MONTPELIER — U-32 hung around Friday and threatened to send shockwaves through Central Vermont while seeking its first win over the Montpelier boys basketball team since the 2019-20 season.

But even though the Raiders stayed within striking distance until the final quarter, the Solons kept the Division II power dynamics intact by closing out a 75-48 victory. Four players reached double figures for MHS and the three-time defending champs maintained the status quo with another double-digit victory over a U-32 program that’s made 21 appearances at the Barre Aud.

“We want to come into these games composed,” Montpelier coach Nick Foster said. “You already know you’re playing against your crosstown rival and it’s going to be a big crowd. So we need to stay settled and play the way we want to play. And we were ready to do that. U-32 came out ready to play and they kept that energy up the entire way.”

The Solons jumped out to an 18-10 lead in the first quarter and continued to put some distance on the Raiders, who turned heads last month with victories over Harwood and D-I Mount Anthony. The Raiders enjoyed a height advantage against the guard-heavy Solons and were still in the hunt while trailing 34-24 heading into halftime.

“It was a concern,” coach Foster said of the Raiders’ size. “We were worried about getting beat up on the defensive glass. It seemed like we really held our own, but when we missed the outside shots they were able to get a lot of rebounds. But I thought our guards chipped in really well. And we knew Atif (Milak) wouldn’t able to do it on his own against a big team like that.”

U-32 was down 53-40 entering the final eight minutes and made its best effort to pull within single digits again, but Montpelier’s Kleo Bridge scored 10 of his 14 points down the stretch to extinguish the Raiders’ comeback hopes.

“In the second and third quarters, we rebounded well,” U-32 coach John Medose said. “I was happy with how our kids played for three quarters. We got tired and our legs got the best of us in the fourth, but the kids played really hard.”

Carson Cody finished with a team-high 21 points for MHS, which is eyeing its fifth straight championship appearance this winter. Teammate Carter Bruzzese was another force to be reckoned with, tallying 18 points, four assists and four steals. Clayton Foster also treated Captial City fans to a well-rounded performance, recording 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Milak, the Solons’ big man, Milak scored six points and grabbed 13 boards for MHS. And Bridge was also a monster on the glass, hauling down eight rebounds.

“In the second half our lead was anywhere from 10 to 14 (points) until we opened it up at the end,” coach Foster said. “Not that it felt comfortable, but it just felt like one of those games where both teams were playing really hard. U-32 was getting to the rim and scoring at the rum. And we just couldn’t put a big stretch together until the fourth.”

Many of the Solons’ top stars have also excelled for a soccer program that advanced to three straight championships from 2000-22 and won two titles during that span. When conditioning was at a premium in the fourth quarter Friday, coach Foster had complete confidence in his multi-sport standouts’ ability to finish the job.

“We feel really good about our athletes and our stamina – and they’re gamers,” coach Foster said. “There isn’t a game too big that these guys haven’t seen – and not just on the basketball court, but also in soccer and across the board.”

U-32’s top performers were Luke Page (12 points, 13 rebounds, two steals) and Sawyer Mislak (17 points, five rebounds). They received plenty of offensive support from Michael Mallett (nine points, six rebounds), Caelan Zeilenga (nine points) and Aiden Boyd (four assists).

“U-32 has a little bit of a different team with some the same cast of characters as last year,” coach Foster said. “They’re playing well and I’m really impressed with the effort and the attitude that U-32 played with. And I was impressed with the way that we were able to respond with somebody challenging us that way. It was a good night of basketball.”

Montpelier (5-3) will travel to play North Country at 7 p.m. Wednesday. U-32 (3-4) will travel to play Woodstock the same day.

Although Medose was disappointed with Friday’s final outcome, he noted that impressive sportsmanship was a cause for celebration in a rivalry game that has been known to be heated over the past decades.

“The boys all know each other and they play together with AAU and pickup and they see each other around town,” Medose said. “So they were just excited to play and I was proud with the way they competed: Both teams competed with class. Nothing got chippy – and sometimes that can happen in a game like that. There were a lot of hand shakes and high-fives before the game – and that’s a big positive and really good for the community. Coach Nick is a great coach and we’re friends outside of this and our kids played in AAU. We just got tired at the end and Montpelier took the lid off the rim and hit a bunch of 3’s that blew it open. But we competed and rebounded well and I don’t think our guys were intimidated at all.”

BOYS BASKETBALL

Harwood 66, Lyndon 58

LYNDON — The Highlanders proved once again Friday that they possess one of the top starting-five lineups in the Capital Division, but they also relied on their depth during a come-from-behind victory over the Vikings.

“We’re eight games into the season and we’re starting to see real strides with our guys who are coming off the bench, so it’s exciting,” HU coach Jay Bellows said.

