Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Blog, I'm Keith Harrington.
Prunty Scores 1,000, MSJ Advances
It was a banner evening Monday for MSJ basketball. Andre Prunty eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark and the Mounties advanced to the Vermont Division II championship game by upsetting #1 seed North Country 49-38 in the semifinals at the Barre Auditorium.
Prunty hit the 1,000 point for #5 MSJ when he connected on a shot in the third quarter. Prunty also hit key foul shots down the stretch to help clinch the victory.
MSJ led the Falcons by six at the end of the first quarter and increased it to double figures at one point. The Mounties led by seven at the break.
North Country was only down three heading to the fourth and cut the lead to one. The Mounties went on a 5-0 that helped provide the difference.
Prunty had 16 points, five boards and three steals to pace MSJ. Pete Carlson and Owen Traynor both had 11 points for MSJ.
Ian Applegate led the Falcons with 17 points. Cayde Miknak added 11.
MSJ is now 18-5 on the season.
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Who in the World is Boquet Valley? And What is a Griffin?
Saturday the Hartford girls basketball team won their first Section II Class D championship since 2005 and advanced to the state regionals. The Tanagers will play Saturday at noon at Clinton Community College with a date in the state Final Four on the line.
Hartford's opponent on Saturday is a bit of an unknown. So it brings up the question, "Who in the world is Boquet Valley? And what is a Griffin?"
Boquet Valley won the Section VII title this weekend, defeating Schoon Lake 56-30. Yesterday our librarian at Poultney Elementary School where I work Johanna Dekalb who has experience with the area informed me that they are a merged school, so I began my research.
According to the school website In December of 2018, the voters of Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School District and of Westport Central School District voted to merge by consolidation, forming a new Board of Education and a new school district, encompassing nearly 250 square miles in Essex County, named Boquet Valley Central School District. The Lake View Campus in Westport houses Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. The Mountain View Campus in Elizabethtown houses 6th grade through 12th grade and the District Office.
The team has had immediate success in basketball. And why not? Westport has enjoyed a ton of success over the years and has been to Hudson Valley Community College previously for the state tournament. Elizabeth-Town Lewis had also had their share of hoop glory.
The Griffins went 19-5 in their first season in 2019-2020. They lost to Bolton in the Section VII final. They were 9-3 in last year's Covid-19 shortened season. This year the Griffins are 18-5.
You may also want to know what a griffin is? A griffin is mythological creature with a lion's body (winged or wingless) and a bird's head, usually that of an eagle. The griffin was a favorite decorative motif in the ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean lands.
Yesterday I had a chance to sit down with Tanagers Karlee Nims and Gabbie McFarren for the recording of the NYVTmedia Sports Show for this week. They also were just learning who Boquet Valley is and what a Griffin was. I am sure however they will know a lot about them in the coming days.
"We've seen a little film on them already," Nims said.
"It's the Battle of the Birds," McFarren added. "We should have t-shorts made up."
The Tanager can also seem a little like a mythical creature at times. Although everyone in Hartford knows about the bird that does exsist although are not often seen in the area, others can sometimes be heard saying, "What's a Tanager?" when they play the Hartford teams. Maybe Boquet Valley players and fans are asking the same thing?
One thing is for sure, on Saturday the two schools will get to know each other very well. One of them will see their season end at the end of the day, while the other will keep their dream of a Class D state championship alive. I will have a more detailed preview of the contest later in the week.
I for one can not wait!
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With the Border Country Sports Blog, I'm Keith Harrington.
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