By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspondent
POULTNEY, Vt. — Competing in its first of four consecutive road contests, Green Mountain came up short in the final frame of a back-and-forth game against Poultney.
Free throw shooting woes, foul trouble and the absence of Sophia Cherubini were some of the contributing factors during Green Mountain’s 39-30 loss on Saturday afternoon.
Poultney pounced first as they opened up a 5-0 lead just over a minute into the contest. Despite the early deficit and shooting only 3-for-11 from the foul line, Green Mountain trailed by just two points at the end of the first quarter.
Green Mountain began to find their rhythm as they opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run. While the ladies from Chester continued to put points on the board, the Blue Devils responded by trading baskets during the final minutes of the period. With only two seconds remaining until halftime, Poultney’s Jade Lupien banked in a three-pointer that inspired the home team’s announcer to excitedly proclaim, “The bank is open!”
Points were scarce in the third quarter following a relatively high scoring first half that saw Green Mountain take a 22-20 advantage into the break. With less than a minute remaining in the third, Poultney’s Olivia Despres connected on her third three of the night to give the hosts a 28-26 edge entering the final frame.
