Jackson McCoy scores two of his 11 points in the second half of Saturday’s 13-point win. (Bradley Smart Photo)
The last time U-32 faced off against Lamoille, the Lancers turned a close game entering the fourth into a nine-point win.
The Raiders returned the favor Saturday.
U-32 (9-6) hit nine 3-pointers en route to a 60-47 victory over Lamoille (11-2).
“This time we came out and had a better idea of how they were put together and what they were trying to do,” U-32 coach Dan Gauthier said. “I keep telling these guys to be aggressive, and we never know who’s going to step up. Today solidified that.”
A balanced scoring attack, with four players in double-digits, and a lights-out percentage from 3-point range powered U-32 to the win. Kyle Graves scored 17 points in the victory and was supported by Jordan Moore (13 points), Jackson McCoy (11 points) and Kyle Booth (10 points).
The Lancers, meanwhile, dropped their second game of the year while seeing a three-game winning streak snapped. It was Lamoille’s first loss since Jan. 6.
U-32 opened the first quarter on the offensive, as Graves single-handedly powered the Raiders to a 10-2 lead by hitting a pair of 3-pointers. The junior guard made an acrobatic layup while being hacked, then hit the ensuing foul shot to convert the three-point play.
After a Peter Childs putback to push the lead to 10, Lamoille coach Ernie Machia called a timeout. It worked to kill the Raiders momentum, as Terrell Baker sparked a turnaround. Baker hit a buzzer-beating layup off the glass and then knocked down a pull-up jumped to open the second quarter that cut U-32’s lead to just four.
Then, Eric Hoadley — who had 13 points against the Raiders in the season’s earlier matchup — got in on the action too. He knocked down a pull-up 3-pointer and added a spinning floater in the paint to give the Lancers the lead for the first time in the game with three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The lead changed eight times over the rest of the game, as the two teams swapped buckets for much of the second and third. Moore hit a pair of three-pointers at the end of the second in a span of 20 seconds, two of four from the sophomore, to push U-32’s lead to five entering the half but Lamoille responded.
The Lancers opened the second on a 7-0 run, retaking the lead in what would be an exciting second half. U-32’s Booth knocked down a three to answer, but Lamoille’s Evan Slayton pulled-up on the right wing and had his own answer.
However, the Raiders managed to get a couple of well-timed defensive stops and piece together an 8-2 run that they wouldn’t relinquish.
“Our composure has really improved throughout the year,” Gauthier said of his team’s ability to close out the game strong. “We’ve got a fairly young team, and that was something I expected. We’ve practiced a lot of ‘sandwiching’- get a stop, a score, and another stop. They’ve absorbed everything I’ve taught them and they’re executing it in games.”
Lamoille cut it to just four with five minutes remaining after an and-one from Riley Fitzergald, but after Baker left the gym after suffering a blow to the head going for a rebound, the Lancers weren’t able to fully complete a comeback.
Moore hit another 3-pointer and U-32 closed on a 16-5 run to pick up the 13-point win.
“This is great. This is a huge win for us,” Gauthier said. “We didn’t play our best basketball last time, and we were excited to have another shot at them. Today was just a really good day all-around.”
The Raiders will host Oxbow (9-5) at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Hoadley had 18 points in the losing effort, while Baker contributed 10 points. The Lancers will host Lyndon (9-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
ZSN 