BARRE-There may have been little joy from the last time the Rivendell Raptors played at the Barre Auditorium. But there were plenty of lessons to be learned from the defeat against Blue Mountain. 

And if there was ever a night to prove the change, it was tonight. The Raptors ripped through the Danville defense with a lethal inside game and dominated all four quarters with a laser-focused effort to reach their first state final in eight years. 

A furious first quarter of action laid clear the strategies of both teams. Despite Rivendell staying on the front foot thanks to interior buckets from Josiah Welch and Jacoby Patterson, Danville’s Christian Young was able to keep his Bears in the game thanks to a pair of triples, holding the lead at just four points entering the second quarter.

Rivendell’s glass-cleaning trio of Welch, Ashton Pierson and Harry Molesworth made their mark in the second frame, with each creating multiple possessions for the Raptors against an outmatched Danville frontcourt. Molesworth was especially successful, using his massive wingspan and vertical jumping ability to out rebound the entire Bears team himself in the half. Another sequence of offensive rebounding finished with a close-range Molesworth bucket ended the half with the Raptors leading 28-19. 

After a first half owned by the largest Raptors on the floor, it would be the smallest Raptor’s turn to take over the game in the third quarter. Jacoby Patterson scored 11 points and added 2 assists in the quarter, using his quickness and body control to knife through the Bears defense and finish over larger players. But even with the Raptor assault, Danville stayed within single digits thanks to a trio of three-pointers and sliced a point off the deficit entering the final frame. 

Like the 2022 semifinal, the Raptors quickly scored to open a double-digit advantage seconds into the fourth quarter. But the similarities would stop there. Instead, the Raptors pushed their advantage further with a 14-4 run in the first 4 minutes of the quarter as the outside shooting of Danville went ice-cold, effectively ending the game. Some final shots from the line would add a bit more distance as both sides removed their starters with a minute to go, allowing the players to get one final ovation. 

Rivendell finished with a season-high 54 rebounds, led by Molesworth and Pierson with 21 and 14, respectively. Jacoby Patterson lead all scorers with 21 points. “Running the floor…hitting my teammates….it all just worked tonight.” Patterson said post-game. 

The Danville duo of Joncas and Young scored 31 of their team’s 49 points, including 5 three-pointers. Patterson praised Joncas post-game, noting: “He’s a really good player….great shooter and tough to cover when he dribbles.” 

Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins praised his team’s rebounding effort, pointing to the play of his trio of senior forwards as the key factor. “Harry, Ashton, Josiah….they really wanted this one tonight and they showed it on the glass.” 

The Raptors face Mid Vermont Christian in the championship game on Saturday. The two teams met in a pre-season scrimmage that ended in a tie. 

“They’re a very good team, very well coached, with a lot of good players,” said Perkins. “We have a lot of work to do.” 

ORFORD- The Rivendell Raptors have often needed gritty, low scoring efforts to get them past their quarterfinal opponents. With the playoff intensity, it can only be expected that the offenses will slow and turnovers abound come postseason time. 

Not tonight. 

The Raptors increased their advantage for each of the first three quarters, running the Rebels out of the gym with a complete team effort to punch their ticket to the Barre Auditorium for the second straight year.

After a sloppy start featuring a succession of missed layups, the Raptors started to click offensively scoring eight straight points in the paint to force Leland and Gray coach Luis Vargas to call timeout. The lead stretched to as much as 11 points on a flying layup from Josiah Welch with just a minute to play, but a Trevor Stillwagon putback and-1 kept the deficit only in single digits entering the second quarter. 

Any chance of a close game evaporated in the second quarter, however. After Alex Parker-Jennings opened the scoring with a slick reverse layup, the Raptors ran off a 13-2 burst highlighted by a pair of triples from Ashton Pierson to jump far ahead. Free throws from the Rebels would break the run slightly, but a big and-1 from Josh Gould and a free throw from Luke Avery stretched the lead past 20 entering the halftime break. 

The third quarter would be dominated by Finn O’Donnell, as the bouncy junior poured in nine of his thirteen points as the Raptors extended their advantage despite a stronger quarter from the Rebels. “Pace is a big thing in this game….I tried to play with pace tonight and it really helped me.” said O’Donnell of his scoring performance. A final bucket from Ashton Pierson stretched the lead to 27 entering the final frame. 

