By Adam Aucoin
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FAIR HAVEN — Fair Haven’s gymnasium has a large poster plastered on the far side of the gym with large letters reading, “Tradition Matters.”
It’s a credo that drives every Slater who takes the floor there, reminding them of those who wore the white and navy blue before them and the importance their play has in real time.
The No. 1-seeded Fair Haven girls basketball team built upon that tradition with a 46-29 win against rival No. 9 Springfield in the Division II quarterfinals Friday night.
The win locked up the Slaters’ ticket to the Barre Auditorium on Monday, their seventh consecutive state Final Four, where they’ll take on No. 4 Enosburg.
“It’s always nice to go up to Barre and tradition matters,” said Fair Haven coach Kyle Wilson, pointing to the large poster over his shoulder. “We’re fortunate enough to have some really good players and some really good families. These kids love to compete and they don’t like to lose.”
It’s a good thing Fair Haven’s players don’t like to lose because it’s not something they’ve experienced this year.
The Slaters enter ‘The Aud’ with a sparkling 22-0 record and a giant bullseye squarely on their back.
Springfield always gives Fair Haven its toughest tests. If it weren’t for some late game magic earlier in the season, the Cosmos would have pulled the Slaters from the ranks of the unbeaten.
The teams know each other all too well and the first quarter’s stalemate nature proved that.
While Fair Haven’s playdown against Montpelier was filled with early offense, the Slaters sputtered out of the gates against the Cosmos Friday night.
“(Springfield) defends us really well,” Wilson said. “They take away some things that we like to do.”
Fair Haven was held without a field goal in the first quarter, but hit a quartet of free throws.
Springfield wasn’t too much better on its own end. Kaylee Warren got the team in the scorebook and Hailey Perham had a nice drive to the basket to secure a hoop and a foul, but other than that, the Cosmos were cold.
Courtney Brewster had a nice effort in the post to give the Slaters their first field goal and a lead. Perham came back and slotted a 3 from straight on, but Fair Haven swung the momentum emphatically from there.
Kerigan Disorda and Emma Briggs both hit 3s and the Slaters went on a dominant stretch to finish the quarter, outscoring Springfield 15-1 after Perham’s 3.
“The end of the first period, I told the girls to keep going with it,” Wilson said. “When shots aren’t falling at the offensive end and you stay consistent defensively, you can still win.”
The Cosmos had their opportunities to quell the run, but their shots weren’t falling and Fair Haven outworked them on the glass.
“We missed some good looks,” said Cosmos coach Pete Peck. “(The Slaters) were able to get out and run.”
Fair Haven led by 12 at the half.
Slaters junior Ryleigh Coloutti, who came off a 40-point effort in the playdowns, didn’t have a field goal in the first half, but drained all four of her free throws.
“Whenever you can hold a scorer like Ryleigh to four free throws, you’re doing well,” Peck said.
Coloutti finished with a game-high 13 points. She only had one field goal, a 3 in the third, but she was almost automatic at the charity stripe, going 10-for-12.
The Cosmos hung tough in the second half and got post pivot Gabby Wardwell going with a couple easy baskets in the paint, but balanced scoring helped Fair Haven match Springfield at every turn.
Behind Coloutti’s scoring, Disorda had 10 points, along with a pair of steals. Zoey Cole had six points and Emma Briggs had five.
Brewster controlled the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Perham led Springfield with 12 points in her final high school game. Wardwell finished swan song with nine points.
The Cosmos finish their season 11-11 and graduate seven players this spring. Perham, Wardwell, Julianna Albero-Levings, Jessica Cerniglia, Kayla Gibbons, Ashley Chamberlin and Kaylee Warren all finished up their Springfield careers.
“They all contribute,” Peck said. “It makes for a nice core. Any time you have that type of maturity and leadership and talent to go with it, you can put together a good club.”
Monday’s tip off against Enosburg is set for 8:15 p.m. at the Barre Auditorium.
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