By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — 2023 started off with a bang for Windsor, as they blew out to a 12-0 lead and kept the defensive pressure up to grab a 58-33 win in front of a big crowd in Springfield.
Windsor opened up with a man-to-man defense that placed sophomore standouts Sophia Rockwood of Windsor and the Cosmos’ Macie Stagner squaring off against each other. “I get amped up. Macie is an incredible player and I wanted to play my best,” said S. Rockwood. Sophia responded with a double-double consisting of 19 points and 13 rebounds, but the Jacks defensive was the story.
Windsor crashed the boards with Sydney Perry leading the way, which led to a tempo that Springfield didn’t have an answer for. “We had a good fast start and our transition tempo was just what we liked,’’ said Jacks Head Coach Kabray Rockwood. Audrey Rupp ran the fast break perfectly after getting countless outlet passes from Perry and Brianna Barton, leading to easy looks. Springfield’s Lexi Coutermarsh and Jillian Muther each had good position in the paint, but the quickness of Windsor resulted in piles of rebounds, limiting Springfield to very few second chance opportunities.
Stagner would finally put Springfield on the board late in the first quarter, but the combination of cold Cosmos shooting and lightning fast defensive pressure by Windsor had the visitors cruising 32-9 at the break. “They got to us early but we got better in the second half and we will continue to get better going forward,” said Springfield Head Coach Pete Peck.
Springfield would chip away at the Jacks lead at the start of the second half with quick points from Marthe Fiolka and Stagner, but Perry and Rockwood would respond for Windsor, keeping the Cosmos at arms length as Windsor improved to 5-2 with a 58-33 win. “The game against Stevens woke us up. The next day our practice was really intense. We need to improve every day,” said K. Rockwood. “Our goal is to host two playoff games. We have high expectations.”
Perry would drop in 18 points and 12 rebounds for Windsor as she continued to add up her own double-double performances on the season. Stagner would finish with 18 points for Springfield (4-2).
In the JV contest, Kemari Wildgoose dropped in 14 points while Skylar Thibodeau would chip in with 10 points to lead Windsor to a 42-25 win. Meadow Murchie led the Cosmos with 12 points.
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