WINDSOR — According to local coaches, seven local high school athletes made their mark in Saturday’s annual Vermont Basketball Coaches’ Association North-South Senior Classic all-star games, which were played at Windsor High School.
Otter Valley’s Ryan Kelley and Middlebury’s Connor Collins and Tyler Provencher played for the South Division I and II boys’ team that edged the North squad, 87-84.
Kelley might have made the biggest impact, scoring all 10 of his points in the second half of the close contest, but South coach Chris Altemose of MUHS said all three had strong games.
“Tyler, Connor and Ryan all played well,” Altemose said.
Altemose credited Provencher for several assists (something that can be a rare commodity in an all-star game) and a rebound, a blocked shot and “a great lefty finish inside.”
Collins scored twice in transition and “as usual” played well defensively, Altemose said, and also contributed a key late-game play, knocking a ball loose from the North, saving it from going out of bounds and setting up a teammate for a layup at the other end.
Kelley, Altemose said, was consistent on the boards throughout the game, and then “came up really big down the stretch” by scoring in the post, hitting the glass on both ends and even “freeing up teammates for buckets with nice screens,” something else not always seen in all-star contests.
Vergennes coach Peter Quinn was on the losing end of the match as the head of the North team. Three of his own players suited up for the North: guards Zach Ouellette and Shep Carter and center Stanley Salley.
Salley had a typical strong effort, Quinn said, “carving out space” inside against taller opponents for a half-dozen points and as many rebounds.
“Stanley was a horse,” he said.
Ouellette recorded four points and four assists — including one that Quinn called one of the prettiest in the game, a long bounce pass for a layup in transition — as his coach said he continues to establish his statewide credentials.
“Zach has begun to impress some people,” Quinn said.
Carter scored five points, including a three-pointer, and added an assist, Quinn said.
“He had a real solid game,” he said.
Overall, Mill River’s Jay Carleton led the South with 13, and Mount Anthony’s Aaryngston Bibens and Burr & Burton’s David Shehadi added 12 and 11 for the South, respectively, in the three-point win. Lamoille’s Derek Vanat paced the North with 11 points. Rice’s Casey Tipson scored nine, and Lake Region’s Caleb Prue and Drew Gallup each added eight for the North.
GIRLS’ GAME
Finally, Tiger guard Tiffany Danyow started for the North girls’ Division I and II team that prevailed over the South team, 72-59. Danyow scored a hoop and reportedly defended well in the win for the North, which was sparked offensively by 11 points each from Colchester’s Sarah Paskevich and Rice’s Cassidy Derda.
Montpelier’s Annie Jones (16) and Hartford’s Stephanie Grobe (15) led the South.
At the event, Mount Abraham’s Ashlie Fay and OV’s Jessica Frazier were honored for their selection to the VBCA Division I and II girls’ Dream Dozen team of underclassmen, Quinn was honored as the VBCA D-II boys’ coach of the year for the second straight season, and Altemose was recognized for reaching 100 career wins.
Both coaches said they enjoyed coaching the boys’ teams.
“It was a lot of fun,” Quinn said. “It was a good day.”
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].