Poultney Blue Devils v. Leland and Gray Rebels (Boys) 12/14/12

TOWNSHEND - After a bittersweet loss to Burr and Burton just two days before, the 0-1 Leland and Gray Rebels came out Wednesday, December 14 ready to get their first win of the season.  They were set to play the Poultney Blue Devils who had just beaten the Division II Bellows Falls Terriers 74-71.  Despite the Blue Devils intimidating score and the absence of Rebels head coach Andy Nystrom, assistant coach Peter Boyle and the Rebels fought through the whole game to come out with their first win of the season.  

 Kenney going for his first three

Even though they lost the jump ball, the Rebels drew first blood by forcing a turnover to come back with a three by senior Riley Kenney.  The Blue Devils could not put the ball in the basket.  After half a quarter of turning the ball over, the Blue Devils finally got their first set of points when senior Kevin Lilly made a two-point jump shot. Lilly's shot was followed up by senior Sean Shepardson who put up a few more jumpers.  However, the Blue Devils slow start was costly as they trailed 14-6 by the end of the first.

Shepardson (left) and Nystrom (right)

Barnum grabbing the rebound

The second quarter started where it had left off.  The Blue Devils could neither control the ball nor make their shots.  It certainly didn't help them that the Rebels had dominated both the inside and outside game.  Both forwards senior captains Michael Bergeron and Drew Barnum played excellent through the first half, executing their put backs and grabbing the majority of rebounds on defense. Senior Zach Wilkins hit his first three of the season and senior captain Billy Nupp had a pair of jumpers to bring the Rebels score up even more.  By the end of the second, the Rebels were leading 32-19.

Ke's first varsity point (foul shot)

It was deja vu at the start of the second half when Kenney put up another three followed by more aggressive play on the Rebels offense.  The lead became so distant by the end of the game that coach Boyle gave other players the opportunity to get in the game.  Senior Kevin Ke, junior Taylor Parker-Jennings, junior Nick Bills and sophomore Ryan Borgesen all scored their first varsity points.

Final Score

The Rebels dominated the entire game to win 76-50.  They had ten jump balls on the night with fourteen steals, nine blocks and an astonishing twenty-five defensive rebounds.  Because the entire team played so well altogether, one individual player cannot be singled out for exceptional performance; it was a generally fantastic performance.  As for the Blue Devils, their player of game was much more prominent.  It was Shepardson, who led his team in scoring with twenty-two points (44% of team total).


The 1-1 Rebels' next game is against the Blue Devils (again) on Wednesday, December 19.