By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
WESTMINSTER, Vt. — Bellows Falls let a big lead slip away then held off a frantic Randolph comeback and took control in the last three minutes to outscore the visitors 15-0 down the stretch to advance into the quarter finals with a 76-58 win on Wednesday.
“We respond, that’s what we do” said Bellows Falls head coach Evan Chadwick during a timeout as Randolph came back from a 17 point deficit to grab a lead midway into the second half.
Things were rolling along for Bellows Falls as they handled the man to man defense the Ghosts threw at them pretty well. Bellows Falls center Owen LaRoss was wrestling with Andrew Lewis then Colton Fordham as Randolph head coach Jeremy Rilling wanted nothing to come easy for LaRoss.
“We wanted to close out the middle and make them earn it from the outside” said Rilling.
Colby Dearborn and Jon Terry would step up and solve that problem as Dearborn would drain back to back three pointers and Terry dropped in six first-quarter points to help the Terriers grab a 22-14 lead after the first quarter. Bellows Falls would increase that lead with a swish from Jamison Nystrom which capped a 13-2 Bellows Falls run to a comfortable 38-21 lead with 3 minutes left in the half. Jackson Goodell was whistled for his third foul and took a spot on the bench then Randolph started to make their run. Bellows Falls blew a tire as the visitors ripped off 6 points to close the gap to 38-27 at the break with momentum on their side.
“We went sideways,” said Chadwick as Randolph started the second half right where they left off. “They kicked us in the teeth.”
Terry’s three-point play slowed things down for a few gulps of air but the Ghosts kept cutting into the once big Bellows Falls lead.
An 8-0 run ended with a Levi West 3-pointer but LaRoss would drop in the next five points as Bellows Falls frantically tried to hold off the Randolph charge. When Randolph’s Ben Hanford hit his free throw after a made hoop, the quarter ended with the home team trailing 52-51.
“We’ve played through this before. We’ve had some tough games and this was gut check time,” Terry said. “This team has heart.”
Randolph increased their lead to 54-51 as Chase Higgins and West did all they could to hold off Bellows Falls.
Nystrom would start the comeback with back to back hoops, 55-54 Bellows Falls, Higgins would give Randolph the lead back 56-55 then the Terriers jumped on Goodells back. The senior guard nailed a hoop to grab the lead back then brought the big Bellows Falls crowd to it’s feet with a three pointer as the Terriers suddenly had confidence and momentum on their side.
“I did not want to lose,” Goodell said. “We responded as a team and grabbed the game back.”
Jack Cravinho added another three pointer but Goodell picked up his fifth foul and was done for the night.
Chadwick looked down his bench and brought in sophomore Walker James.
“He has so much energy,” Chadwick said. “It was the perfect time to get him on the floor.”
The very next Bellows Falls possession, James hit his shot giving Bellows Falls a 65-58 lead that seemed to take the wind out of Randolph’s sails. LaRoss canned two free throws then kissed a shot off the glass for a layup before James put two more points on the board for Bellows Falls as the Terriers would close out the game with a 15-0 run to send them into the quarterfinals on Saturday.
“I give Bellows Falls all the credit tonight,” Rilling said. “They responded to what we did. We went into a zone in the second half and threw them off their game. Our shots started to drop but they had the answers.”
Bellows Falls had four players with double figures in a balanced attack led by Goodel’s 16 points, Nystrom and LaRoss would finish with 15 points each while Terry chipped in with 11 points. Bellows Falls shor 16 for 20 from the line.
Randolph was led by the sophomore duo of Higgin’s 18 points and Ethan Davignon’s 13 points while West closed out his career with 12 points.
No. 5 seeded Bellows Falls (16-5) will head to No. 4 seeded Vergennes (14-7) on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game.
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