Karl Lindholm: Not Cooper Flagg maybe, but these Vermonters were special

If you are a basketball fan, you probably know the name “Cooper Flagg.” This past basketball season, he was the best high school player in the country.

In the quarterfinals of the NESCAC women’s basketball tournament on Feb. 17, Middlebury was down by four in the third quarter to the dreaded Amherst Mammoths. 

A number of athletes from the Mount Abraham, Vergennes, Middlebury and Otter Valley union high school basketball teams received postseason recognition. 

Eleven members of the Vergennes, Mount Abraham, Middlebury and Otter Valley union high school boys’ basketball teams received postseason recognition. 

The 7th-seeded Vergennes Union High School girls’ basketball team had little trouble in their first-round Division III playoff game on Feb. 28, defeating visiting No. 10 Winooski, 69-37. But, in a March 1 quarterfinal, the Commodores came up short in what … (read more)

The sixth-seeded Otter Valley boys’ run through the Division II basketball postseason came to an end on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in a semifinal in the Barre Auditorium. There, the No. 2 seed and three-time defending champion Montpelier erased a 15-point halfti … (read more)

The No. 6 Otter Valley boys’ basketball team rode a big fourth quarter past No. 3 Harwood in a Saturday Division II quarterfinal, 70-49.

Tuesday’s first-round Division II opponent for the No. 6 Mount Abraham girls’ basketball team wasn’t just anyone — the 13-7 Eagles and No. 11 Spaulding, who came in 9-11 against a tough schedule, have a lot of recent history. 

The Mount Abraham and Vergennes union high school girls’ basketball teams both earned seeds that granted them home-court advantage in the first round of postseason play, while Middlebury and Otter Valley opened on the road. 

The Vergennes Union High School boys’ basketball team was awarded the No. 5 seed in Division III and won one playoff game at home before coming up short in a defensive battle in a quarterfinal on the road.

There were good reasons to expect a competitive first-round Division II boys’ basketball playoff matchup on Tuesday between host No. 6 Otter Valley and No. 11. Mount Abraham.

The Middlebury Union High School girls’ basketball team had only one win to show for its improved play over the past four games heading into Monday’s home tilt with Enosburg, that positive result being away from home against a decent Missisquoi team. 

MIDDLEBURY — The fourth-seeded Middlebury College women’s basketball pulled away from visiting No. 5 Amherst in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s NESCAC quarterfinal to prevail, 59-48. The Panthers thus advanced to this coming weekend’s NESCAC final four a … (read more)

The Middlebury College basketball, seeded No. 4, figured out No. 5 seen Amherst in the second half of Saturday’s game.

The Mount Abraham Union High School girls’ basketball team did a lot of things right during Tuesday’s nip-and-tuck home game vs. Colchester, including taking care of the ball, outrebounding the taller Lakers, playing strong man-to-man defense, and getting … (read more)