2023/24 VPA Postseason Recap
The VPA season came to an end last month with four new state champions being crowned. The highest prize in the state went to #1-seed Rice Memorial, as they knocked off #6-seed Burlington 66-63 in the Division I finals, finishing an incredible 21-2 season, claiming the program’s fourth title in five years, and avenging their loss to the same team less than two weeks earlier, also by a score of 66-63.
Many were disappointed when Burlington upset #2-seed Champlain Valley Union in the semifinals, as they had hoped for a rematch of the thrilling 2023 edition of the same finals, in which Rice fell to CVU. However, this big rivalry matchup delivered everything spectators could have hoped for.
Junior wing Abdi Sharif led the Green Knights with a stellar 23 points on 7/12 from the floor, also tallying 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. UVM-commit senior forward Drew Bessette had a big game with 9 points, dominating the paint on both ends with 9 boards and 7 blocks. Following a whopping 15-rebound game in the semifinals, junior forward Grant Cieplicki added 10 points and 9 rebounds. Junior twin guards Owen Eaton and Evan Eaton also came up big, with Owen contributing 12 points to the championship-winning effort.
The big names on the Burlington side were Junior wing Musa Kasanga, who dropped 24 to lead all scorers, as well as freshman guard Pascal Munezero, who added 14, but the combined effort wouldn’t be enough to overcome Head Coach Paul Pecor’s Rice Memorial Green Knights.
In Division II of the VPA, #2-seed Montpelier finished the year with a 21-0 win-streak, despite starting the season 0-3, claiming the program’s fourth consecutive state championship, coming by a score of 58-49 over #1-seed Hartford.
Junior guard Carson Cody and junior forward Atif Milak led Montpelier’s offense with 17 and 16, respectively, with Milak also tallying 5 blocks on the defensive end. Junior guard Kleo Bridge also supported the offensive effort with 13.
VTSU-Lyndon-commit senior guard Christian Hathorn led Hartford in the semifinals with 16, but he was held to only 4 by Montpelier. It was senior wing Sean Dunton and senior wing Brody Tyburski leading the finals charge with 12 and 11, respectively. However, this wasn’t enough, as Head Coach Nick Foster and Montpelier High School emerged victorious.
Following a 20-point comeback in the VPA Division III semifinals, #3-seed Thetford Academy came back from a 10-point early second half deficit to top #1-seed Hazen Union 57-53, claiming the program’s third state title in six years (first since 2020) and avenging their loss just a couple of weeks earlier to Hazen, as well as in the state semifinals last year. This completed a fantastic 21-3 season, which began with an 11-0 run.
The Panthers were led by junior guard Mitchell Parkman, who scored a game-high 22 points, improving from his team-high 19 points in the semifinal loss to Hazen last year. Junior guard Hunter Clay also came up big, scoring 15. Junior guard Dempsey McGovern was another major piece in Thetford’s offensive effort throughout the night, also tallying double figures.
Hazen was led by Capital Division Player of the Year senior guard Xavier Hill, tallying a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, also dishing 5 assists. Junior guard Brendan Moodie also stepped up on the offensive end with 16, but it wouldn’t be enough to survive Head Coach Jason Gray and Thetford Academy.
In Division IV of the VPA, #2-seed Grace Christian knocked off #1-seed Danville 52-41 despite a halftime deficit, completing a dominant 21-3 year and claiming the program’s first state title in just its second full season of basketball.
Senior forward Vojin Cosic captained Grace’s offense, finishing with a game-high 15 points. Senior guard Baran Turan finished with 12 in a clutch performance, and senior guard Danilo Ignjatovic added 10. Senior forward Aleksander Zivanovic also came up big on the glass to contribute to the championship-winning effort for the Lions.
Senior guard Cooper Calkins led the effort for Danville, tying Cosic with a game-high 15 points. Junior guard Andrew Joncas added 10, but it wasn’t enough, as Head Coach Brian Bushee and the Grace Christian Lions ultimately took the trophy.
Stay tuned as we wrap up the state association tournaments tomorrow!
Owen Eaton
Evan Eaton
Drew Bessette