2013 Division III boys hoop semifinal previews

I'll be back in Barre tonight snapping away for the Burlington Free Press and doing some research on a feature story and as a part of my prep for that and this weekend's Barre Aud championship tripleheader, here's some numbers and notes on the two Division III high school boys basketball semifinal games.

No. 1 Williamstown 21-0 vs. No. 4 Rivendell 18-4, 6:15 p.m.

BFA-Fairfax senior Ben Pomitcher is one of the many offensive options for the Bullets (Shawn Corrow/Cold Hollow Photography)

Williamstown is the defending D-III champion and won the two regular-season meetings, played back-to-back on Feb. 1 and 5 by scores of 68-49 and 72-57.

This is the third all-time playoff meeting between the schools. Williamstown beat the Raptors for the title last year, 66-42. Back in 2006, Williamstown beat Rivendell 59-49 in a playdown.

Williamstown is gunning for its fourth D-III title and fifth overall (it won one in D-IV). The Blue Devils also won in 2010 and their recent string of success (third Final Four appearance in four years) comes on the heels of a nine-year drought in which it failed to advance past the quarterfinals.

Jason Manwaring, a 1,000-point scorer, led Williamstown into the semis with a 27-point, 14-rebound effort in a 76-53 quarterfinal win over No. 8 Hazen Union. Seth Atherton and Hunter McLaughlin each added 12 points in the win.

Williamstown has a 35-26 overall playoff record, including a 29-33 mark in Division III where it is 5-4 all-time in semifinal games and 3-2 in state finals.

Rivendell, an Orford, N.H.-based school serving that community as well as the towns of Fairlee, West Fairlee and Vershire, is playing in its third Final Four and aiming for its second straight trip to the Division III finals.

Jack Steketee has paced the Raptors in scoring with 11 points in a 73-47  first-round win over No. 13 Stowe and adding 20 in an 82-63 quarterfinal win over fifth-seeded Enosburg.

Josh Marshall has scored 11 points in each playoff game and Tim Stimpson (15) points), Cole Stever (12) and Nate Eastman (11) also reached double figures in the quarterfinals for the Raptors.

Williamstown averages 78.6 points per game and has scored 100 one and topped 90 or more points four times. The Blue Devils allow 43.7 points per game. They are 2-0 in games decided by less than 10 points (a 66-58 win over Union 32 and a 71-69 win over Twinfield).

Rivendell averages 64.3 points per game and 49.7 points allowed.

No. 3 Thetford (18-4) vs. No. 6 BFA-Fairfax (16-6), 8:30 p.m.

This is the third all-time meeting between the schools in the playoffs with Fairfax winning twice in the quarterfinals (57-45 in 2010 and 55-53 in 1982).

The schools did not play in the regular season. The only common opponent was Windsor, which Thetford beat 58-31 in the regular season and Fairfax beat 76-53 in the first round of the playoffs.

This is Thetford’s 13th trip to the Final Four and 10th in the last 13 years. The Panthers lost in the finals in 2006, 2007 and 2011. Their last title was in 2004. They are 7-5 all-time in semifinals and 3-4 in the finals.

Sophomore guard Brandon Gray led the team with 21 points in a 58-53 quarterfinal win over No. 7 Randolph and he added 14 points in a 66-50 playdown win over No. 15 Oxbow.

Senior guard Ian Weider had 20 points against Oxbow and added 13 versus Randolph, a game in which the Panthers trailed 21-20 at the half.

Senior center Aiden Cleaves scored 16 in the quarterfinals and senior guard Dominic Chatot had 10 in the playdowns.

Thetford has a 41-28 all-time playoff record.

The Panthers four losses were to Williamstown, Rivendell, U-32 and Harwood.

This is the third Final Four in five years for the Bullets and fourth in the last nine years. Prior to that, Fairfax went 23 years without a trip to the Barre Aud.

Fairfax is 3-7 in previous semifinal appearances and 0-3 in title games. The Bullets’ last trip to the finals was in 2009. Prior to that they were in the 1965 and 1966 finals.

Thetford is averaging 56.0 points per game and allowing 49.0.

Senior forward Kris Wehner leads a balanced attack for the Bullets, which often puts five players over six-feet tall on the floor at the same time. Wehner scored 20 in a 76-53 win over No. 11 Windsor in the first round and added 18 more in a 58-45 upset win at No. 3 Leland & Gray.

Senior forward Ben Pomitcher scored 17 in the first round win and senior forward and senior forward Jared Demar added 12 points apiece.

Sophomore guard Luke Rebeor had 14 points in the quarterfinals for the Bullets.

BFA-Fairfax is averaging 59.0 points per game and allowing 50.0.

The Bullets’ six losses are to Lake Region (twice), Hazen, Enosburg, MVU and Milton.

Boys basketball, hockey quaterfinal preview notes

As I prepare to head to Vergennes for the third straight year to cover the VPA high school cheer championships, my mind wandered to the five local teams also competing in the postseason today.

As local fans arise and take their morning coffee, here's some numbers to go with your Cheerioes before you embark on another day of March Madness, Franklin County style.

With apologies to the three local teams competing in the basketball quarterfinals, I'll start with the lone game that pits two Franklin County schools and the only one being played close to home.

At 4:30 today at the Collins-Perley Sports and Fitness Center Rink (Isn't about time we renamed this the rink after one of the local luminaries who helped build Hockeytown? But, as usual, I digress.) the 10th-seeded MVU T-Birds (5-14-1) visit No. 7 BFA (9-9-2).

BFA swept the season series, but the past playoff meetings between these long-time rivals have been pretty fairly split, although it's been a dozen years since the schools have met in the playoffs.

