By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspondent
WESTMINSTER, VT — Bellows Falls ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday, Jan. 6, as Otter Valley cruised to a 69-44 victory at Holland Gymnasium.
Bellows Falls held an 8-7 advantage midway through the first quarter before Otter Valley’s Logan Letourneau caught fire. Letourneau drained four shots from behind the arc and scored 14 points to give the Otters a 20-10 lead as the first quarter ended.
The Terriers opened the second quarter with a three-pointer by Cole Moore before Otter Valley quickly responded with a three of their own. Both teams went cold over the next few possessions be-fore Moore converted a layup with just over four minutes remaining in the half to cut the lead to eight. Otter Valley wouldn’t allow Bellows Falls to stay within single-digits for long; however, as their zone defense combined with some full-court pressure, they continued to take the Terriers out of their rhythm. The Otters entered the half with a 30-17 edge, but the best had yet to come from the visiting squad.
Otter Valley scored the first seven points of the second half before Eli Allbee scored on a baseline drive for the Terriers. Following the basket by Allbee, the Otters forced several turnovers over the next few minutes and capitalized by scoring 17 unanswered points. Otter Valley outscored the hosts 29-4 during the third quarter to enter the final period with a seemingly insurmountable 59-21 lead.
The visitors extended their lead to 40 before Jaxon Clark went on a rampage for Bellows Falls. Clark scored the next 13 points for the Terriers to cut the Otters lead to 67-36 with just over a minute to play. The Terriers dialed up the defensive pressure and scored eight points in the final minute, but it was too little, too late, as Otter Valley came away with an impressive 25-point win.
Following his outburst in the final frame, Clark ended up as the leading scorer for Bellows Falls with 17 points. Colby Dearborn was next with 9 and Cole Moore added 8 for the Terriers.
Connor Denis was the top scorer for Otter Valley with 18 points and Letourneau followed with 14.
Bellows Falls is scheduled to face its first Division 1 opponent of the season when they travel to Burr & Burton on Thursday, Jan. 11, for a 7 p.m. contest.
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