ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â FEBRUARY Â 6, Â 2014
MATT DICKERSON
SPORTS
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
Nostalgia  and  the SRZHU RI ÂżVKLQJ I’ve  recently  been  digging  up  old  outdoor  memories. Some  of  it  has  to  do  with  this  pa- thetic  winter.  Pathetic  in  the  amount  RI VQRZ WKDW LV :HÂśYH GRQH ÂżQH with  cold.  Well  enough  with  the  cold,  in  fact,  that  news  media  are  act- ing  like  it’s  the  coldest  winter  since  Vermont  was  buried  under  a  mile  of  glacier.  Well  enough  that  my  wood  supply  is  looking  frighteningly  low.  Well  enough  that  people  are  pro- claiming  an  end  to  global  warm- ing,  apparently  forgetting  that  it  was  only  two  de- cades  ago  that  sub-Âzero  temperatures  were  routine  in  Vermont  winters. , WKLQN LW ZDV WKDW ZH KDG D ZHHN RI PLQXV GHJUHHV ) WHPSHU- atures  that  froze  our  car  battery,  and  when  the  (late)  Crown  Point  Bridge  approached  that  special  temperature  RI PLQXV GHJUHHV ZKHQ LW GRHVQÂśW matter  whether  you  are  using  Fahr- enheit  or  Celsius.  It  seemed  like  ev- ery  winter  back  then  we  could  expect  D ZHHN RU VR EHORZ EHORZ Still,  this  winter  has  had  me  re- membering  the  old  days  when  we  used  to  be  able  to  sled  on  our  Ver- mont  hillside  and  cross-Âcountry  ski  on  natural  snow. Lack  of  good  conditions  for  my  favorite  outdoor  winter  sports  also  had  me  sitting  inside  reminiscing  with  my  friend  Randy  Butler  about  a  time  (or  two)  when  each  of  us  acci- GHQWDOO\ ZHQW ÂżVKLQJ LOOHJDOO\ ² XQ- ZLWWLQJO\ ÂżVKLQJ RXW RI VHDVRQ RU RQ closed  waters  —  and  only  later,  after  FDWFKLQJ VHYHUDO ÂżVK GLVFRYHUHG RXU mistake.  In  one  case  the  discovery  was  made  with  the  help  of  a  warden  ZKLOH WKH ÂżVKLQJ ZDV VWLOO KDSSHQ- ing.  But  since  I’m  not  sure  what  the  statute  of  limitations  is  on  the  other  occurrences,  I  will  refrain  from  remi- VERGENNES  UNION  HIGH  School  senior  Josh  Benning  keeps  a  tight  grip  on  the  ball  after  battling  Tiger  ju- niscing  in  print. nior  Connor  Quinn  for  a  rebound  Tuesday  night  in  Vergennes.  Benning  had  11  rebounds  in  the  Commodores’  Mostly,  though,  I  have  been  remi- 58-Â54  win. niscing  with  my  father  and  two  older  Independent  photos/Trent  Campbell EURWKHUV DERXW WKH VXPPHU VRPH \HDUV DJR ZKHQ , ÂżUVW ZHQW Ă€\ ÂżVKLQJ DQG KDG P\ ÂżUVW GD\ ZLWK D ÂżVKLQJ guide  (shared  with  those  two  broth- ers),  and  a  week  later  when  I  had  my  ¿UVW H[SHULHQFH FDWFKLQJ WURXW LQ DQ (See  Dickerson,  Page  3B) “I’m  certainly  going  to  be  a  big  fan  By  ANDY  KIRKALDY for  Middlebury  when  they  go  down  VERGENNES  —  The  host  Ver- “The win means a lot there,â€?  