The final quarter turned out to be the best of the night for the Rebels, who nearly matched their three-quarter total with a 22-point outburst. But the Raptors responded with solid shooting from the line and a few interior buckets to ultimately seal a misleading 20-point victory. 

Four Raptors reached double figures, with O’Donnell leading the pack with 13 points followed by Ashton Pierson and Harry Molesworth with 12 each. Pierson added 11 boards in a 

double-double performance. 

With the win, the Raptors move on to the state semifinals at the Barre Auditorium for a second straight year and third time in four years. “It’s amazing,” said Ashton Pierson. “...three out of four years is awesome. Ended up in the right place.” 

Rivendell coach Andy Perkins’ message after reaching the Barre Auditorium in his first year coaching at the varsity level was one of gratitude. “Athletic director Jamie Bourn….head coach Ross Convertino….and especially my wife. Basketball spouses are the real MVP- a lot of late nights.” 

The Raptors advance to face Danville on Wednesday night. “A lot of film to watch on that one,” said O’Donnell. “They’re a very good team but we’ll be ready .” 

Tip-Ins: Former Rivendell head coach Ross Convertino was in attendance….A season-record crowd of over 200 people filled the Rivendell gym, the largest since the 2019-20 season….Rivendell’s top scorer Jacoby Patterson was held without a make from the field….Rivendell has never faced Danville in a tournament game.

WESTMINSTER- With the score tied entering the 4th quarter of Rivendell’s matchup with Bellows Falls, Bellows Falls coach Evan Chadwick could be overheard telling his team in the huddle: “It doesn’t get much better than this. This is what you dream about.”. And in many ways, it was. A tied game in front of a raucous home crowd with massive playoff implications and revenge on the Raptors at hand? What better. 

It was until the quarter started. Rivendell turned the dream night to a nightmare, blowing the game open with a 12-2 run and pulling away with repeated two-way brilliance for a double-digit win. 

After a back-and-forth first half closed by a buzzer-beating triple from Bellows Falls guard Jamison Nystrom, the Terriers took a three point lead into the break. Another three-pointer from Cole Moore to open the third quarter would stretch the lead to six and seemingly put the Raptors on the ropes. But as they’ve done before, the Raptors found an answer, running off seven straight points to take the lead before an unlucky bounce in the dying seconds of the quarter gave the Terriers the tying bucket entering the fourth quarter. 

But in this fourth quarter, the script would quickly flip. Jacoby Patterson spun free of his defender and laid the ball in to break the tie before Ashton Pierson took over the game. The senior forward was all over the glass to score a tough putback before stepping outside and nailing a rare three-pointer to stretch the Raptor lead to seven. After a Colby Dearborn layup broke the run, Harry Molesworth would take his opportunity in the clutch well, sprinting the floor to find Patterson for an and-1 bucket before swooping by two Bellows Falls defenders with a beautiful reverse layup. With his team suddenly on the back foot, coach Chadwick would call a timeout to look for answers, but none such could be found. Despite the Terriers best efforts, they found themselves flummoxed by an energized Raptor defense and could not pull anywhere closer than six points. Two final buckets from Patterson and Finn O’Donnell would put the game out of reach as the Raptors closed out the win and their regular season with it. 

Patterson scored 18 points to lead the Raptors. O’Donnell followed with 12 points, while Harry Molesworth posted 9 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks. 

“Hard-nosed defense has been the key to it all.” said Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins post-game. “The offense takes care of itself, but if the defense works then we can be a real good team.” 

“My teammates really kept my head in that one.” said O’Donnell of his late-game heroics. “I was not having the best game but they kept me in it. I love my teammates, man.” 

Rivendell had already secured the #2 seed in the playoffs prior to the matchup. They will find their opponent when the playoff bracket is announced on Sunday. 

“We have four practices,” said Perkins. “We have to work hard and keep this going.”

Tip-Ins: Rivendell has defeated Bellows Falls 5 consecutive times since the Terriers defeated them in January 2020….Rivendell completes their eighth season with more than 15 wins in program history….Behind a career-high 12 points from Toren King, the JV squad won their matchup to finish the season at 13-3….Rivendell captures a second consecutive SVL-C title with the win.

ORFORD- After Rivendell defeated Leland & Gray on February 7, Rivendell coach Andy Perkins noted “At this point of the season, they don’t give out style points.” 

