By Adam Aucoin
THE RUTLAND HERALD
Rutland County is blessed with a bunch of girls basketball teams that always seem to find their way into the contender conversation.
Division IV West Rutland is coming off a state championship and its opponent in that game Proctor is always among the division’s best.
Fair Haven had made the Barre Auditorium for eight straight years before the streak was snapped last season.
Basketball season is a time of year countless girls in the area look forward to and the hopes are high that another successful season is afoot.
Let’s look at a sampling of girls basketball games that should be fun to watch this winter.
Mt. Abe at FHU, 12/9
The last time Fair Haven walked off its floor in a game that counted, it fell to Mount Abraham in the Division II quarterfinals.
As mentioned, that loss snapped the long run of Barre Auditorium appearances.
The Slaters won’t have to wait long to have a shot at revenge. The Eagles are the first team in their schedule and will be back in the Slate Valley the following weekend for the Canfield Classic.
Rutland at MMU, 12/15
Rutland and Mount Mansfield always seem to play close games no matter the sport and girls basketball was no different last year.
The Cougars, who made it to the Division I finals, won both games against RHS, but the deficit was combined four points, including a back and forth playoff affair.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see a repeat of those tightly-contested contests and with plenty of talent for Rutland coming back, it surely would love some revenge.
MSJ at Westside, 12/21
A Rutland County rivalry game always brings plenty of emotion.
MSJ will be the clear underdog in this game, having graduated a handful of crucial difference makers, but there are some younger players that should be itching to make more of an impact.
The Mounties typically have solid size, but how will they fare against a team with skilled bigs like Westside has.
MSJ at Proctor, 1/9
Another D-IV county rivalry game. Both teams will be looking to replace a lot of transcendent talent from last year’s teams, but have strong cultures filled with success.
The teams met just once last year and the Phantoms dominated, before going on a run to the state championship game.
By this point in the season, MSJ and Proctor will be figuring out where they stand in a depth-filled division.
Poultney at MRU, 1/12
An interesting subplot to this game is Mill River post player Molly Hier taking on her former team.
Hier made an instant impact playing for Poultney last winter, but transferred to Mill River. It will be interesting to see how the Blue Devils deal with her size.
Poultney swept the season series last season. The Minutemen were young last year and lost their top scorer to graduation, but they’d love to make this series more competitive in 2022-2023.
Westside at Proctor, 1/16
This will be the second of two contests between the arch rivals.
Proctor lost some really talented players in last year’s senior class, but when it’s Westside across from them, the Phantoms will surely be up for the task.
The teams met in an instant classic in the D-IV title game last year, so if this game is even a fraction of that, it should be great to watch.
FH at Rutland, 1/18
Last year’s matchup between these two perennially strong teams was all about defense with a combined 47 points scored.
Both teams’ bread is buttered on that end of the floor and that figures to remain the case once again.
RHS and the Slaters should be contenders, so this has the potential to be a lot of fun.
L&G at GM, 1/31
Green Mountain lost two of its best scorers to graduation, but has a lot of talent coming back that should make them competitive.
Leland & Gray is coming off a successful soccer season, winning the Division IV state title and that kind of success often translates over to the winter season.
The Rebels swept the season series last winter.
Springfield at OV, 2/4
Springfield has a good idea about who its go-to scorer is. Macie Stagner broke onto the scene last year as a freshman and dazzled local hoops fans.
Otter Valley will be looking to see who takes on a similar role. The Otters lost a key scorer in Alice Keith to graduation, but have tons of athletes, who are coming off successful soccer and field hockey seasons, that are ready to pick up the slack.
Both games between these clubs were competitive last year, so it could be an even contest again.
adam.aucoin @rutlandherald.com
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