Twin Valley Wildcats v. Leland and Gray Rebels (Girls) 1/31/13

TOWNSHEND - The Twin Valley Wildcats put the Leland and Gray Rebels in the rear view mirror after a fourth quarter Rebel collapse Thursday, January 31.  With the 44-35 win, the 5-9 Wildcats capped off their three-game losing streak and ascended the rankings to eleventh place in Division III girls basketball.  The Rebels, who have lost four out of their last five contests however, have conversely dropped from first place to ninth in a matter of two weeks.

Nystrom guarding Molner

Right out of the gates, this looked to be a close game.  Junior Elizabeth Gallup made the first official basket of the night for the Rebels after four minutes of play followed by a fast break layup by senior captain Chelby Nystrom.  The Wildcats countered near the end of the quarter as junior Jordan Niles hit a three and went 2-2 at the free throw line.

Butler bringing ball up

The Wildcats entered the second quarter with an unsafe 7-5 lead.  All of a sudden, both teams broke out offensively and began making their shots.  Nystrom and freshman point guard Jordan Gouger broke out on the Rebels side while sophomore Colton Butler rallied for the Wildcats.  Sophomore Haley Buffum hit a three for the Rebels in the final minute of the first half to tie the score 19-19, but Butler countered with a buzzer-beating three of her own that gave the Wildcats the 22-19 lead by halftime.

Morrow with shot

The beginning of the second half started real drowsily.  It wasn't until three minutes in when Hannah Swanson made a layup to get the first basket of the half.  But after Swanson's shot, both teams reignited to teeter the score back and forth.  Senior captain Alex Morrow made a few put back shots but junior Sam Cunningham-Darrah made a remarkable fade away bank shot from fifteen feet away to tie the game 28-28 at the end of the third quarter.

Although Nystrom managed to give the Rebels the lead in the fourth quarter with a jumper, the Wildcats retaliated with an endless shooting spree.  Both Butler and senior captain Abbi Molner hit threes to lead the sixteen-point rally.  The Rebels offense only managed to score a contrasting seven points, not nearly enough to compete with the Wildcat's superior offense.

Referee

The Rebels twenty-four total turnovers and multiple missed offensive plays cost them in the 44-35 final score.  The most notable player of the game was Butler, who went 2-3 at the foul line and led the Wildcats with eleven total points.  However, much of the win is credited to Molner as well, who had a breakout rally in the fourth quarter that led the Wildcats to victory.

The Rebels' next game is against the 9-1 Proctor Phantoms, who are currently in first place for Division IV.  The game is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5 at 7:30.

Otter Valley Otters v. Leland and Gray Rebels (girls)

Tied 6-6 end 1
16-15 Otter Valley end half
31-23 end 3
41-31 rebels win

Bellows Falls Terriers v. Leland and Gray Rebels (Boys) 01/18/13

TOWNSHEND - Senior captain Drew Barnum and junior Jake Sherman led the Leland and Gray Rebels to victory over the Bellows Falls Terriers Friday, January 18.   After a slow first half that allowed the Terriers to tie the score, the Rebels came back regenerated to command the rest of the game.

Nupp guarding Moore

Both teams had no trouble putting numbers on the board at the start.  The Rebels dominated down low on both offense and defense while the Terriers covered the perimeter.  Sophomore Willie Moore put up back-to-back three pointers to tie the game at ten apiece with over three minutes to go, but Sherman countered with an easy fast break layup followed by his own three to give the Rebels a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Mills blowing by Kenney

The game continued where it had left off as Barnum and Sherman extended the Rebel lead to 21-10 after just three minutes.  Although the Rebels seemed to have the game in the bag, the Terriers bounced back the remainder of the half to score sixteen points.  The impressive rally was led junior Kendrick Mills who scored eight points in under three minutes.  The two teams were tied 26-26 going into halftime.

Sherman 3-4 at foul line

The embarrassing performance in the latter part of the second quarter had given the Rebels enough reason to come back in the third.  Although the Terriers got the first basket to start the second half, Sherman and senior Riley Kenney countered with back-to-back threes to put the Rebels up 32-28.  Just when you thought that Sherman was done, he came back and hit another three to extend the lead further.