And against White River Valley, there were few to be won on either side. Nevertheless, the Raptors made just enough plays on the defensive end and in transition to secure a massive win in the playoff race in front of a large crowd. 

After trading free-throws to start the night leading 3-1, the Raptors ran off 8 straight points to crack open a double-digit lead with over half the quarter to go. But from there, the first of many mistakes reared their head as the Raptor offense went silent for the rest of the period, failing to capitalize against a shell-shocked opponent. Instead, more free-throws from the Wildcats would cut the lead to 7 entering the second quarter. 

Neither offense could do much against a tough opposing defense for the entire period, as Rivendell could only produce 6 points despite a series of marathon possessions compared to White River Valley’s 7 points. As such, the Raptors led just 17-11 at halftime. 

The Rivendell offense finally showed signs of life in the 3rd quarter, as after a solo 5-0 run from Harry Molesworth stretched the lead back up to double digits the game seemed to be turning. A Jacoby Patterson layup would push the lead to 13 points as the elated crowd readied for the finishing blow, but the Wildcats had another answer. A three-pointer from Tattin Griffin combined with two tough runners from Zander Clark would return the Raptors to just where they started the quarter- leading by 6 with a surging opponent behind them. 

The final quarter would become a physical battle of fouls and stamina as both offenses finally showed life. While the Wildcat offense frequently cut the deficit to just 6 or 7, Rivendell always seemed to find an answer of their own despite surprisingly poor shooting from the line. One final make at the line from Jacoby Patterson would close a satisfying, if aesthetically unpleasing win for the Raptors. 

Harry Molesworth led the Raptors with 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Jacoby Patterson followed with 10. “Harry is a rebounding monster,” Rivendell AD Jamie Bourn said post-game. “Hasn’t been a team we’ve seen this year that can keep him off the glass.” 

“Really pleased with the defensive effort tonight.” said Rivendell Coach Andy Perkins. “We knew from the last time we played them that we needed to fix that….and we did tonight.” 

“We saw a weakness in the middle of their zone….used that in the second half” said Molesworth of the team’s offensive performance. 

Rivendell finish the regular season at Bellows Falls on Friday. 

Tip-Ins: Patterson’s streak of 17 games with a made 3-pointer ended….13 points from Gabe Wright-Swaine led the JV squad to a comfortable win….Rivendell students wore synchronized t-shirts….Rivendell secured the second seed in the upcoming playoffs with the win….Rivendell have now held their opponents below 40 points for 4 straight games....Many Rivendell alumni were in attendance, including academic All-Star and JV legend Cody Armitage.

CHESTER- When asked what needed to improve after Rivendell’s win over Leland & Gray on Tuesday, Carter Bacon had just one thing to say. “We need to finish games, put away teams that we have a lead on them.” the junior guard said. 

And tonight, the Raptors met that goal. After allowing an early lead to dwindle to a worryingly close margin, the team responded with a crushing defensive performance to cruise to a blowout win on the road. 

After building a quick 9-2 lead on the back of baskets from Harry Molesworth, Finn O’Donnell and Ashton Pierson, the Raptors seemed to have full control as Green Mountain called their first timeout of the night. But coming out of the timeout, the Chiefs swung the momentum their way. A pair of threes from Caleb Merrow would cut the lead in half as the Rivendell offense slowed, making just one more bucket in the quarter and only leading 17-9 despite seeming the stronger team.  

The second quarter would continue the upward trend for Green Mountain as despite Rivendell’s offense performing better, the young Chiefs could keep pace and even cut further into the lead. With just over 4 minutes left in the quarter, Merrow’s third triple of the half sliced the lead to just 6 and sent Rivendell to a timeout searching for answers. 

The answer would once again be Carter Bacon. The junior knocked down a three from the wing to restore the nine-point cushion before another triple from Patterson pushed the lead to double digits. The Rivendell defense would also aid in the run, forcing tough shots and turnovers as the Chieftains struggled to get much of anything going in what would turn out to be a 9-0 run entering the half.

If the third quarter was supposed to provide an answer for the Chiefs offensive woes, it never arrived. A dominant Rivendell performance held them to just 4 points in the frame while the Raptor offense found open shot after open shot against a tired defense. While the quarter could have been worse on account of a series of missed shots, the 14-4 margin opened a near-insurmountable lead for the Raptors entering the final frame. 

