2013 D-2, D-3 and D-4 H.S. boys basketball state title game numbers and notes

I will be once again covering all three high school boys basketball state championships for the Burlington Free Press tomorrow at the Barre Auditorium and in advance of that, here are some numbers and notes on each game.

Division II - No. 1 Vergennes (23-0) vs. No. 2 Burr and Burton (21-2), 3:45 p.m.

Vergennes won its first playoff game by 19 points, its' quarterfinal by eight and it's semifinal by 5. So, is that an indiciation that a team that outscored opponent by an average score of 67-44 this season is slipping? Not so, according to coach Peter Quinn.

"I think there was this illusion we were going to beat everyone by 25 points because that was our average during the year, but we are playing better teams now," said Quinn.

The Commodores are seeking their fourth state title and first since 2001 when they defeated Lamoiulle 71-56. Vergennes lost in the finals to MSJ last year, 56-48.

One of the most experienced teams in the state with 10 seniors, the Commodores have a balanced attack with Charlie Stapleford, Dan McGrath, Shep Carter, Brendon Huestis and Zach Oullette all scoring in double figures in at least one playoff game, thus far. Notably missing from the list is Stanley Salley, who led the team with 14 points and nine rebounds per game in the regular season.

Vergennes likes to force teams into mistakes and capitalize by using their athleticism and depth to run teams into submission.

Kind like what Burr and Burton likes to do, really.

Another athletic team with a plethora of seniors (seven), the Bulldogs are aiming for their 10th state final (after going 9-0 in their first title games) and their first crown since an infamous 24-22 win over Fair Haven in the 2006 title game (the lowest-scoring Final Four tournament game in Barre Auditorium history).

The Bulldogs also have played closer games with each playoff round, winning by 32 in the first game, 14 in the quarters and nine in the semifinals.

Seniors Jake Stalcup and Weston Muench and sophomore Joey Shehadi have been the offensive stalwarts in the playoffs. Stalcup had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the quarterfinals and 23 points in the semis. Shehadi has averaged 14.7 points in the playoffs and Meunch popped in 12 points in the quarters.

This is just the second time the schools have played in the playoffs. In 1979, BBA bopped VUHS 82-43 in the playdowns and in 1967 Vergennes prevailed in the quarterfinals 67-63.

One 'X' factor could be the health of VUHS sparkplug Shep Carter, who was helped off the court sans shoe after the game following an ankle injury. With five days between the semi and final, time will tell if that is enough to give him enough time to heal sufficiently to contribute in the manner he typically does.

Division III - No. 1 Williamstown (23-0) vs. No. 2 Thetford (19-4), 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Devils are gunning for their second-straight title and fifth overall (including one in Division IV).

The Panthers have their sight set on their first title since 2004 and fourth overall.

The teams are very similar with aggressive defenses, opportunistic offenses and the ability to push the ball up and down the court and to attack the rim with athleticism. It has the potential to be a track meet at The Aud and it may come down to which team can protect the ball better and which team is more effective when the possessions are extended.

If it comes down to free throws, you have to like the Blue Devils who were 24-for-26 in the semifinals. Some teams struggle to find their stroke shooting on the unfamiliar rims at the Barre Aud. Obviously, this is not a problem for the Blue Devils who have plenty of experience in that environment.

Jason Manwaring, Seth Atherton and Hunter McLaughlin have led the Blue Devils in scoring in the playoffs.

Ian Weider, Brandon Gray, Aiden Cleaves and Dominic Chatot have reached double figures in scoring for a Thetford team that is playing in its sixth state title game in 12 years and its 10th Final Four in 13 years.

Williamstown won the lone regular season meeting by 14 points, 78-64, back on Dec. 28.

One factor in Thetford's favor on an anecdotal level is that the top-seed in the Division III tournament has failed to win the state title in every year since 2006.

Division IV - No. 1 Rochester (22-1) vs. No. 6 West Rutland (16-7), noon

West Rutland is the lone surprise team to reach the boys basketball state championships this winter. However, the Golden Horde know something about pulling up title-game upsets at The Aud. Back in 1995,  seventh-seeded West Rutland won its most recent (and 13th) state title with a 51-48 win over fourth-seeded Rochester.

The upset would be even more monumental this time around, but certainly within the realm of possiblity.

Rochester has the best player in the division - and one of the best in the state - in guard Pavin Parrish (averaging nearly 30 points per game in the playoffs), but the Golden Horde are deep and have the athleticism and poise to hang with the high-flying Rockets.

Rochester is looking for its sixth overall state title after securing three in Division IV and one each in Divisions II and II. The Rockets last title was back in 1993 and they are 0-3 in their last three state title games, falling in the 1995, 96 and 98 title games.

This is their second straight trip to the Final Four following a 13-year drought.

The Rockets shot 56 percent from the floor in their semifinal win, led by a 14-for-19 effort by Parrish and he's on his game and Mike Smith, Clay Walker and Tanner Pratt can continue to shoulder a part of the load offensively, the Blue Devils are clearly the team to beat in this match-up.

However, West Rutland has plenty of scoring options and even if standout Jordan Pease or one of his two main supporting cast members: Joey Callahan and Chris Charbonneau are struggling, perhaps, just perhaps, the Gold Horde will be able to add another chapter to a very storied Vermont high school basketball playoff history.

SHAWN CORROW is the currently sleep-deprived owner of Cold Hollow Photographer, frequent contributor these days to the Burlington Free Press and slowly becoming a piece of furniture at the Barre Auditorium.

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.