D-I quarterfinals: Defending champ CVU holds off BFA in OT, Burlington pulls off upset
Champlain Valley Union High School boys basketball coach Mike Osborne has pleaded with Colby Morehouse to be more aggressive on offense this winter.
"We’ve been asking him to be a little more offensive-minded and shot-ready all year long," Osborne said.
The senior pulled the trigger on Friday night.
Morehouse's fourth 3-pointer broke a deadlock in overtime and sent the defending champion and second-seeded Redhawks back to the Division I Final Four with a hard-fought, 50-48 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 BFA-St. Albans.
Finding just enough space off Tucker Tharpe's high screen, Morehouse rose for his go-ahead shot with about 90 second to go in the four-minute extra period for a 44-41 lead. Kyle Eaton sealed the win at the foul line with a 4-for-4 effort in the final 30 seconds.
"(The BFA player) went under the screen and I was like, 'I'm open and I'm going to shoot it,'" Morehouse said. "I had already made three, I was feeling it. I let it fly."
More: Vermont H.S. playoff scores for Friday, Feb. 23: See how your favorite team fared
Tharpe and Eaton paced CVU (18-3) with 13 points apiece. Morehouse finished with 12 points, all on 3-pointers, to guide the Redhawks to their fifth straight semifinals appearance.
CVU will meet No. 6 Burlington on Monday night at Patrick Gym.
[See below for details on Burlington's quarterfinal victory].
Will Hughes (14 points), Gabe Howrigan (12 points) and Brady Cutting (11 points) reached double figures for the Bobwhites (11-11), who lost in the semifinals to CVU last year.
"I told the boys, 'We don’t have the glory of making it to Patrick, but this was a Patrick matchup.' This was the most competitive we’ve been with a team of this tier probably in my time here," BFA coach Tristan Menard said. "I can’t say enough about how the guys battled and executed. We just came up a little short."
Swept by CVU during the regular season including a 72-37 defeat on the Hinesburg floor earlier this month, the Bobwhites came out firing. BFA drilled three 3s and relied on a steady diet of cuts and screens to create inside to build an 18-9 advantage late in the first quarter.
"I thought the boys came out with tremendous energy and effort from the get-go," Menard said.
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CVU adjusted in the second quarter — reserve forward Nik Blasius' playing time increased over the course of 32 minutes because of his defensive work — and held BFA to just one field goal in the frame to grab a 25-23 halftime advantage.
"It was a tough game and we knew it was going to be a battle," Morehouse said. "They are an aggressive team and strong team."
Ahead 31-29 after three quarters, CVU's margin grew to as many as five points early in the fourth before the Bobwhites reestablished their rhythm from the opening quarter. Howrigan knocked down a key trey and Justin Munger's block at the rim led to Cutting's transition bucket to draw within one.
After the teams traded leads for several possessions, Hughes tied the game at 41 after going 1 of 1 at the foul line. BFA then had possession for the final minute-plus of regulation, exhausting multiple timeouts, but couldn't get a good look against CVU's composed defense.
"The fact that it was that long of a defensive stand, the fact that it was a number of guys shutting off drives — that’s how you advance (in the playoffs)," Osborne said. "That’s how you get it done."
In OT, Blasius drew a charge on Reed Stygles' drive — the basket was waved off — and, seconds later, Morehouse rose for his 3-point splash.
"I'm proud of the guys for staying disciplined and not trying to do too much in those moments," Osborne said.
With fan support, Burlington storms to Final Four berth
Burlington organized a fan bus for the boys basketball team's trip to St. Johnsbury for Friday's Division I quarterfinals. Among the cheering section for the Seahorses? Players from the girls basketball program.
The long ride ended up paying off.
The sixth-seeded Seahorses pulled away behind Musa Kasanga's 21 points and one thunderous dunk early in the fourth quarter to snag the upset, 70-58, over No. 3 St. Johnsbury, booking the program's first Final Four bid in seven years and their 51st overall.
"It was a crazy one, for sure. The kids really wanted it," Seahorses coach B.J. Robertson said when reached by phone on the bus ride back to Burlington. "We believed in each other."
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Burlington jumped to a 20-13 advantage after the first quarter. St. Johnsbury countered and only trailed 33-32 at the break, but saw one of its stars, Rex Hauser, saddled with four first-half fouls.
The teams traded high-quality makes for much of the third before BHS inched in front 51-46 by the end of the frame. In the fourth, Kasanga's slam gave BHS a 55-46 margin with about seven minutes to play.
The BHS advantage did not drop to one possession the rest of the way.
"I told the guys to trust the process," Roberston said. "I think over the course of the game we were able to wear them down."
After dealing with sustained injuries for several key players earlier this winter, youthful BHS became whole several weeks ago and have started to gel and understand roles. The Seahorses are riding a season-high five-game winning streak.
"With our guys being healthy and everything buying in, this is what we’ve been working on all year," said Robertson, a former BHS star. "Our guys believe even more that we can get to the finals and win the whole thing."
Henry Tornwini added 10 points for BHS (13-9). Harry Geng dropped 30 points and Aidan Brody tossed in 10 for the Hilltoppers (15-6).
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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VT H.S. basketball: CVU survives in OT, BHS upsets St. Johnsbury