Despite removing their starting lineup, the Raptors would continue to dominate the final frame, holding their opponents to just 6 points to close out an impressive win. 

“It’s a good win for us, especially on the road….removing turnovers and upping the intensity really helped.” said Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins after the game. 

Finn O’Donnell lead all scorers with 15 points. Harry Molesworth finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 7 assists in just 18 minutes of action. “Teammates helped out,” Molesworth said of his night. “Just all-around good play.” Caleb Merrow lead Green Mountain with 9 points.

The Raptors return to action on Monday night when they host Twin Valley. “I’d like to see us play a little more up-tempo,” said Perkins. “I think that’d help us a lot.” 

Tip-Ins: Green Mountain were without preseason all-league selection Eben Mosher due to a knee injury….17 assists marks a new season high for the Raptors….20 points from Gabe Wright-Swaine led the JV team to a thrilling, come-from-behind win….Molesworth recorded his first dunk of the season in the third quarter….Rivendell moves to first in the SVL-C with the win. 

WILMINGTON- Saturday was one of Vermont’s coldest days in recent memory. 

And for much of their game against the Twin Valley, it seemed that the Rivendell Raptors were frozen. Turnovers, missed shots and miscommunications left the Raptors unable to pull away from the underdog Wildcats, leaving them far from the standard of play fans had grown accustomed to. But in the end, Rivendell were able to string together enough shots and stops to notch a solid, if disappointing victory. 

Rivendell started well, scoring on each of their first two possessions and forcing turnovers from the young Twin Valley squad. But after a Wildcat timeout, Rivendell would find their attempts to extend the lead fall short as Twin Valley eliminated mistakes on offense and forced five first-quarter turnovers to stay within just 3 points at the end of the frame. 

Rivendell would wake a bit in the second quarter as Twin Valley’s offense ground to a halt in the face of an energized defense led by Ashton Pierson. “Ashton was really good for us today,” Rivendell assistant Cole Stever said post-game. “(He) played great defense, rebounded well and took smart shots.”  But despite the defensive effort, the offense remained in a rut, hampered by seven more turnovers including three offensive fouls that kept Twin Valley firmly in the rear-view mirror. Finally, a rainbowing three-pointer from Derek Vogelien and a close jumper from Finn O’Donnell would extend the lead to eight for the Raptors, where it would stay entering the half after a missed layup at the buzzer. 

Jacoby Patterson would finally heat up in the second half nailing a pair of three-pointers as part of a 13-3 run to open the third quarter that would finally put the game out of reach. A one-man run from Josh Gould at the start of the fourth quarter would push the lead to 20 points, where it would stay as both teams played out the stretch with their reserves to reach the final score. 

Finn O’Donnell would lead the Raptors with 11 points alongside 8 rebounds. Cody Mangnant would lead all scorers with 12 points. Rivendell recorded a season-high 13 assists. 

“The long bus ride contributed to a slow start but we stuck through it and worked as a team to get over it.” said Luke Avery post-game. 

Rivendell will host Leland & Gray on Tuesday. 

Tip-Ins: The 2-hour, 10-minute bus ride is the longest Rivendell face all season….20-point games from Gabe Wright-Swaine and Liam Welch led the JV team to a blowout win….Rivendell’s 77% mark from the freethrow line was the highest of the season….After back-to-back games with over 15 rebounds, Harry Molesworth only recorded 3 rebounds in 18 minutes of action….all 11 rostered Rivendell players saw floor time in the win. 

ORFORD- The Rivendell Raptors entered the Saturday matchup with Bellows Falls having not played a game in 18 days, and for the first six minutes of the game, it certainly seemed that way. 

It’s a good thing high school games are 32 minutes, then. Rivendell found their way back into the match and held on from the second quarter onward in a gutsy, convincing win.  

From the opening tip, it was clear that the Terriers wanted to impose their physicality on the game and in the opening minutes, they did so successfully. After a back-and-forth start with buckets from both teams' stars, it was Bellows Falls who got into a rhythm, suffocating the Raptors on defense and getting big points from Jamison Nystrom. The senior guard nailed a pair of tough midrange jumpers as a 10-0 run pushed Rivendell to use their first timeout, searching for answers. 

