ADDISON COUNTY — In local high school basketball action earlier this week, Otter Valley and Middlebury picked up road wins, while Vergennes lost at home.
The Commodores also hosted Missisquoi on Tuesday; see story.
The 9-9 Tigers were also set to visit Mount Abraham on Wednesday after the deadline for this issue of the Independent. The 4-14 Eagles will conclude their season with a visit to St. Albans on Friday night; they will open the Division II postseason on the road.
The Vermont Principals’ Association will release playoff pairings on Monday morning.
OTTERS
On Monday, the Otters edged host West Rutland, 66-65, in overtime when Derek Bassette grabbed a missed John Winslow shot and scooped it in at the buzzer. OV trailed for most of the second half as West Rutland standout Jordan Pease scored his 1,000th point, but Winslow led an OV rally.
Winslow scored 34, 26 after halftime, and hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds to go in regulation to force OT at 57-57. Kai Norwood added nine points for OV. D-IV West Rutland dropped to 10-7.
The Otters’ Tuesday game at Bellows Falls was postponed by snow until Saturday at 7 p.m. OV will also host Woodstock on Friday. The Otters are likely to host a D-II playoff game regardless of the results in those two games.
TIGERS
On Monday, the Tigers moved back to .500 by topping host Missisquoi, 57-34. They were up by just two at the half, but outscored the 4-14 T-Birds by 20-6 in the decisive third quarter. Bryce Burrell (11 points) and Oakley Gordon (10 points) topped the Tigers’ scoring table.
The Tigers are battling St. Albans, South Burlington and Brattleboro for the No. 8 seed in D-I. They wrap up by hosting VUHS on Friday.
COMMODORES
On Monday, visiting BFA-St. Albans closed out VUHS with a 22-6 run to win, 50-34. The result left both teams at 8-10, while the Bobwhites remained unbeaten in Lake Division play and clinched the league title.
Liam Hayes (10 points) led the Commodores, who will conclude with Friday’s game at MUHS. They appear to be likely to host a D-II playoff game regardless of Friday’s result.