A few thoughts on the above rankings:

Sixteen teams qualify for the D-I tournament which means one D-I team will be staying home. South Burlington grabbed their second win last night but will need at least two more victories to make the playoffs. St. Johnsbury has an internal policy of 25% winning percentage. The Hilltoppers have CVU, Spaulding, Rice, MMU, and Burlington left on the schedule. If St. J chooses not to play in the tourney, South Burlington could sneak into the final seed.

Teams really want to grab a top-four seed for two home games and an “easy” road to Patrick Gym. Rutland and Brattleboro will be especially interested in grabbing a top-four seed so they do not have to travel north and potentially force a northern team to make a long road trip south. BFA and MVU look to be the only teams perhaps capable of going on a run and grabbing a #4 seed. However BFA had a #4 seed last year, but #5 Mt. Mansfield topped the Bobwhites 65-48.

Much has been made this season about the quality of play in Division I being down compared to 4-5 year ago. Whatever the case, the lot of BFA, MVU, CVU, Colchester, Spaulding, MAU, Essex and Middlebury could still end up anywhere from a five-seed to a 12-seed. The last couple weeks should be exciting with how fluid the middle-seeded teams are. Once playoffs start, the 6vs11, 7vs10, and 8vs9 games should be a blast to watch.

Senior forward Jake Maynard helped Rice defeat Burlington 49-27 on Monday night at Patrick Gymnasium. A game which was originally scheduled to be played at Burlington High School was forced to change locations due to flooding at Buck Hard Gym. Despite Burlington’s disappointing season thus far, they were able to play cross-town rival Rice at UVM with a good, rowdy crowd.

The Green Knights silenced the Burlington crowd early, as they jumped out to a 12-2 run before a Burlington timeout. Rice finished the 1st quarter with a commanding 16-6 lead.

Rice’s lead extended in the 2nd quarter, as their defense locked down on Burlington. The Green Knights managed to score nine in the 2nd, while Burlington managed only five points. Rice’s held a 25-11 lead heading into the 2nd half.

Burlington jolted out with four quick points, as they they held Rice without a point for about four minutes. Burlington forward Stefan Radan drained a three pointer, dropping the deficit to ten. That was as close as the Seahorses would get.

Rice coach Paul Pecor appeared rather frustrated. His team responded well, finishing the quarter on a 9-3 run.

“We needed to start being more aggressive; we had to keep going to the hoop. (We) can’t shy away from our game plan; just keep pounding it inside and play our defense, and that’s what we did,” said Maynard.

Maynard knew that playing at Patrick wasn’t going to be easy.

“First time this season at Patrick so it’s always tough to shoot here but we decided to go inside to Tim (Rensch), Marcus (Willingham) and I. Tip (Casey Tipson) gathered some offensive rebounds,” said Maynard.

This particular Rice squad gained experience last season playing in the finals at Patrick, so the transition was fairly smooth.

Rice looks to continue their win streak when they play at Essex on Friday, while Burlington hosts North Country also on Thursday.

But Monday night, Mallory didn’t let win-loss records get in the way of a big game.

“I was being more aggressive because I felt we needed that,” said the senior captain. “I mean we only had one win so we had to try something new. I think we were all being more aggressive.”

Mallory scored South Burlington’s first six points and finished with 22 points and ten rebounds in the Rebels’ 63-51 win over Colchester. SBHS led the entire game and pushed their lead to 18 points at one point early in the fourth quarter.

Colchester (7-7) cut the deficit to 53-43 with less than four minutes remaining but the Rebels went on an 8-2 run to seal the win. While the Lakers attemped to comeback with fouls, the Rebels converted all eight fourth quarter free throw attempts.

“Pushing the tempo was the big key,” said Mallory. “We got down the floor and saw open shots.”

Senior Trevor Seward also had a big game, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the second half for South Burlington (2-13). The Rebels converted 12 of 13 free throw attempts in the game.

“I give my seniors credit for sticking with it—tonight and this season,” said South Burlington head coach Mike Kennedy. “They want to play well against good teams. We like to get out and play fast and we thought we had a good chance to do that tonight than in recent games.”

The Lakers received a balanced scoring in defeat. Anthony Granai finished with 13 points and Nate Hodge scored 12 points for Colchester. Sandi Caus also scored 12 points—all coming in the second half.