Quinn  said.  “I  think  Middle- gennes  Union  High  School  boys’  to the team, because bury  is  good  enough  to  beat  them,  for  basketball  team  fought  off  a  furi- now that we’ve beaten ous  rally  by  visiting  Middlebury  on  Middlebury we’re second sure.  I  think  us  and  Middlebury  and  St.  Albans  are  pretty  comparable.â€? Tuesday  to  prevail  in  a  pivotal  Lake  in the Lake, which The  Commodores  shot  63  per- 'LYLVLRQ FODVK means we’re one step HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS FHQW DQG VFRUHG RI WKHLU EDV- 7KH &RPPRGRUHV LPSURYHG WR Boys’ Basketball kets  in  the  paint,  both  by  exploiting  LQ WKH /DNH ZKLOH WKH 7LJHUV closer to getting to Barre, 2/3  OV  vs.  Woodstock   .......................  71-Â64 hopefully.â€? the  smaller  Tigers  in  the  post  and  GURSSHG WR LQ WKH OHDJXH 2/4  VUHS  vs.  MUHS   .........................  58-Â54 — VUHS forward by  beating  their  press.  The  Tigers  Both  are  chasing  BFA-ÂSt.  Albans  2/4  St.  Albans  vs.  Mt.  Abe   ..................  60-Â43 Josh Benning worked  hard  on  defense  and  forced  LQ WKH /DNH 'LYLVLRQ %)$ LV Girls’ Basketball WXUQRYHUV EXW %HQQLQJ DQG MX- RYHUDOO EXW LV LQ WKH OHDJXH DQG 2/3  Mt.  Abe  vs.  MUHS  .........................57-Â16 nior  forwards  Wesley  Miedema  and  has  defeated  both  MUHS  and  VUHS  league  title,  and  beyond.  2/3  Colchester  vs.  VUHS   ....................42-Â24 in  St.  Albans. “The  win  means  a  lot  to  the  team,  Dylan  Raymond  and  sophomore  for- 2/4  OV  vs.  Windsor  .............................  51-Â28 Senior  VUHS  forward  Josh  Ben- because  now  that  we’ve  beaten  Mid- ward  Josh  Dam  all  were  effective  in  COLLEGE SPORTS QLQJ ZKRVH JDPH KLJK SRLQWV dlebury  we’re  second  in  the  Lake,  the  lane. Men’s Basketball MUHS  Coach  Chris  Altemose  included  the  winning  basket  with  which  means  we’re  one  step  closer  2/2  Hamilton  vs.  Midd.   ........................76-Â74 VHFRQGV WR JR VDLG WKH GHIHQG- to  getting  to  Barre,  hopefully,â€?  Ben- noted  the  Tigers  played  well  on  the  2/4  Midd.  vs.  Keene   ...........................  92-Â86 boards,  earning  a  39-Â30  edge  includ- ing  Division  II  champion  Commo- ning  said. Women’s Basketball dores  —  winners  of  four  of  their  past  VUHS  coach  Peter  Quinn  sees  a  ing  team  rebounds,  with  junior  Con- 2/2  Hamilton  vs.  Midd.   ........................57-Â53 (See  Hoops,  Page  2B) ÂżYH JDPHV ² KDYH WKHLU H\H RQ WKH three-Âway  race  for  the  Lake  title. Â
COMMODORE  WESLEY  MIEDEMA,  double-Âteamed  by  Tigers  Sam  Usilton  and  Bobby  Ritter,  takes  a  pass  and  tries  to  spin  to  the  basket  Tuesday  night  in  Vergennes.
