By Tom Haley
RUTLAND HERALD
If you had walked into Proctor’s Almo Buggiani Gym on Saturday night at halftime, you might have done a double take when looking at the scoreboard. Mount St. Joseph was leading top-ranked Proctor 29-27 in the regular season finale between the Division IV teams.
The Phantoms righted the ship and won easily but both teams gleaned lessons from the game that they can apply in the girls basketball playoffs which begin on Tuesday.
No. 7 MSJ hosts No. 10 Richford on Wednesday in its first-round game and No. 1 Proctor is the only Division IV team with a bye. The 16-1 Phantoms won’t play until Friday. They await the winner of Tuesday night’s game between No. 9 Rivendell and No. 8 Northfield.
That halftime deficit against MSJ was a wake-up call for the Phantoms.
“We just can’t get comfortable,” said Proctor senior guard Maggie McKeariin.
No, you never want to be too comfortable now. One loss and your season is done.
The Mounties also gained a lesson on Saturday night. They found out they can play with the best even if they were unable to sustain it for the 32 minutes.
MSJ coach Bill Bruso walked into the locker room after the game, looked at his Mounties and said, “Does it sting a little bit?”
It did. They were disappointed. It hurt. And Bruso was glad.
He would have been disappointed in his players if it had not hurt.
“We know we can play with anybody in the state,” Bruso said. “I am very encouraged.”
“It shows our offense is working,” MSJ assistant coach Sally Hogan said of the 29 points the Mounties hung on the Phantoms in the first half.
“We always say that our goal is the top four so that we can get two home playoffs games,” Bruso said. “But if we get one, that’s fine.”
The Mounties have been getting contributions from their forwards and Bruso said that is what is helping this team take a step at the right time. He hopes that will give Richford some problems.
“Our guards are recognizing that the bigs are important too. When we are using everyone on the court is when we have a chance,” Bruso said.
“Their size was problematic for us in the first half,” Proctor coach Joe McKearin said.
Division I is a Northern Vermont Festival with Rice, CVU, Mount Mansfield, Essex and St. Johnsbury the top five seeds.
No. 6 Rutland is the southern Vermont representative with a chance. The 11-9 Raiders play their trademark tight defense and are beginning to score much more with Karsyn Bellomo, Kathryn Moore and Olivia Shipley leading the way.
Division I FavoriteThere isn’t just one. You can throw a hat over the top four seeds. Rice is the top seed but it’s tough to go against perennial power CVU this time of year.
Dark HorseNo. 6 Rutland is a team nobody wants to play.
Best First-Round MatchupBFA-St. Albans’ trip to Rutland on Wednesday is an intriguing matchup. BFA is only 3-16 and the No. 11 seed but the Comets beat Rutland in a close game in St. Albans. Can the home floor help the Raiders turn the tables? If Rutland wins, it travels to No. 3 Mount Mansfield, a team they only lost to by three points.
The History BookThe first girls basketball state championship games were played in 1972. Essex defeated CVU 32-18 for the D-I title.
Fun FactMorgan Valley, who led helped lead Rice to state titles during the program’s glory days, is an assistant basketball coach for the University of Connecticut women’s team that is 19-7 and ranked No. 10 nationally.
Division II FavoriteLyndon is the top seed but nobody has been hotter the second half of the season than No. 4 Spaulding. No. 2 Enosburg is 18-2 and No. 3 and 15-5 Fair Haven is a regular at the Barre Auditorium for the state finals. The field is crowded with favorites.
Dark HorseVeteran coach Connie LaRose knows a little something about preparing a team for the postseason. Her Mount Abraham squad is the No. 6 seed.
Best First-Round MatchupBurr and Burton Academy might be a pesky No. 13 seed. They have to contend with red hot Spaulding, but BBA owns a recent win over Division I Rutland.
The History BookSt. Johnsbury’s Kim Silloway scored 63 points over the semifinals and finals in 1982 and Oxbow’s Jade Huntington scored 63 over the two games in 1988. Fair Haven’s Kim Sweeney had 58 over the two contests in 2001.
Fun FactFair Haven’s coach Kyle Wilson has his father Jay Wilson on his bench as an assistant coach. Jay played on the 1971 state championship team for Fair Haven.
Division III FavoriteWindsor is No. 1 but No. 2 Williamstown is the only unbeaten team in the field and No. 3 Lake Region beat Windsor. Sort that out and you you earn the Jay Bilas Bracketology Award.
Dark HorseOtter Valley is one of those teams, like Spaulding in Division II, that has improved so much over the second half of the season. Back-to-back wins over Division II Hartford and the regular-season finale victory over Springfield have stamped the No. 6 Otters with legitimacy.
Best First-Round MatchupBFA-Fairfax makes the trip to Vergennes. You can’t go wrong with an 8-9 matchup.
The History BookOxbow’s Jazz Huntington scored a whopping 89 points over the D-III semifinal and finals in 1996.
Fun FactWilliamstown star Fasika Parrott and her brother Thomas would love to make it to the big stage, the Barre Auditorium, this year. They are both point guards for the Blue Devils.
Division IV FavoriteProctor has won 16 games in a row and the Phantoms have beaten No. 2 seed West Rutland twice. The Phantoms have to be the favorite but be wary of a tall, talented West Rutland team that played the Phantoms tough both times.
Dark HorseTake your pick between No. 6 Mid-Vermont led by prolific scorer Hayley Goodwin or the No. 7 MSJ team that led Proctor at the half.
Best First-Round MatchupNo. 13 Long Trail has length and has improved steadily over the latter half of the season. They must make the long trip to No. 4 Danville but the Mountain Lions could make it interesting.
The History BookTwinfield’s Vanessa Khouri lit up the Barre Auditorium in 1989, scoring 75 points for the Trojans over the two games. Twinfield defeated Stowe in the championship game.
Fun Fact
Proctor’s Abby McKeran rang up 1,202 points for Proctor before graduating in 2016. Her sister Maggie is a senior on this year’’s Proctor team and joined Abby in the select 1,000-point circle. They also each had 100 goals in soccer with Abby the state’s all-time leader with 168 goals.
tom.haley @rutlandherald.com
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