Tobey Bellows had another day at the office for HU, piling up 23 points after hitting four 3-pointers. He also grabbed six rebounds, dished out 10 assists and blocked two blocks.

Steele Nelson (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Tucker Buffum (12 points) reached double figures as well in the winning effort. Teammate Teighen Fils-Aime finished with seven points and two assists, while Josh McHugh chipped in with six points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Bryaden Martens (five points, three assists) was another bright spot for the visitors.

“Teighen left the basketball world for a couple years and was the starting goalie for the hockey team,” Harwood coach Jay Bellows said. “He’d been playing basketball his whole life and he came back this year and he’s catching on really quickly. He’s incredibly good at getting to the basket – and he’s getting better every game. And Steele Nelson is also making huge improvements and he’s getting the majority of his points with workmanlike points: huge rebounds and putbacks. Steele also took the ball up the floor a couple times tonight, as did Brayden Martens. And that’s a big deal for us, because Tobey gets double- and triple-teamed a lot.”

Ethan Lussier (23 points) paced LI, while Julian Thraikill hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 12 points in the loss. Brody Mosher scored all eight of his points in the first quarter and fellow Viking Wyatt Mason wound up with seven points. Lyndon led 20-18 after the first quarter before Harwood established a 36-31 halftime lead. The Highlanders were up 49-41 after the third quarter and never looked back against a Vikings squad that flexed its muscles during an early-season victory over U-32.

Harwood (6-2) will travel to play Spaulding at 7 p.m. Monday. Lyndon (2-6) will host Lamoille at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Twinfield-Cabot 50,

Blue Mt. 48

WELLS RIVER — Zepherin Hebert, Sam Russell and Brayden Cushing all hit clutch 3-pointers in the final quarter to lift the Trojans and Huskies to Friday’s come-from-behind victory over the Bucks.

The visitors had been on the losing end of a handful of close games this winter, suffering an 81-71 loss to Proctor during the opening week of the season. Twinfield-Cabot recently endured a 62-60 setback vs. Oxbow and fell short at Vergennes, 54-51. The Trojans and Huskies triumphed Friday despite competing for the entire game without Tej Stewart, Eli Russell, Sam McLane and Thomas Gouge.

“That’s why basketball is a team sport: It gives guys an opportunity to step up,” Trojans and Huskies coach Kris Bador said. “The young guys stepped up and showed that they can play with a talented Blue Mountain team. It felt good to be on the other side of the stick and finally have a close game go our way. We didn’t panic down the stretch and we were able to come out with a two-point win.”

Twinfield-Cabot enjoyed a 12-7 lead after the first quarter before Blue Mountain surged ahead to grab a 23-21 halftime advantage. The third quarter ended with Blue Mountain in front 39-36 and then the Trojans and Huskies peaked during the final minutes.

“They’ve had great energy and they worked really hard this week at practice, even with all the adversity they went through with injuries and the flu,” Bador said. “For some guys, this was a big opportunity to step up and show you belong on the varsity team. And some guys did that, especially Zepherin and Sam Churchill.”

Cushing and Sam Russell scored 15 points apiece, while Churchill contributed eight points and 13 rebounds. Dominic Hale (10 rebounds, three blocks) and Hebert (six points) provided crucial balance in the victory. Kason Blood scored 14 points for the Bucks.

“I’m so happy that the hard work paid off for the boys,” Bador said. “The patience paid off and the consistency paid off. They played for each other tonight and that’s what we’re going to have to do until kids get healthy. They responded in a big way and I couldn’t be prouder.”

Twinfield-Cabot (4-4) will host Craftsbury at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Blue Mountain (3-5) will travel to play Danville the same day.

Thetford 56, Hazen 54

THETFORD — The Panthers prevailed in a nail-biter to spoil the Wildcats’ bid for a perfect season Friday.

Jameson Lamarre and Brendan Moodie scored 15 points apiece for Hazen and teammate Xavier Hill wound up with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

“It was a mixed bag for us,” Wildcats coach Aaron Hill said. “We had a great comeback to take the lead in fourth. But then we had a three-point lead and the ball with 45 seconds left and lost. It was a great game that we can learn from.”

Hazen (5-1) will travel to play Oxbow at 7 p.m. Monday. Thetford (7-0) will travel to play Lake Region at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Lamoille 65, Spaulding 45

HYDE PARK — The Lancers finally got over the .500 mark for the season during Friday’s lopsided victory over the Crimson Tide. Lamoille led 25-9 after the first quarter and was in front 31-24 entering halftime. Spaulding (0-7) will host Harwood at 7 p.m. Monday. Lamoille (4-3) will travel to play Lyndon at 7 p.m. Wednesday.