Rivendell would indeed find two answers out of the timeout. The first was obvious: Jacoby Patterson started to heat up. A three-pointer and an underhand flip for a layup would take a chunk out of the Terrier lead, but at this point the second answer kicked in- free throws. A succession of fouls from Bellows Falls would send multiple Raptors to the line as the Terrier offense sputtered, leaving the teams just three points apart after a quarter of action.  

A dead-ball technical foul and two subsequent made free throws would cut the Bellows Falls lead to just three before a slick layup by Patterson gave the Raptors their first lead of the night. The two guards would trade buckets from there as the lead would swing from team to team for the opening minutes of the quarter. A brilliant sequence from Patterson would finally break the deadlock, as a stolen inbounds pass and layup would open the floodgates for a big Rivendell run that pushed the lead to double figures. Patterson would close the half with a layup through three defenders as the lead stretched to 12 points at intermission. 

The third quarter would feature more magic from Nystrom, but Rivendell always seemed to have an answer. Despite several tough buckets from the guard and perfect shooting from the line, key buckets from Ashton Pierson and accurate free throw shooting from Patterson would render a two-point change in the deficit for all of Bellows Falls’s efforts. 

The fourth quarter would see the game’s physical nature fully transform to a war of attrition, with the teams combining for 27 free throw attempts in the period. A pair of free throws from Nystrom to cut the lead to six with 4:30 remaining would bring the Terriers the closest they’d come all night, but several neat end-to-end sequences and great free throw shooting from Rivendell would close out a somewhat misleading 14 point win. 

Jacoby Patterson led all scorers with a career-high 29 points. Harry Molesworth followed him with 11 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks. 

Jamison Nystrom led Bellows Falls with 27 points. “He’s really tough to match up with…can shoot, handle the ball.” said Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins of the guard’s performance. 

On his career night, Patterson credited hustle and outside shooting as the reasons behind his point total. “Got to the basket a lot…my teammates really helped” he said post game. 

Players and coach alike agreed that free throw shooting was the major area for improvement. “Maybe we should take 60 each!” joked Finn O’Donnell post game. 

Rivendell return to action on February 2nd against White River Valley. 

Tip-Ins: Rivendell went 27 of 46 at the line compared to Bellows Falls going 21 of 26….Inappropriate fan behavior led several fans on the Bellows Falls side to be ejected….Robert McNelly led the JV team to a thrilling victory with 22 points….Molesworth has recorded 15 or more rebounds in 3 of his last 4 games….Rivendell moves to the top of the SVL-C with the win. 

TOWNSHEND- After two straight blowout wins, it could be assumed the Rivendell Raptors would cruise past a weaker Leland and Gray squad. From just the surface score, it would seem that way. But it was a less smooth affair as the final score showed, as the Raptors had to pull away from an excellent Rebel offensive performance to reach the convincing final score.  

It was an uncharacteristic stumble out of the gate for Rivendell, as smooth midrange shooting from Leland and Gray and a disorganized 2-3 zone defense put the Raptors in a 6-2 hole just 90 seconds into the game. Even as Rivendell’s offense began to kick into gear, consistent great possessions had the Rebels leading 12-9 after an Alex Parker-Jennings floater through the quarter. “We came out very flat,” Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins said. “We tried a (2-3) zone and it obviously didn’t work.” 

But things would start to swing on the defensive end as Rivendell switched to their traditional Man-to-Man look, while Harry Molesworth would change the game almost on his own on the offensive end. The senior forward took full advantage of his matchup to dominate the paint, scoring back-to-back buckets to give Rivendell their first lead of the night. Josiah Welch would quickly follow with an interior bucket of his own as a 6-0 surge pushed the Raptors well ahead. A late bucket from the Rebels would cut the lead to just 3 ending the quarter, but with all the advantage going to Rivendell. 

The second quarter would start with more interior buckets for the Raptors, as their dribble motion offense created lanes to the hoop for Molesworth and Finn O’Donnell to take full advantage of. A high-flying Derek Vogelien layup would push the lead to double digits, as the Raptors matched every Leland and Gray bucket with two or three of their own. Another burst would force a switch to a zone defense for the Rebels, which Jacoby Patterson would take full advantage of to nail an easy corner three on the first possession after the switch. A late Molesworth shot to push the Raptor advantage to 15 would be blocked, and the first half closed with Rivendell up 38-25.

