Caitlyn Davison of Hazen Union aims for a shot at the basket assisted by teammate Haylie Michaud. In the play for Danville are Lauren Joncas (No. 15) and Laci Potter (right). Hazen defeated Danville 56-32.
by Ken Brown
RICHFORD – Hitting the road didn’t slow down the Hazen Union girls’ basketball team last week as they swept a pair of pivotal league games against Richford and Danville to improve to 10-1 on the season.
Junior guard Caitlyn Davison scored a game-high 17 points to lead Hazen to a hard-fought 49-41 road win over Richford last Wednesday. Senior Alexis Christensen drained a pair of three-pointers on her way to a 15 point night to give the Lady Cats a 28-19 advantage at the break that they would never relinquish. Freshman Julia des Groseilliers chipped in with six in the win. Sierra Derby led Richford with 16 points and Kyrielle added 12, including a pair of 3-pointers. The loss ended the Lady Falcons three-game winning streak as they fell to 6-4 on the season.
“I’ve got some girls with some bumps and bruises, but we are relatively healthy at this stage of the season and we need to continue fine tuning all aspects of our team,” said head coach Randy Lumsden.
Davison continued to power the Lady Cat offense, pouring in 26 points to lead Hazen Union to a dominant 56-32 road win over Danville over the weekend. Christensen remained hot from the outside with 15 points to help Hazen break open a close game after the first quarter with a 38-4 over a 16 minute span. Tessa Luther chipped in with eight points in the win. Laci Potter led Danville with 13 points as they were swept in the season series and fell to 3-8.
Hazen Union junior Sarah Collier runs for a loose ball as teammates Julia desGroseilliers (No. 14) and Baylie Christensen (No. 5) follow the play. At right for Danville are Sloane Morse (No. 1), Laci Potter and Phoebe Crocker. The Lady Cats won 56-32. This game was Hazen’s tenth win in a row.
“We definitely have some moments where we look like the team we are working so hard to be, but we are still a work in progress and hopefully we are playing our best basketball in March,” said Lumsden.
Lumsden has the Lady Cats rolling in his first year on the sidelines, winning 10 straight since dropping their season opener at Enosburg. They own the best record in Division III, but are still ranked second behind a stout Windsor team that has won seven straight. Hazen Union’s girls’ junior varsity team is also winning in dominant fashion and have some talented players that could be in Lady Cat uniforms sooner than later.
“The JV team has a talented group of girls that are hard working and determined and Alison Blaney is doing a great job with that team. She’s got them practicing and playing hard and having fun doing it. This week our biggest concern is rebounding. It’s been a focus for us all year. We have the physical ability to own the boards, we just need to commit to boxing out and going after aggressively to the ball,” said Lumsden.
Hazen traveled to Winooski on Tuesday and will welcome Williamstown to the Cat Den on Thursday night.
