FOURTH QUARTER RALLY … Cohen Hulbert puts up a shot in the second half after drawing contact. Hulbert had 14 points on the night, including five in the fourth quarter as the Bombers rallied to beat Montpelier 54-48. (PHOTO BY RICH HARDING / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
EDON (January 4, 2024) – In a game of runs, it was Edon that made the last one by going 7/12 from the floor and 7/10 at the foul line in a 21-point fourth quarter as they opened BBC play with a 54-48 win over Montpelier.
Edon started strong with a 5-0 spurt in the first quarter to take an 8-3 lead after an early 3-3 tie. The teams exchanged triples to end the frame with Edon’s Peyton Trausch hitting his second of the quarter and Hayden Sharps answered with one for the Locos to trim the Edon lead to 13-12.
Edon opened the second quarter with an 11-1 run led by eight points from Briggs Gallehue and another three ball by Trausch to increase the lead to 24-13.
After a bucket from Cohen Hulbert made it 26-18, Montpelier ended the half with six straight points as Drake Sommer, Grant Girrell, and Kenneth Smeltzer each had field goals to cut the Edon lead to 26-24 at the half.
The Montpelier surge continued to start the second half with James Camper burying a three-pointer from the right wing to give Montpelier a 27-26 lead.
The Locos lead expanded to 33-26 as Smeltzer scored twice and Brayden Brink had an offensive rebound bucket off his own miss with 4:54 left in the third.
A Hulbert free throw stopped the dry spell for the Bombers followed by a score from Max Radabaugh and a trey by Trausch as the Montpelier lead was 38-33 going to the fourth quarter.
Girrell started the final stanza with a put back before Edon ripped off a 7-0 run thanks to a three-point play by Gallehue, another bucket by Gallehue and Radabaugh got open inside for a layup to make it 40-40 with 6:38 remaining.
A Trausch field goal gave Edon the lead at 42-40, but a foul line jumper by Sharps tied the game again and Sommer would then add his third bucket of the half to put the Locos back ahead 44-42.
Radabaugh scored for Edon to deadlock the game at 44 and a three-point play by Hulbert after a Montpelier turnover gave the Bombers a 47-44 lead.
Smeltzer would get a hoop and some harm but couldn’t hit the free throw to complete the three-point play thus keeping the Edon lead at 47-46.
Edon then closed the game with a 7-2 spurt as Hulbert scored on an offensive rebound and the Bombers went 5/8 at the charity stripe over the final 47.8 seconds to wrap up the win.
Five players accounted for the Edon scoring with three in double figures fronted by Trausch and Gallehue with 15 points apiece and Hulbert added 14.
Smeltzer had 16 to lead the Locos who hit on 51% of their shots from the floor but were hampered by 20 turnovers.
MONTPELIER (48) – Saneholtz 0; Sommer 6; Sharps 6; Camper 6; Girrell 8; Martin 0; Cooley 0; Brink 6; Smeltzer 16; Totals: 18-3-3 – 48
EDON (54) – Chrisman 2; Radabaugh 8; Owens 0; Trausch 15; Gallehue 15; Hulbert 14; Reed 0; Totals: 11-7-11 – 54
MONTPELIER 12 12 14 10 – 48
EDON 13 13 7 21 – 54
JUNIOR VARSITY: Montpelier, 44-32
GAME STATISTICS
MONTPELIER: FG – 21/41 (51%); FT – 3/11 (28%); Rebounds: 27 (6 offensive); Turnovers: 20; EDON: FG – 18/55 (32%); FT – 11/19 (58%); Rebounds: 23 (8 offensive); Turnovers: 14