Here's the past tournament results.

1974 - BFA 7, MVU 2 - Quarterfinals

1985 - MVU 4, BFA 2 - Quarterfinals

1993 - BFA 3, MVU 0 - Quarterfinals

1998 - BFA 9, MVU 0 - Quarterfinals

1999 - BFA 10, MVU 0 - Quarterfinals

2001 - MVU 4, BFA 2 - Quarterfinals

BFA is 68-25 overall in the Division I playoffs - 1-0 in playdown games, 41-19 in quarterfinals, 24-11 in semifinals and 16-8 in finals.

MVU is 12-33 overall in the Division I and II playoffs combined - 8-30 in Division I with a 2-3 record in semifinals and 0-2 in finals; 4-3 overall in D-II playoffs, 1-0 in semis and 1-0 in finals.

In Division I basketball, MVU also is competing in the quarterfinals which in and of itself a notable accomplishment.

The Thunderbirds, seeded #9 with a 13-8 record, travel to St. Johnsbury to face the top-seeded and undefeated Hilltoppers (21-0) at 2 p.m.

This is just the second time in school history the T-Birds have advanced to the Division I quarterfinals.

Back in 1986, MVU defeated CVU in the playdown round 70-53 before falling to - coincidentally St. Johnsbury - 64-62 in the quarterfinals. MVU's only other Division I playoff win before this week's win at BFA was in 1980 when the T-Birds defeated Middlebury in a play-in game, 51-44.

MVU is now 10-31 all-time in boys basketball playoff action with a 3-29 mark in Division I and a 7-2 mark in Division II.

Turning your attention to Division III, if you want to win a bet on the way to the game today ask someone to guess how many boys basketball titles the BFA-Fairfax and Enosburg schools have combined to win in their long histories. The answer, incredibly, is none. When you think back on all the truly great teams - in the distant past and recent past - there have been at these schools it's astonishing to think they are a combined oh-fer-forever in title games.

That could change this year, but each team faces a long bus ride to face a relatively unfamiliar foe.

The fifth-seeded Hornets (15-6) travel to take on No. 4 Rivendell (17-4) at 2 p.m. in Orford, N.H. Yes, New Hampshire. Evidently at some point Vermont traded Canaan to New Hamsphire and in return we got a elven enclave. (OK, I'm joking, I think. Having never been to Rivendell (do you pass through The Shire to get there) I have no idea. OK, done with my nerdy Lord of the Rings references ... maybe.)

The schools have met twice in the playoffs with the Raptors (how this team is not named the Elves astounds me) winning 49-41 in the playdown round and Enosburg taking a 80-74 playdown win in 2003.

Enosburg is 28-36 in its combined Division II and III playoff history. The Hornets are 25-28 in the D-III playoffs with a 5-5 record in the semifinals and 0-5 mark in the finals. The Hornets are 3-8 in the Division II tournament (which they will play in again starting next season) and they are 0-1 in their lone D-II semifinal appearance.

The BFA-Fairfax Bullets are the No. 6 seed for the third straight year and sport a 15-6 mark headed into today's 2 p.m. quarterfinals game at No. 3 Leland & Gray (16-5).

What's a Leland & Gray and where is it? The second part of the question is Townshend - I know that doesn't help much - but alledgedly it is in Vermont somewhere, more precisely Windham County. Again, I've never been to either of those places, so it could be a internet hoax. Here are the directions from the school's website.

Here's a little more about the school you might want to know ... or not.

From the school's website: Townshend is situated in the southeastern corner of VT, approximately 20 miles northwest of Brattleboro. Townshend and the towns of Brookline, Jamaica, Newfane, and Windham comprise the union high school district. The total student population of Windham Central Supervisory Union is 884. (2009)

But what of the name? The school was founded in 1833 by a minister named Leland and 27 years later a deacon named Gray pumped a bunch of money into it to keep it a float (I am paraphrasing from info on the school's website) and the school was renamed for both men. Of course, being founded as a seminary by religious patrons, the school adopted a Rebel as a mascot. OK, I'm being saracastic. I mean, how are they not the Deacons? At any rate, for my money the school's real claim to fame is it's the only school in Vermont with an ampersand in it's official name. Burr and Burton uses the word, not the symbol. Why I know this, I have no idea.

OK, assuming you didn't leave me four paragraphs ago, here's what you need to know about BFA-Fairfax's playoff history with and their meeting with the ill-named Rebels.

BFA-Fairfax, as I wrote 10 minutes ago, is the sixth seed for the third straight year. This is notable because the last two years, they lost in the first round, but this year - ostensibly to shake things up - most of the team shaved their heads into mohawks. It worked as the Bullets avenged a 2012 playdown loss to Windsor and advanced to today's quarterfinals where, with a win, they will advance to their third Final Four in five years.

This is the fourth meeting between the schools in the playoffs. If the scores of the first three are any indication, the winning team will score either 74 or 76 points and the losing team will score either 64 or 69.

How do I know this? Here's their past scores.

1977 - L&G 76, Fairfax 64 - Quarterfinals

1995 - L&G 74, Fairfax 69 - Playdowns

2004 - Fairfax 76, L&G 69 - Playdowns

Fairfax has a 30-48 record all-time in the playoffs; 29-44 in Division III, including a 3-7 record in the semifinals and 0-3 in the finals. The Bullets are 1-4 in D-II playoffs.

Good luck to all teams competing in the postseason today, including the BFA-St. Albans and BFA-Fairfax cheerleading squads which will be competing for the state championship today in Vergennes at 4 p.m. BFA-Fairfax, the two-time defending D-II champs, will compete in Division I this year, as will the BFA-St. Albans cheer teams.