The third quarter would find a fervent Leland and Gray fightback attempt dismantled by a clicking Raptor offense, as despite the Rebels scoring their highest total of the night, they left the quarter trailing by even more. A trio of Rivendell threes, including a rare distance shot from Josiah Welch, would prove to be the difference as the quarter ended 58-40. 

An early O’Donnell layup would stretch the lead to 20 just seconds into the period as an exhausted Rebel squad finally ran out of gas. After such a hectic pace, both offenses would finally slow as the teams coasted to a 69-48 final score. 

Jacoby Patterson continued his 6-game run as the team’s highest scorer with an 18 point outing. Harry Molesworth would follow with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 3 quarters of action. Alex Parker-Jennings would lead the Rebels with 18 points. 

Patterson was pleased with the team’s ball movement post-game, noting the team’s unselfishness with the ball throughout their performance. Coach Perkins agreed, crediting “a few great live practices” as the reason behind the team’s performance. 

Rivendell returns to action against Springfield on Friday. “Defensively, we have to improve,” said Perkins on changes the teams had to make ahead of the matchup. “It’ll be a tough test.” 

Tip-Ins: Rivendell finished with a season-low 6 turnovers….The senior class moves a win in Orford away from completing a 8-0 run over the Rebels for their high school careers….Gabe Wright-Swaine scored 16 points to lead the Junior Varsity to a blowout win….he declined to comment on his career-high performance….Rivendell finished with four players in double figures.

BRADFORD- There was a festive atmosphere in the Garone Gymnasium as the Oxbow Olympians warmed up against the Rivendell Raptors. Sure, the team may have been 1-6, but rival Rivendell were in town and looking weaker than they had in many a year. The energy in the building was palpable as the tipoff approached. 

Then the game happened. Rivendell turned the festive atmosphere into a funeral, smothering the O’s on defense and lacerating the team in transition for a blowout win.  

From the opening tip-off, it was clear that Rivendell had a definitive advantage in speed, as Derek Vogelien took the tip straight to the basket to give the Raptors the lead just seconds in. Jacoby Patterson would nail a three and Finn O’Donnell would knife through the defense for a layup on Rivendell’s next two possessions to put the Raptors up 7 just two minutes in and silence the large crowd. The Olympian offense was lifeless, struggling to solve the aggressive man-to-man defense and unable to get anything on the offensive glass against Harry Molesworth. A Molesworth layup in transition would push the Raptor advantage to 9, forcing Oxbow to call timeout to stop the bleeding. But like the Raptors last game against Blue Mountain, no remedy could be found. A wide-open Patterson three would stretch the lead to double digits before Reece Isley scored Oxbow’s first points of the night from the freethrow line. Another Oxbow bucket would seem to trim the lead to just 10 at the end of the first, but Derek Vogelien flew up the floor in response and found Harry Molesworth for a lay-in to end the first quarter with a score of 16-4. 

A Vogelien steal and score would stretch the lead to 15 as the period opened, but Oxbow would finally find a bit of a groove after that. A Zavian Walton three-pointer followed by a Chase Lund pull-up would cut into the Raptor lead, and lead to some nerves creeping in for Rivendell. But just as the game seemed to be turning, a bone-headed mistake by Walton gifted Josiah Welch a layup, and from there Rivendell would dominate. Unselfish ball movement in transition would create easy buckets for Ashton Pierson and Carter Bacon, all the while Oxbow continued to struggle from the floor. The defining sequence of the game would come just before halftime when after hitting his third three-pointer of the night, Patterson would steal the inbounding pass and convert the layup to push Rivendell’s lead to 20. 

Unlike the meeting with Blue Mountain, there would be no rally found in the second half for Oxbow. Instead, it would be more brilliant Rivendell passing spearheaded by Derek Vogelien that compounded the deficit. The third frame also featured a notable uptick in chippy play, as the frustrated Oxbow players and fans began to get upset at the team’s poor performance and targeted Rivendell players with their anger. Derek Vogelien would receive a technical foul for responding to the Oxbow crowd in what would be the most notable point of contention. Rivendell would end the period on a 12-0 surge, highlighted by back-to-back threes from Ashton Pierson and Finn O’Donnell, to enter the 4th quarter up 60-24. 

