Top finishers at the N.H.-Vt. Senior Classic at Maple Lanes in Claremont, N.H., were (far left) Head Coach Will Bassett (Brattleboro), (left to right) Josh Kennedy (Fair Haven), Logan Gendron (Randolph), Harry Althoff (S. Burlington), Blake Bliss (Randolph), Will Patnoe (Craftsbury Academy); (first row, left to right) Kelton Major (Brattleboro), Max Ingham (S. Burlington), Parker Banas (S. Burlington), Orion Casavant (Essex), and Tucker Sargent (Brattleboro).
HARDWICK – Hazen Union star point guard Caitlyn Davison was named to the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association (VBCA) Dream Dozen Team for a second consecutive season last week.
Davison was near the top of the list when it came to prolific scorers in the state of Vermont this past winter, averaging over 20 points per game on the season. She averaged over 26 points per game in the last six games of the season, including a career-high 34 points in their quarterfinal win over Oxbow, sending the Lady Cats to the Barre Auditorium for the first time in five years. Davison will undoubtedly become the next 1,000-point career scorer for the Lady Cat program at some point in the regular season in 2024. The Vermont Dream Dozen selections represent the 12 best underclassmen from Division III and IV. Joining Davison on the roster were: Peyton Guay (West Rutland), Sidney Herrington (Arlington), Isabel Greb (Proctor), Destiny Campbell (Williamstown), Addie Cadwell (Thetford Academy), Kyrielle Deuso (Richford), Callie Spaulding (Green Mountain), Sydney Perry and Sophia Rockwood of Windsor, and White River Valley’s Tanner Drury and Ashlyn Rhodes.
The VBCA will honor the Dream Dozen Teams, 1,000-point scorers, Coaches of the Year, Hall of Fame inductees, Milestone wins, Outstanding officials, The Tom Finnell Service Award, The Stretch Gillam Scholarship, The Eric Ward Scholarship, The Tristen Southworth Scholarship, Media Award, and VBCA Scholarships this coming Saturday at Champlain Valley Union High School. The VBCA will also host its annual Senior All-Star game on Saturday with the best 120 basketball players from the North and South matching up against each other. The Division 3-4 girls’ game will tip-off at 11 a.m., Division 3-4 boys at 1 p.m., Division 1-2 girls at 3 p.m., and Division 1-2 boys at 5 p.m. The day is a celebration of all that is good about Vermont High School Basketball.
Patnoe Shines at N.H.-Vt. Senior Classic
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Craftsbury Academy (CA) senior Will Patnoe ended his high school bowling career on a high note last week, finishing fourth overall in the season-ending N.H.-Vt. Senior Classic at Maple Lanes.
Patnoe qualified sixteenth overall with scores of 136 and 178 to start his day. He faced fifth-seeded Blake Bliss of Randolph in the first round and caught fire to pull the upset 220-180. Bliss led all bowlers in the state in regular season average. Patnoe would then discard fifteenth seeded Logan Gendron from Randolph 210-169 to advance to the step-ladder finals bracket as the third overall seed. Patnoe’s hot streak would come to an end at the hands of the reigning Vermont Individual Champion Josh Kennedy of Fair Haven 193-163. Kennedy would ultimately lose in the Finals to New Hampshire’s Cazmir Couble 219-180. New Hampshire also won the team event, besting Vermont four games to two for their fourth straight victory in the series.
CA athletic director and head coach Connor Bean helped the Charger bowling program get off the ground for its inaugural season this past winter and is also the VPA Director of High School Bowling. Patnoe finished as the sixth ranked bowler in the state, set the individual game school record earlier this season, and helped CA to their first tournament win along with four runner-up finishes. Underclassmen Matt Wilcox also claimed Individual State Runner-up honors for the Chargers late last month.
“As a first-year program, we did very well and I think impressed many teams and coaches. We ultimately fell short of our goal, but it was a great season nevertheless. It will be hard to lose valuable seniors Will Patnoe, Joe Wilcox, Verna Stoddard, Dalton Gravel, and Linden Stelma-Leonard, who all made vast improvements throughout the year. We do have a pretty young core and good feeder system in the Missisquoi Lanes Youth League, which makes me believe that we will be competitive for years to come. We will return core starters Matt Wilcox, Jacob Marquis, and Jason Brown next season as well. I have a lot on my plate at CA, but I’m nervous and excited for the opportunity as VPA director and I think with the support of the previous directors as well as the coaches, we can continue my stance on trying to build excitement among athletic directors for the sport in the state. I also look forward to continuing to work with coaches on improvements that need to be made within our system and league,” said Bean.
