BBA leans on defense to cap perfect season
Toolbox
By Chuck Clarino STAFF WRITER - Published: March 8, 2009
BARRE — Defense was their calling card and the Burr and Burton Bulldogs played it to perfection in posting their 24th straight victory to claim their fourth Division II state championship Saturday at Barre Auditorium.
The second-seeded Bulldogs took command in the second period by holding the top-seeded Lamoille Lancers to two points, weathered a strong fourth-period comeback and emerged with a 51-43 victory to claim their first title since 1986.
Steve Houghton piloted the Bulldogs to that 1986 crown and also the previous one in 1983, while younger brother Jeff Houghton took this team not only to its first title in 23 years but to an undefeated season.
The win capped a tremendous winter for Burr and Burton Academy; the girls hockey team won the state championship, both girls and boys snowboarding teams claimed state titles, while the BBA boys alpine ski team added a state title.
"I still can't wrap my mind around it (24-0)," BBA's Sarah Shehadi said. "I mean, the last time we got here (Barre Auditorium) was 1990 – before any of us were born."
The lead swapped hands seven times with two deadlocks in the first period but neither team could bust loose as the period ended at 14-14.
But when Jenna Hoffman sank two foul shots at 6:44 it gave the Bulldogs a 16-14 lead and triggered a run of six points that was halted by a pair of free throws by Rachel Wellman. But the points by Wellman at 2:47 ended up being the only two points of the period, while BBA ran off the final five points to take a 24-16 lead into the locker room.
But the defense did more than stymie what has been a potent offense Lamoille offense, it frustrated the Lancers and took them out of what they were trying to do.
"Our coach loves defense so we play it hard," said Hoffman, a sophomore point guard who calmly ran the Bulldog offense and served as a key defender in the active Bulldog defense. "He tells us that defense comes from our hearts and we really wanted it."
Desire was a key component in the Bulldog game plan and no one displayed it more than junior center Logan Cavanaugh, who pumped in 12 points and was key along with Sawyer DeVries and Tyler Johnson at cleaning up the rebounds.
Hoffman led the Bulldogs with 15 points, while Nina Shehadi added 10.
Chelsea Dunham paced the Lancers with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
BBA's hot hand continued in the third period. Leading 26-20, the Bulldogs reeled off 10 points with four different players scoring. That bumped the lead to 36-20 and BBA was soaring.
"This has been a magical year," BBA assistant coach Ed Panzarino said. "I mean we've had nine different high scorers and what can you say about that? If you shut somebody down, somebody else pops up – you can't shut everybody down."
But this was Lamoille's third-consecutive championship game appearance – Lamollie last won the crown in 2007 – so the Lancers know the pressure of the Barre Auditorium first-hand and they responded.
After Nina Shehadi sunk a jumper at 1:52 of the third to make the score 38-22, the Lancers embarked on a run.
Lamoille finished the third with six straight points scored by 6-foot-1 pivot Dunham and the sophomore continued to sizzle in the fourth when she scored on back-to-back turnaround jumpers. Two buckets by Wellman coupled with BBA turnovers and fouls brought the Lancers back to 38-33 with 5:26 to go.
"We talked about push and that they were going to go on a run – they're No. 1 in the state before today; I knew they would come back at us," Houghton said. "I knew we could bend a little bit but not break. I knew they had a run in them but we had to weather it."
With plenty of time left, the Bulldogs offense seemed snake-bit and Burr and Burton was teetering on the brink of losing a huge lead.
But Abby Marsh sunk a jumper off the dribble at 5:01 and then she followed a Wellman hoop with another jumper, which quieted the Lancer run.
"In the first half they seemed to get all the 50-50 balls; it's all about possession," Lamoille coach Tim Messier said. "When we made our run, we got all those 50-50 balls. It was a great game but anybody who has watched the game of basketball knows that if you don't get over that hump … The Marsh girl hit a jumper and that was the back-breaker."
In the end, it was Hoffman – who was 11-of-11 from the foul line – and her mates' ability to hit just enough foul shots (7-of-12 down the stretch) that sealed the win.
And the defense, which allowed only seven points in the final four minutes, which made the difference.
"We knew defense was going to win, bottom line," said Houghton while the Bulldogs cut down the nets. "It's hard to hold them down but Sarah Shehadi and Jenna Hoffman did an unbelievable job on Rachel Wellman (who is heading to UVM to play basketball). We took them out of the game in the first half and damn good athletes that they, are they came right back at us."
With only a handful of seconds on the clock and the Bulldogs assured of the win, the huge student section that was all decked out in green and gold began to chant "undefeated … undefeated."
"You know we never once talked about going undefeated until this very game," Houghton said. "It's quite a feeling."
chuck.clarino@rutlandherald.com
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