VUHS  boys  outlast  Tigers
Commodores  break  late  tie,  take  key  Lake  Division  clash Â
ScoreBOARD
2/4  Midd.  vs.  Keene   ...........................  59-Â55 Women’s Hockey 2/4  Midd.  vs.  Utica  ..................................  5-Â4
Schedule
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Hockey 2/7&8   .......MUHS  Boys  at  L.  Placid  Tourney 08+6 *LUOV DW 0W 0DQV¿HOG  .  4:30  p.m. 2/12  Rice  at  MUHS  Girls   .............  4:30  p.m. 2/12  Hartford  at  MUHS  Boys   ............  7  p.m. 2/15  MUHS  Boys  at  Missisquoi   ........  2  p.m. 08+6 *LUOV DW 1RUWK¿HOG  ..........  7  p.m. Boys’ Basketball 2/7  Mt.  Abe  at  MUHS   ........................  7  p.m. 2/7  VUHS  at  Missisquoi   ...............  7:30  p.m. 2/10  Milton  at  VUHS   .........................  7  p.m. 2/10  St.  Albans  at  MUHS   ..................  7  p.m. 2/10  Leland  &  Gray  at  OV   ................  7  p.m. 2/10  Mt.  Abe  at  Missisquoi   ...........  7:30  p.m. 2/13  Mt.  Abe  at  Milton   .......................  7  p.m. 2/13  OV  at  Proctor   ............................  7  p.m. 2/13  MUHS  at  Missisquoi   .................  7  p.m. 2/13  St.  Albans  at  VUHS   ..................  7  p.m. 2/15  MUHS  at  S.  Burlington   ......  11:30  a.m. Girls’ Basketball 2/8  MUHS  at  Milton   ...................  11:30  a.m. 2/8  S.  Burlington  at  Mt.  Abe   .......  12:30  p.m. 98+6 DW 0W 0DQV¿HOG  ..........  2:30  p.m. 2/11  S.  Burlington  at  VUHS   ..............  7  p.m. 2/11  Hartford  at  OV   ...........................  7  p.m. 2/11  Missisquoi  at  Mt.  Abe   ................  7  p.m. 08+6 DW 0W 0DQV¿HOG  ........  7:30  p.m. 2/13  Leland  &  Gray  at  OV   ................  7  p.m.
(See  Schedule,  Page  3B)
COMMODORE  SENIOR  JOSH  Benning  beats  Tiger  junior  Sam  Holmes  to  the  basket  and  scores  two  of  his  game-Âhigh  24  points  Tuesday  night  in  Vergennes.
Eagles,  VUHS,  OV  claim  girls’  hoop  victories ADDISON  COUNTY  —  In  local  high  school  girls’  basketball  play  EHWZHHQ -DQ DQG )HE 0RXQW Abraham  split  a  pair  of  games,  Ver- gennes  and  Otter  Valley  each  won  once  in  three  tries,  and  Middlebury Â
came  up  short.  EAGLES On  Jan.  30,  host  Colchester  im- SURYHG WR DQG DYHQJHG DQ HDU- lier  loss  in  Bristol  with  a  44-Â36  vic- tory  over  the  Eagles,  who  slipped Â
DQG VWHDOV DV WKH (DJOHV JRW SDVW 08+6 Isabel  Bren- nan FKLSSHG LQ ZLWK SRLQWV DQG /LYLQJVWRQ FRQWULEXWHG SRLQWV DQG ¿YH DVVLVWV Krisandra  Provencher  (See  Girls’  basketball,  Page  3B)
Boys’  hoop:  VUHS  nips  Mt.  Abe;͞  Eagles,  OV  net  wins
New  Haven’s  Bigelow  rolls  perfect  game By  ANDY  KIRKALDY SHELBURNE  —  New  Haven  resident  Stan  Bigelow  bowled  a  per- fect  game  on  Monday  night,  rolling  a  300  at  Champlain  Lanes  in  Shel- burne.  Bigelow,  bowling  with  his  Cham- plain  Valley  Plumbing  and  Heating  teammates  Craig  Smith,  Duane  and  Kirk  Fuller,  and  Richard  Malm- strom,  achieved  the  feat  in  the  mid- dle  of  his  three-Âgame  set,  for  which  he  totaled  694.  +H ÂżUHG D LQ WKH ÂżUVW JDPH WKHQ WKH SHUIHFW EHIRUH ÂżQLVKLQJ ZLWK D ² ZLWK WKH WKLUG JDPH IRXU VWURNHV EHWWHU WKDQ KLV DY- erage. %LJHORZ D \HDU ERZOLQJ YHW-Â
