Whitcomb Boys Win!

By Laurie-Jean B. Gauthier

It was high fives and smiling faces all around as the Whitcomb Hornets and first-year coach Bob Cushman celebrated their first victory of the season last Friday night in the Hornet’s Nest with a 10-point advantage, 63-53, win over the Craftsbury Chargers.

Damian Russo swished a beauty of a three-pointer at the start of the contest, followed by deposits from Clemens Garve, Deven Hill, and Russo again, as well as a single free toss by Jacob Hunt. The Hornets were off to their best scoring effort to date. While doing that, they were absolutely terrific in limiting the Chargers to just two foul shots. It was a 10-2 Hornet lead in just under four minutes of play. Russo and Hill baskets ended the period for Whitcomb, for the 14-5 hometown edge.

During the second period the Chargers earned the advantage and took a single point lead at the buzzer, 31-30, after two. Three baskets by Hill and two by Hunt as well as hoops by Joel Wright, Tyler Killian and Russo were all erased by Ross Grube’s hot streak. The Chargers pushed forward for a 26-point rally.

The Hornets and the Chargers matched each other basket-for-basket and point-for-point as the third period progressed. First, Matt Durfee made a basket followed by a Grube hoop. A Ben Cayer trey and a Grube trey were next. A second Durfee hoop and a Hassan basket came after that. A mid-court steal by Cayer gave Whitcomb a deuce, but Grube responded again. Grube scored the final Charger points of the third for a six-point advantage over the Hornets, 45-39, with 2:45 seconds remaining in the period.

Baskets by Hunt and Russo tied the game at 45-45 at 1:58. Hill put the Hornets back up by two with the last basket of the third as the Hornets managed to get the lead back.

In the fourth period Craftsbury tied the game at 5:42, 49-all. A second tie at 5:40 came when single free tosses by Russo and Hill matched a Hassan hoop. Grube scored the final Charger points with a single basket just under four minutes before the Hornets took charge and added 12 points. Free tosses came from Matt Durfee (four-for-four) and Ben Cayer, with hoops by Hill and a three-bagger by Russo.

The Hornets out-scored the Chargers in the first, third and fourth quarters, 14-5, 17-14, and 16-8, for their best all-around effort this season.

Ross Grube was game high with 33 points (following his 43-point effort just two days earlier against Cabot). Damian Russo led the Hornets with 19 points and Deven Hill followed with 17 points, and junior Ben Cayer had his best varsity showing with 11 points.

Loss to Rockets

The Hornets welcomed perennial rivals Rochester to the Hornets’ Nest this past Monday, hoping to avenge their season-opening loss, but unfortunately came up short, as they fell to their guests, 44-37. The Hornets trailed, 10-4, after the first quarter, despite Jacob Hunt scoring in the first 10 seconds.

During the second period, Whitcomb nearly erased the Rocket lead with baskets by Garve, Hill (who netted two in a row), and Joel Wright, while the Rockets only mustered a Taylor Fuller hoop and an Alex Kelly freebie. However, that kept Rochester up with the slightest of leads, 14-13.

At 3:09, Matt Durfee tied the score, then put the Hornets back up by one with another two points from the stripe. A single free toss by Ethan White was all that Rochester finished the first half with, as Whitcomb added six more points that had them ahead, 20-14.

Rochester managed to get back into the game during the third quarter, scoring 12 points while the Hornets scored nine, but it was Whitcomb who still held the advantage after three, with the score 29-26.

During the fourth quarter, the Rockets were able to gain the advantage. They tied the game at 6:29 at 31-all and then again at 4:08, 34-all. The Rockets went up by one at 3:25, and they stayed in the front as they scored eight additional points, while holding Whitcomb to just one additional basket.

Fuller came alive in the third for two three-point deposits for Rochester, while Ethan White added two hoops and Pat Crowley scored a basket. The Hornets weren’t far behind with hoops by Wright and Russo and a second Russo three-pointer.

Clemens Garve had two baskets, and J. Hunt added a hoop in the fourth period. Rochester’s Ethan White finished up big with double baskets and double threes. The Hornets forced the Rockets to play hard all night and even though they lost, it was a super game and super effort.

White was game high scorer with 17 points, which included three three-pointers and Fuller added 13 points for Rochester. Garve and Damian Russo both scored 8 points for the Hornets, and Hill followed with 7.

Whitcomb travels to Cabot to play the Huskies tomorrow, then hosts the WBCS Warriors on Tuesday, Jan. 29, and travels to Sharon on Wednesday, Jan. 30. All three games start at 7 p.m.

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