Hoops Watch is updated weekly by Trey Peiffer

It is time for another week of Hoops Watch and we had a couple fun results last week. Both my third and fourth-ranked teams lost last week so it is time for some adjustments.

Mt. St. Joseph beat Rutland for the first time in a couple years Friday night. The Raiders have a solid team but it is obvious that their guard-heavy team can be beaten by teams with tall front courts. Also Brattleboro lost for the second time in three games.

Enter Mt. Anthony. The Patriots have bounced back from a tough middle of the season to win four straight.  MAU could re-enter the contender conversation with a win versus Rutland this week.

Trey’s Top 11

Four Games to Watch This Week:
TONIGHT
Brattleboro (11-3) at Rutland (12-2)
Both teams are coming off of rare losses, which makes this an important game for both teams. Contenders typically do not lose two games in row once the calendar turns to February.

THURSDAY
Mt. Mansfield (13-1) at Colchester (7-6)
The Cougars thumped the Lakers 70-36 when the teams last met on 12/20. Will Colchester assert themselves better in the rematch?

Mt. Anthony (7-7) at Rutland (12-2)
MAU is heating up after a rough patch in the middle of the season. A win at Rutland would prove the Patriots are back in the contender category.

SATURDAY
Williamstown (9-2) vs. Twinfield (12-1) at Barre Auditorium
I am excited to see this matchup of less-publicized teams. D-III Williamstown will try to shut down Chad Copeland and the D-IV front-runner Twinfield.

The CVU girls basketball team started three senior captains and two sophomores Friday night as they played Rice with an unbeaten start to the season on the line. While all three seniors hit big shots, it was the two sophomores who pushed the Redhawks to the win.

With the score tied at 40-40, sophomore Kaelyn Kohlasch swished an open jumper with four seconds left to send CVU to a 42-40 win over Rice Friday night. The Redhawks came back from a nine-point halftime deficit to run their perfect record to 11-0.

“Kohlash had nerves of steel on that last play,” said CVU head coach Ute Otley. “That wasn’t our first option on the play but every kid knew what to do if the ball came to them.”

Kohlasch finished with just four points in the game but her game-winning shot left Rice fans stunned as the final buzzer went off. Emily Kinneston, the other sophomore starter, stunned Rice fans all night as she dropped a team-high 17 points along with four assists and three steals for CVU.

“I can’t say enough about Kinneston offensively,” said Otley. “She really took charge and yet she didn’t force anything. She took shots that came to her.”

CVU fell behind 5-0 early and didn’t see their first lead until Remi Donnelly’s layup put her team in front 35-33 with less than seven minutes to play. The Redhawks finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run—part of a larger 13-4 that spanned five minutes.

“We needed to stay calm and keep pushing them on defense,” said Kinneston. “I know our defense is what wins us games.”

The CVU girls have allowed an average of just 30.8 points per game—best in Division I—while putting up over 48 points per game. In the fourth quarter, CVU allowed just two field goals after making halftime changes.

“Our whole thing was to hold them to 40 points or less,” said Otley. “We had to make some serious defensive adjustments at halftime because Derda and Barron were so incredibly effective. Once we made that adjustment, I thought we had a chance.”

Lazrin Schenck grabbed a team-high ten rebounds and four steals for the Redhawks. Donnelly scored nine points while Kinneston added four assists and three steals for CVU.

Cassidy Derda finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for Rice (8-4). Hailee Barron scored ten points for the Green Knights. The loss snapped a four-game win streak for the defending D-I champions.

CVU looks to improve to 12-0 Saturday morning vs. North Country. Rice travels to St. Johnsbury on Tuesday for their next contest.

South Burlington's Allie Flaherty dribbles towards Colchester's Jenna Weed in SBHS's 50-47 win over the Lakers

Brittany Moody hit a go-ahead free throw with eight seconds left to help the South Burlington girls basketball team beat Colchester 50-47 Monday night.

Colchester’s Jackie Nagle tied the game at 47-47 with less than 30 seconds to play. With South Burlington in the double bonus, Moody was awarded two free throws after a foul at the top of the key. After missing the first attempt, Colchester called a timeout to ice Moody.

“I didn’t even talk to Moody—I never want to get in the head of the shooter,” said South Burlington head coach Sheila Burleigh.

After the timeout, Moody calmly went to the line for her second attempt.