into  second  place  in  Division  II  with  the  setback.  Ashlie  Fay  topped  the  (DJOHV ZLWK SRLQWV ZKLOH Meg  Livingston DGGHG 2Q 0RQGD\ )D\ ¿OOHG WKH VWDW VKHHW ZLWK SRLQWV ¿YH DVVLVWV
STAN  BIGELOW eran,  said  he  was  simply  “in  the  zoneâ€?  —  he  noted  that  he  concluded  KLV ÂżUVW JDPH ZLWK ÂżYH FRQVHFXWLYH strikes,  meaning  including  his  per- IHFW VHFRQG JDPH KH UROOHG FRQ- secutive  strikes.  His  previous  best  IRU D VLQJOH JDPH ZDV D
ADDISON  COUNTY  —  In  local  high  school  boys’  basketball  in  the  past  eight  days,  Vergennes  made  it  a  season  sweep  of  Mount  Abraham  to  highlight  the  action.  In  other  games,  Vergennes  came  up  short  on  the  road,  while  the  Ea- gles  won  one  of  two  and  Otter  Valley  split  a  pair  of  games. Middlebury  also  visited  VUHS  RQ 7XHVGD\ VHH VWRU\ RQ 3DJH % The  Tigers  also  won  twice  last  week,  games  covered  in  the  Monday  edi- tion  of  the  Independent.  VUHS  OVER  MT.  ABE On  Saturday,  host  Mount  Abra- ham  came  up  short  in  an  attempt  to  avenge  its  34-Âpoint  loss  at  Ver- JHQQHV LQ -DQXDU\ WKLV WLPH 98+6 ZRQ E\ D VFRUH RI 7KH (DJOHV led  the  Commodores  at  the  half,  but  Josh  Benning’s SRLQWV XOWLPDWHO\
proved  too  much  to  overcome,  and  Liam  Hayes DGGHG IRU 98+6 ZKLFK LPSURYHG WR KHDGLQJ LQWR 7XHVGD\ÂśV GXHO ZLWK WKH 7LJHUV Sawyer  Kamman VFRUHG IRU WKH (DJOHV ZKR OHG E\ DW WKH half.  COMMODORES 2Q -DQ KRVW %)$ 6W $O- EDQV WRSSHG 98+6 Jarrett  LeFleche VFRUHG SRLQWV EAGLES 2Q -DQ WKH (DJOHV FOLSSHG YLVLWLQJ 0LOWRQ EHKLQG points  from  Mark  Jipner DQG from  Kamman.  The  Yellowjackets  GURSSHG WR On  Tuesday,  visiting  BFA-ÂSt.  Al- bans  downed  the  Eagles,  60-Â43.  The  %REZKLWHV LPSURYHG WR DQG DUH undefeated  in  the  Lake  Division.  (See  Basketball,  Page  3B)
Sports BRIEFS
MUHS  wrestlers  win  at  tournament
CORINTH,  N.Y.  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  Three  mem- bers  of  the  Middlebury  Union  High  School  wrestling  team  won  their  ZHLJKW FODVVHV DW DQ WHDP WRXUQD- ment  in  Corinth,  N.Y.,  this  past  Sat- urday. Overall,  the  Tigers,  who  brought  just  seven  wrestlers,  took  seventh  RXW RI WHDPV IXOO YDUVLW\ WHDPV and  eight  of  those  squadsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  B  teams.  *DOZD\ 1 < SUHYDLOHG ZLWK points,  followed  by  Corinth  with  08+6 VFRUHG The  lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  share  of  those  points  came  from  Nate  Gebo,  James  Mason  and  Jake  Trautwein.  Gebo  compiled  a  3-Â0  mark  in  win- QLQJ DW SRXQGV ZKLOH 0DVRQ and  Trautwein  both  went  4-Â0  while  ZLQQLQJ DW DQG SRXQGV UH- spectively.  Chris  Gobbi  also  fared  well,  tak- LQJ VHFRQG DW ZLWK D PDUN 1LFN %HDXFKDPS DW DQG %HQQ /XVVLHU DW HDFK FRPSLOHG records,  while  Kyle  Desabrais  went  DW