By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Windsor used a very stingy defense to carry them to a come-from-behind win in a dandy of a game at Riverside Gym.
With passionate fans in the stands and an electric Springfield student section, this game was action-packed from the get-go as Springfield opened the game sky high with Megan Stagner plowing in the first seven points of the contest.
“We brought the energy tonight, this team was focused,” Stagner said.
Madison Clark’s hoop gave Springfield it’s biggest lead 22-14 then Windsor’s found something as all the starters were sitting on the bench to start the second quarter.
The Yellow Jackets began to find their shooting touch ripping off a 7-0 run to end the half as fresh legs came on the court and hit the ground running as Sydney Perry converted two offensive rebounds into buckets for the Jacks.
“Pete” Peck’s Cosmos rode that emotion to an early lead and clung to a 22-21 halftime advantage as whistles a plenty favored Springfield’ tempo but turnovers kept hurting the Cosmos all game.
The Jack guard duo of Peyton Richardson and Holly Putnam gave Springfield fits doubling on the ball as Meg Stagner and Macie Stagner were surrounded while the Windsor uptempo speed and press resulted in forcing 26 Springfield turnovers on the night.
Springfield’s Persephone Steele was in a war with Reese Perry in the paint all game as Steele had her best effort of the year against the All-State center in a rough and tumble area of the court.
“Halftime was actually quite mellow. The kids did most of the talking,” said Windsor head coach Kabray Rockwood. “Our defense settled in towards the end of the second quarter and we started to hit some key shots.”
Sloppy play dominated the first eight minutes of the third quarter.
But then Windsor began to ramp up their defense.
Freshman guards Sophia Rockwood and Audrey Rupp stepped right into the spotlight and looked comfortable while A. Rupp’s steal and hoop capped off a 7-1 Jacks run as they grabbed a 28-23 lead entering the final quarter. Springfield’s freshman sensation Macie Stagner had lots of company all night each time she touched the ball as Elliot Rupp, Richardson and Putnam rotated the defense while Karen Kapuscinski swooped in when Windsor pressed.
“We stayed positive,” Richardson said. “Springfield is really good and they were taking it to us but we kept our team energy and picked up our team defense.”
Not only did Windsor’s defense shut down Springfield and allowed no points from the field in the second half, Richardson became red hot. A steal resulting in a layup was added to an offensive rebound as Richardson dropped in nine points in the blink of an eye to push the Windsor lead to 42-28 with three minutes left in the game.
“This was a war tonight. We battled hard against a very, very good Windsor team and we learned so much about ourselves,” Peck said. “We have five games in the next eight days and I think we are ready to make a run.”
Windsor (12-2) was led by Peyton Richardson’s 13 points, five steals, and three rebounds, and Reese Perry’s 10 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals. Elliot Rupp added nine points, four assists, and three steals. Sydney Perry had seven points and nine rebounds.
The Cosmos’ (8-5) leading scorers were Macie Stagner with 15 points and Megan Stagner with nine points.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.