Nupp blocking LaBeau

Although the Terriers were initially stagnant, they began to rally again.  Moore hit his third three of the game while Mills and senior captain Michael LaBeau helped out the cause as well.  The come-from-behind performance, which seemed to be routine for the Terriers, had left them trailing just 46-40 by the end of the third quarter.

Conscious that six points was by no means a safe lead, the Rebels exploded on offense where Barnum and senior captain Billy Nupp accumulated a combined fifteen points.  The Terriers shots were finding their way in as well, but the fifteen points they managed to accumulate was insurmountable to the Rebels impressive total twenty-one, ending the game in a final 67-55.

Notable players of the game were Barnum, Nupp and Sherman who had a combined forty-nine points (73% of team total).  Barnum led the team with seven defensive rebounds, seven offensive rebounds, and was second in points scored with nineteen.  Nupp had a total nine points on the night but led the team with four steals, four assists and three blocks.

Barnum guarding LaBeau

Perhaps the most significant of three was Sherman, who had a total twenty-two points on the night with three three-pointers and came up successful in important clutch opportunities.  The most notable Terrier of the night was Moore, who had a total fifteen points with three three-pointers as well. 

The Rebels, now 8-1, are one game behind the undefeated Williamstown Blue Devils (9-0).  The Rebels next contest is against the Proctor Phantoms (4-3) away on Thursday, January 24.

Twin Valley Wildcats v. Leland and Gray Rebels (Boys) 01/16/13

The thirteenth seeded Twin Valley Wildacts (3-6) enter Leland and Gray tonight with a shot for redemption after losing their last contest against the Rebels in a bitter 56-52 defeat.  The second seeded Rebels (7-1), however, look to keep up with the undefeated Williamstown Blue Devils (9-0) who are leading Division III. 

This is the second out of the three times these two rivals will meet this season.  Tonight's solid match-up forebodes a close game that no one's going to want to miss.

Note: Game is canceled.  

Green Mountain Chieftans v. Leland and Gray Rebels (Boys) 1/11/13

TOWNSHEND - The entire Leland and Gray Rebels roster contributed to a victory over the Green Mountain Chieftans Friday, January 11.  The 70-22 victory puts the Rebels at 7-1, just one game behind the undefeated Williamstown Blue Devils (8-0). The 2-5 Chieftanss have slid from 11th place to 13th place in the Division III rankings.

Nupp's layup

The Rebels started the game with a bang.  Senior Riley Kenney and junior Jake Sherman led a rally to get the offense going while senior captains Drew Barnum and Billy Nupp worked down low to get the rebounds and put backs.  The Rebels led 11-0 in the first four minutes of the game until senior Calvin Stowell made a fast break layup to put the Chieftans finally on the board.  The slow start was costly for the Chieftans who trailed 20-8 at the end of the first quarter.

The game slowed down in the second quarter with each team scoring less.  By half time, the Rebels led 33-13.  Upon returning to the game, coach Andy Nystrom played the entirety of his bench.  Every active player on the team was able to manage at least one basket, therefore contributing to the lopsided score.

Ke driving to rim

Ke's 360 shot

One notable player off the pine was senior Kevin Ke, who had the game of his life.  Coming into the fourth quarter, Ke made a theatrical, 360 spin under the hoop to avoid a block from freshman Lucas Trask.  Ke's shot dramatically bounced around the rim for a few seconds and then dropped right in.  The crowd went crazy over the play and Ke's personal rally extended to a total nine points, third-most on the night for the Rebels. 

Brown with jumper

In the end, the Rebels won by a whopping 70-22, bringing their team points per game (PPG) average to 61.5 and lowering their PPG allowed average to 39.1.  Notable players along with Ke were senior Andy Brown and Nupp.  Brown led the Rebels in scoring with thirteen points and offensive rebounds with five, along with a pair of blocks.  Nupp had the second-most points in the game with eleven but led the team with six defensive rebounds, five assists and five steals.  Sophomore Kyle Kemp led the Chieftans with ten points, almost half of the Chieftans' total points.

Kemp with three

The Rebels next game is against the Twin Valley Wildcats, who they beat 56-52 in their last encounter at Twin Valley.  The game is scheduled for January 16th, in Townshend, at 7:30.