cabot would score 12 points in the quarter, while Craftsbury scored 13.  The game ended with Craftsbury winning 46-38.

After the game, Coach Rick Thomas said, “We had 26 turnovers, and went five of 18 at the foul line, and we still got the win.  What won the game for us was our defensive intensity.  We played good defense, and rebounded the ball well.  Our defense and rebounding won it for us.”

For more free sports stories, look in our sports category on this site or subscribe to our print or online editions.  Click on this link for a full winter sports schedule.

 by Richard Creaser

copyright the Chronicle 2-20-2013

NEWPORT — United Christian Academy was the recipient of the 2012 Mona Garone Outstanding Sportsmanship award on Saturday afternoon.  The award, issued by the Vermont Basketball Referees, recognizes good sportsmanship, which the teams have constantly exhibited under the leadership of UCA Athletic Director Linda Curtis.

“Sports can be an emotional event for players, fans and coaches,” referee Bruce James said after the award presentation.  “In the many years I’ve been officiating UCA games, I can count only a few times when a UCA player has acted out, and Linda was quick to take that player aside, talk to them and help them refocus.  They never caused another problem, and I think much of that credit goes to Linda’s leadership.”

Ms. Curtis downplayed her own role in developing the culture of respect that UCA teams have displayed over the years.  Their commitment to respectful play on and off the court or the soccer pitch is as much a reflection of the core values of UCA as it is the result of her own intervention, she said.

“We’ve always emphasized to our kids that they are representing our school and what it stands for,” Ms. Curtis said.  “The players and the coaches have done a wonderful job of remembering that.”

Indeed, after a team huddle UCA players often prepare for a return to action by chanting “represent.”  That subtle reminder of who they are and the values they bring to their lives in and out of sports is very important to them, Ms. Curtis said.

The award may be directly tied to UCA’s basketball tams, but it transcends a single sport, boys varsity coach Tony DeLaBruere said.

“It’s really an award for the whole school and not just a few teams,” he said.  “It’s something that stems from the coaches, the teachers, the players, and especially Linda.”

The practice of gracious sportsmanship extends to the families and friends of UCA’s players, as well, Mr. DeLaBruere said.

“It’s sometimes meant that we have played games by closer margins than we might otherwise have had,” Mr. DeLaBruere said.  “It’s fun to coach those games knowing that we have played a good game, a game we can be proud of.”

Those tight games are the ones where emotions are likeliest to run high, Mr. James said.  In spite of that, UCA’s players, coaches and fans have always proven themselves respectful to their counterparts on and off the court.

“They have never abused the officials and tried to leverage that for some political advantage,” Mr. James said.  “They go out and play hard, but they do it respectfully.  A lot of that goes back to the fact that Linda not only expects good sportsmanship but she demands it.”

With all of the external pressures on sports teams to succeed, earning this award has even more meaning, Ms. Curtis said.  The win-at-all-costs attitude that pervades sporting contests both at the professional and amateur levels often leaves little room for cultivating good sportsmanship.

“It’s certainly harder to accomplish today, but I think it just shows that we’re doing our job,” Ms. Curtis said.  “We really push that we are representing our school.  Good sportsmanship is definitely what UCA stands for.”

In accepting the award on behalf of the school, Ms. Curtis indicated that she would be stepping down as athletic director at the end of the school year.

“Getting this award in my final year is a really nice way to go out,” Ms. Curtis said.  “But it was never about me and what I did.  It was about what we accomplished as a school.”

contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

For more free sports stories, look in our sports category on this site or subscribe to our print or online editions.  Click on this link for a full winter sports schedule.