By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
Springfield lost to Mill River twice during the regular season. Grant White wasn’t going to let it happen again.
White, a senior guard, scored 34 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as fourth-seeded Springfield knocked off top-seeded Mill River, 62-41, in the Division II boys basketball semifinals Monday night at the Barre Auditorium.
Springfield outscored Mill River 36-15 in the second half.
“Springfield is going to be tough to beat,” Mill River coach Jason Smith told the Rutland Herald. “They played much better in the second half than we did.
“In the second half we did a better job on Grant, but they had other kids who stepped up.”
White scored 22 of his team’s 26 first-half points. He made four of five 3-point attempts in the half.
Springfield will play either second-seeded Vergennes (17-4) or sixth-seeded Montpelier (14-8) in Saturday’s Division II championship game at the Barre Auditorium (3:45 p.m.).
The Cosmos will be trying to win their first state championship since 1960.
• Top-seeded Proctor stretched its winning streak to 25 games and earned a trip to the Division IV championship game by routing Danville, 75-25, in the semifinals Monday night.
Proctor (22-0) led 38-9 at halftime and advanced to the Division IV championship game for the fourth consecutive season. Curtis Robinson tossed in a game-high 19 points and was one of four Proctor players who scored in double figures. Chad Thornton scored 11, Ryan Carter had 10 (11 rebounds) and Matt Chamberlin also finished with 10.
Proctor will meet either No. 2 Websterville Baptist (19-2) or third-seeded Sharon (16-5) in Saturday’s championship game at the Barre Auditorium (noon). Westerville Baptist will play Sharon in the other semifinal Wednesday.
The Division I semifinals will be played Tuesday, and the Division III semifinals are scheduled for Thursday. The girls basketball tournaments begin Tuesday night.
Boys Hockey: Title Game Set
Top-seeded Hartford (20-1-1) and third-seeded Burr and Burton (19-2-2) advanced to the Lake Division (Division II) championship game by posting semifinal victories Monday night.
Patrick Riley and A.J. Hamel each scored twice to lift Hartford past North Country, 4-2; Burr and Burton moved on by beating Harwood, 4-1. Burr and Burton has eliminated Harwood in the semifinals in each of the last three seasons.
This year’s championship game will be played Thursday at the University of Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse (7 p.m.).
The Metro Division (Division I) semifinals will be played Wednesday at the University of Vermont. Second-seeded Champlain Valley (12-6-3) will face sixth-seeded Spaulding (11-9-1) in the first semifinal (7 p.m.), and top-seeded Essex (13-6-2) will meet fourth-seeded BFA-St. Albans in the second semifinal (9 p.m.)
Girls Hockey: BFA-St. Albans Falls in Semifinals
A second-period goal by Julie Morris and a 26-save performance by goaltender Kaitlyn LaGue help top-seeded Spaulding beat fourth-seeded BFA-St. Albans, 1-0, in the Metro Division girls hockey semifinals Monday night.
It’s the first time BFA-St. Albans hasn’t reached the championship game in the eight-year history of the tournament.
Spaulding (17-2-2) will meet third-seeded Essex (17-4-1) in the championship game, which will be played Friday (6:30 p.m.) at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena. Essex advanced by beating second-seeded South Burlington, 3-2, in Monday’s other semifinal.
The Lake Division semifinals will be played Tuesday at Kreitzberg Arena. Second-seeded Colchester (16-5-0) will skate against third-seeded Burr and Burton (15-5-1) at 7 p.m.; and top-seeded Missisquoi (20-1-0) will tangle with fifth-seeded Rutland (16-5-2) at 9 p.m.
