Twin Valley boys vanquish Horde for first win
WEST RUTLAND- The Twin Valley boys’ varsity picked up their first win of the season Tuesday evening, coming away with a 47-37 verdict over the host Golden Horde. After an 0-4 start, including a couple of close losses, it was a welcome outcome for the Wildcats.
“We finished it off well,” said Twin Valley coach Chris Brown. “We were in control all night and had the lead most of the way.”
Twin Valley held a three-point lead after the first quarter. West Rutland steadied their ship in the second quarter, but the Wildcats held on to the lead at halftime.
A big third quarter propelled Twin Valley to an 11-point lead. But the Golden Horde used an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut that lead to three.
Senior guard Liam Wendel got the Wildcats back on track by dropping five of six free throws down the stretch.
“It got a little dicey at the end,” said Brown. “Liam came up really big. We needed somebody to stop the bleeding. He hit four threes and sealed the game with the free throws at the end.”
The game was the highest scoring output of the season for the Wildcats. Aside from Wendel, junior forward Noah Dornburgh had 14 points and senior center Caleb Dupuis added 11.
“Noah had some foul trouble, but played well,” said Brown. “Caleb had quite a few blocks and rebounds inside, and some put-backs.”
Brown also commended the play of first-year players Carson McHale, Brian Sullivan, Steven Oyer, and Chris Eckert.
“We had at least two freshman on the floor at all times,” said Brown. “Steven, Carson, and Brian have been playing a lot of minutes. They’re not scoring a lot, but play good defense, are unselfish, and are getting better at handling the ball. They’re only going to get better.”
David Noel led West Rutland with 14 points and Tristan Rocke had seven.
Brown said he was happy to have the 6-foot-4-inch Dupuis back after being out with an illness. Two other veteran players, senior Matt Hammond and junior Cody Magnant, are still working their way back from injuries.
“We’re headed in the right direction. Cody and Matt are getting back but not ready yet. Hopefully after the break we’ll be back at full strength. We didn’t dress more than seven guys through our first four games and played a bunch of freshmen.”
Twin Valley is back in action on January 6 when they travel to Long Trail School in Dorset. Tip off is 6 pm. They will play the first home game on January 10 against Arlington. Game time is 7 pm.
GM 45, TV 39
CHESTER- Twin Valley had a chance to knock off the host Chieftains on Thursday, December 15, in the consolation game of the Green Mountain Holiday Tournament. But the Wildcats couldn’t hold the lead and lost 45-39.
“That’s one that kind of got away,” said coach Chris Brown. “We had the lead for 28 of 32 minutes. We played well and hit shots.”
The Wildcats came out on fire, with 18 points in the first quarter. But the Chieftains stayed close, and the game was tied heading into the fourth.
Ultimately, Green Mountain big man Eben Mosher proved too much for the Wildcats. He scored 21 points and dominated in the paint, leading the comeback win for the hosts.
“We didn’t have a matchup for him,” said Brown.
Noah Dornburgh led the Wildcats with 17 points.
Twin Valley’s center, Caleb Dupuis, missed the game due to an illness. Brown had three first-year players in the starting lineup. Despite the inexperienced lineup he was happy with the play, if not the results.
“We did OK, even though we lost we felt good. We were right there. It was great for us because it breathed a little life into us. This was a good bounce-back game.”