The Craftsbury Academy basketball team line up for the National Anthem before their game at Twinfield February 6. Pictured (left to right): Landon Cochran, Sterling Blodgett, Dalton Gravel, Dylan Washer, Roeann McLellan, Grayson McNaughton, Landon Miller, assistant coach Brandon Berry and head coach Sean Ryan.
by Ken Brown
MARSHFIELD – The Craftsbury Academy (CA) boys’ basketball team tackled some of the top teams in Division IV last week, falling to Twinfield-Cabot, Blue Mountain, and Danville.
Tej Stewart led a balanced scoring attack with 20 points as the Trojans raced past CA at home last Monday 69-40. Freshman Landon Miller led the Chargers with 17 points and Dylan Washer added 15 in the loss. Meles Gouge added 12 points for Twinfield-Cabot and Brayden Cushing chipped in with 10 as they improved to 9-5 on the season.
“We were in the game for three quarters and the kids played great. They worked hard against a very good team and they figured some things out that we’ve been working on all season,” said head coach Sean Ryan.
Evan Dennis pumped in a game-high 30 points to lead Division IV defending champion Blue Mountain to an 88-35 home win on Wednesday. Dylan Washer paced the Chargers with 22 points and Landon Miller knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the loss. Ricky Fennimore added 18 points, including a pair from long range as they improved to 11-3.
“The D4 champs are a very good basketball team, who are deep and can get out and run. They are a class group led by a class coaching staff and are the top team we’ve played in our division this season. Unfortunately we went there with only five players, but the kids did what they could, but numbers killed us,” said Ryan.
Andrew Joncas led Danville with 13 points in a decisive 69-32 road win over the Chargers on Friday night. Kohl Guinard complimented with six points and a game-high 15 rebounds and Christian Young chipped in with 10 in the win. Washer continued to lead CA’s offense with another 20-point effort. The Bears improved to 10-5 with their fourth straight win.
“They got out early on us, but we did a good job of battling and hanging around. Poor shooting and lack of rebounding was the difference. We showed improvements from our first matchup with them and that is the first goal with a young team. The boys continue to get better each and every game and never quit,” said Ryan.
The Chargers looked to get back in the win column on Monday as they welcomed Trinity Baptist to town on Senior Night. They are scheduled to travel to 13-0 division III runner-up Winooski on Friday night.