“I told myself ‘I have to make this one for my team,’” said Moody. “We needed a win.”

The second attempt pushed the Rebels in front by a point and Arianna Manazir’s two free throws added insurance. South Burlington did not score in the first quarter but roared back into the game with a 17-point second quarter to trail by just one at halftime.

South Burlington (3-8) was led by Allie Flaherty’s 11 points. The Rebels have won three of their last five games after starting the season 0-6.

Colchester (7-4) was paced by Jackie Sortor’s game-high 21 points. The loss snapped a six-game win streak by the Lakers.

Hoops Watch is updated weekly by Trey Peiffer

Another edition of Hoops Watch is here and I have a new team at the top of my rankings. With Rice squeaking by Mt. Mansfield last Thursday night, I felt it was time for a change at the top. The two teams split the regular season and have similar resumes, but Rice’s comfortable 65-50 road win at Rutland puts them at number one. Thursday night’s game could have gone either way and I know most fans (not to mention the two best friend coaches) would love to see a Rice-MMU playoff match to settle the score.

Essex and Spaulding are gone from my top 11. The two teams are in the middle of the Division I quagmire but have not played their best basketball as of late. Both teams have shooters who could help heat their teams up but they are gone for now. I decided instead to show some love to Division IV Websterville Baptist. The Warriors are the highest scoring team in Vermont and receive huge production from 6’9″ center Andrew Shuman to the tune of 20.8 points per game, 14.5 boards a game, and 3.6 blocks per game. Their only loss is to D-III contender Williamstown and the Warriors exacted revenge in the rematch a couple weeks ago.

Trey’s Top 11

Five Games to Watch:
TONIGHT
Vergennes (12-1) at BFA St. Albans (6-6)
Vergennes topped BFA 58-53 when the two teams met on January 13.

TUESDAY
Mill River (9-3) at Mt. St. Joseph (11-1)
Mill River has lost two in a row and will looked to bounce back vs. a hot MSJ team.

Burr & Burton (9-3) at Brattleboro (10-2)
The Colonels edged BBA by seven when the teams played last month.

WEDNESDAY
CVU (7-5) at Rice (10-1)
Rice dominated CVU when the two teams met earlier. Can CVU fare better the second time around?

FRIDAY
Rutland (11-1) at Mt. St. Joseph (11-1)
Two streaking teams contending in their respective divisions meet for Rutland bragging rights.

The South Burlington boys hockey team used a six-goal first period to top CVU 6-4 Saturday night in the CSB Cup at Cairns Arena. The win is the tenth straight win for the Rebels and their second straight CSB Cup victory.

South Burlington (11-1) took just 39 seconds to take the lead with Bernie Thibeault’s goal. CVU scored a minute later when Cam Rivard fired in a shorthanded goal on a breakaway, evening the score at 1-1.

The Rebels were just heating up as it turned out. South Burlington added three more scores—two of them shorthanded—in the next four minutes as part of a six-goal first period.

“We were just so pumped for this game,” said Thibeault. “It is always fun and I love playing against CVU—best rivalry in Vermont.”

The scoring was balanced with Matt Baechle finishing with two goals while the Rebels received one goal a piece for Thibeault, Matt Leonard, Dan Gluck, and Eric Craig. Tommy Royer had two assists and Gluck, Leonard, Conner O’Toole, Ryan Leonard, Sam Finkelstein each assisted on a South Burlington score.

CVU (4-9) climbed back into the game with a second period goal from Alex Bulla and third period scores from Patrick Pattison and Kirk Fontana. Griffin Brady, Pat Keelan, Hoyt McCuin and Brian Fisher each finished with an assist.

South Burlington’s Nate Young finished with 23 saves. Jason O’Brien stopped 22 shots for CVU.

During a back-and-forth fourth quarter, it appeared the team who had possession last was going to be the winner of the much anticipated rematch between the boys basketball teams of Rice and Mt. Mansfield.

After Casey Tipson converted two free throws to give Rice a one-point lead, five seconds remained on the clock for Mt. Mansfield to score a game-winning basket and preserve their unbeaten start to their season.

It turned out the Cougars did not have that chance.

Rice’s Jake Maynard sprinted up the court and threw his hand in front of a pass intended for wide-open MMU center Eric Suder. Maynard was fouled on the play and converted a free throw to seal Rice’s 53-51 win and end Mt. Mansfield’s undefeated season.

