BURLINGTON- This weekend marks the 30th annual Merchant’s Bank/Rotary Twin State Basketball Classic where the top 12 high school senior basketball players in Vermont and New Hampshire face off in a friendly competition for state bragging rights. This year, southern Vermont sends three all-stars (two boys and one girl) to the Vermont squads and they will finish their high school basketball careers in style.

Twin Valley High School’s Devon Spirka will be playing in the girls’ classic. Spirka will assume her role at point guard for the Green Mountain State. On the boys’ side, Twin Valley’s Scotty Hayford and Brattleboro Union High School’s Adam Boyle offer a one-two scoring and rebounding punch for Vermont. All three players are coming off spectacular senior years. Spirka, Hayford, and Boyle each led their teams to division III, IV, and I semifinal matches and were selected to the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association North-South all-star teams.

Twin Valley athletic director Buddy Hayford said it is a tremendous honor for Spirka, Scotty Hayford, and Boyle to be selected. Buddy Hayford said there are over 60 teams that play Vermont high school basketball and approximately 600 girl and boy basketball players. Only 12 are selected to play for the Vermont squad and to make the team “is a big deal. You’re representing the state and you are playing against New Hampshire’s best. That’s enough to make everyone proud in (their) community,” said Hayford.

Spirka and the Vermont girls’ team are practicing in Milton and they will scrimmage teams from northern Vermont. Hayford and Boyle arrived in Burlington on Monday and the Vermont boys’ team scrimmaged the Intercontinental Colonials, comprising top high-school-level basketball players from Europe. Hayford said Vermont beat the Intercontinental Colonials by 15 points and Scotty Hayford “did well.”

The Vermont boys’ and girls’ teams also perform community service in the Burlington area and they are treated to a special banquet the night before the big game. On Saturday, Vermont and New Hampshire tip off. The Granite State girls’ and boys’ teams have an 18-11 edge over Vermont and the Green Mountain teams hope to pull off two more upsets in 2010.

The girls’ and boys’ classics take place on Saturday, July 10, at the University of Vermont Patrick Gymnasium. The girls’ game begins at 1 pm and the boys’ game begins at 3 pm. Tickets are $6 at the door.