“I timed it well I guess you could say,” said Maynard of his steal. “Suder is a good player and he runs the floor well so I knew he would try to run up the floor. I cheated ahead of him, reached out my hand and the ball was there to grab.”

While Maynard’s defensive play saved the game for Rice, it was Tipson’s second half offensive surge that helped the Green Knights to victory. The junior guard scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half, including draining all three of his three-point attempts.

“Once we were down I thought I might as well step up and lead us to victory,” said Tipson. “We went back and forth. That’s just what good teams do: keep battling. We had to keep our composure.”

Maynard also finished with 16 points for Rice (10-1). Tim Rensch contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Green Knights. Rice made seven of their eleven attempts at the free throw line.

“Jake is turning into a major leader for us on both ends,” said Rice head coach Paul Pecor. “He stepped up big time. The game could have gone either way. We could have lost by 15 or it goes the way it did tonight. They hit big shots and we hit some big shots. I would love to play that one again—very exciting.”

Mt Mansfield (11-1) trailed by five with two minutes to play but MMU went on a 6-0 run, capped by Tom Lacy’s three-pointer, putting Mt. Mansfield on top 51-50 with 35 seconds to play.

Rice led 24-17 at halftime but TJ Wesson’s three-pointer at the 3:13 mark of the third quarter was the icing on a 10-0 stretch that put Mt. Mansfield up 33-30 for their first lead of the night.

The Cougars looked in control as they eventually led 40-35 with less than six minutes to play. Rice roared back with a three from Tommy Fitzgerald followed by a go-ahead three from Tipson—part of a 8-1 run that gave Rice the lead 43-41.

Rice had to come back without the help of Marcus Willingham who fouled out in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. The junior guard finished with four points and seven rebounds.

Tom Lacy led Mt. Mansfield with 19 points and six rebounds. Eric Suder scored 14 points and Cody Sharrow added six rebounds for the Cougars. MMU made nine of ten free throws.

The win was the tenth straight for the defending Division I champions. Rice’s only setback was their opening game at Mt. Mansfield—a 45-32 defeat.

Rice travels to North Country Monday. Mt. Mansfield hosts Essex in their next game, also on Monday.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM TONIGHT BY SHANE BUFANO PHOTOGRAPHY – MMU at RICE

Rice's Marcus Willingham will help defend MMU's Tom Lacy when the two teams meet tonight.

Two Division I boys basketball title contenders face off at Rice Memorial High School tonight. Mt. Mansfield (11-0) puts their perfect start to the season on the line versus the defending D-I champion Rice (9-1). The Green Knights have only one loss on the season—a season-opening defeat at Mt. Mansfield. Since then, Rice has spun off nine straight victories.

“We will need all cylinders firing to compete Thursday night,” says Mt. Mansfield head coach Jeff Davis. “I still feel like we have not had a game where all of our players have played to their potential.”

The Cougars have a deep team with a large arsenal of scorers. Leading the way for MMU is senior Tom Lacy who has averaged just under 16 points and six rebounds a game. Eric Suder is a strong post threat and will present a matchup challenge for Rice.

But the Cougars have really shined on the defensive end. Mt. Mansfield has allowed a Division I-low 35.5 points per game. MMU’s Cody Sharrow and Hayden Pochop have played solid defense all season and were successful in containing Rice’s Casey Tipson in their first matchup. However, Tipson’s role in the Rice offense has changed, which will present new challenges for MMU.

“Rice is a much better team than when we played them,” says Davis. “They have consistently placed three to four players in double figures every night and their defense has been terrific. Tipson is able to get out and run a little more off the ball.”

The Green Knights are the highest scoring team in Division I so far, which makes them a compelling test for MMU. Along with Tipson, Rice has multiple players who can score in the teens including Marcus Willingham, Jake Maynard, and Tim Rensch. Rice’s Rensch has been grabbing double-digit rebounds all season and will need to do so tonight for Rice to be successful. Rensch was in early foul trouble at MMU back in December which helped MMU isolate the other Green Knight scorers and control rebounds.

Both Rice and Mt. Mansfield have gelled as teams since their opening game last month and Davis is eager to see where his team stands now that both teams are in the second half of their schedule.

“Our defense has been steady, and we have been able to score in transition,” says Davis. “We are really excited about playing Thursday night.”