No mercy would be shown in the final frame, either, as Rivendell pushed the lead to 50 points and held Oxbow scoreless for nearly 6 minutes before letting off the gas to reach the final score. 

Jacoby Patterson led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on 77% shooting. Derek Vogelien followed with 13 points in a balanced scoring night that saw four Raptors reach double figures. Harry Molesworth hauled in 18 rebounds in a career high performance. 

“They left me open again,” Patterson said after his career night. “They never learned and neither did BMU.” 

“Our ball movement was a focus in practice, and we showed that tonight.” added Vogelien, name-dropping several famous passing teams the Raptors emulated. He was surprised by his technical foul, stating he’d never seen anyone receive one for an offense like that before. 

Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins was also elated, praising the “complete team game” from his squad. “Practices have been really good and really high-focus”, he noted post-game, also crediting the strong play of Harry Molesworth and Jacoby Patterson. “Jacoby had the biggest play of the night,” he said, referring to the guard’s one-man run at the end of the first half.  

Rivendell are next in action on the 10th at Leland and Gray. Oxbow, losers of seven straight,  host Stowe on Saturday. 

Tip-Ins: No Raptor player played more than 22 minutes….The team had their best shooting performance of the season, posting a 60% EFG percentage….Liam Welch led the JV squad to a 40-23 win….Molesworth and his fellow seniors are now 7-0 against Oxbow in their careers….Oxbow opened the night by running through a banner that said “Rip the Raptors”....Rivendell recorded a season-high 14 assists.  

ORFORD- Every fan, coach and neutral who knew Rivendell and Blue Mountain had a prediction for what would happen when the teams finally met: a tight, defensive battle in which one team would notch a statement win.

There would be a statement. But it came in anything but a close game. Rivendell scorched Blue Mountain from wire-to-wire, dominating the Bucks in front of a raucous home crowd in a blowout win.  

The opening pair of possessions seemed to prove the predictions right, as both teams' attempts to feed their star forwards ended in turnovers. Ricky Fennimore would put the Bucks on the board first with a nice interior move, but Ashton Pierson quickly equalized. Good ball movement found Jacoby Patterson for a three-pointer, but Evan Dennis answered with a three-point play of his own to knot the game up at 5 apiece just 2 minutes in. But from there, it was all Rivendell. Harry Molesworth announced his return from injury with a high-flying putback before running coast-to-coast for an and-1, prompting a timeout as Blue Mountain struggled to answer.  

No answer for Jacoby Patterson could be found in that timeout, however, as the junior guard nailed two threes in quick succession to balloon the Raptor lead to thirteen points. The Bucks could not answer as their offensive game stalled in the face of relentless defense by a Rivendell defense led by Josiah Welch, and left the quarter trailing 20-7. 

The second quarter may have been the best of Rivendell’s season. They once again started the quarter hot, with a Patterson 3 and an acrobatic Finnegan O’Donnell putback putting any idea of a Blue Mountain comeback to sleep within the first minute. The lead would stretch to 20 as Molesworth would find a streaking Derek Vogelien with a great outlet pass that brought thunderous applause from the large home crowd. Even as foul trouble threatened to derail the Raptor offense, unselfish ball movement and great offensive rebounding would fuel a long run highlighted by several intricate passing sequences for open 3-pointers. Another skyscraping Molesworth putback would push the lead to 30 entering the break, and push the crowd to near delirium. 

Blue Mountain entered the third quarter freshly energized, and brought a creeping feeling of deja vu as they started the frame on a 9-0 run that energized the bench and visiting supporters. But Rivendell would find an answer to even that as they regained their defensive composure and kept the advantage up. A brilliant passing sequence that involved the ball touching the hands of all five Raptors would end in another Patterson trey to push the lead back to 28, leaving the Bucks with just a two-point change in the margin for their fervent efforts.  

The fourth quarter featured the least action of any quarter as Blue Mountain accepted their fate and removed their starters two minutes into the period, leaving both teams to play out the remainder of the game with their bench lineups.  

Jacoby Patterson led the Raptors with 19 points, including a career high 5 triples. Harry Molesworth followed with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in a great return from injury. Evan Dennis and Ricky Fennimore scored nine apiece to lead Blue Mountain. 

Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins was pleased with his team’s performance, crediting the “couple of really good practices” in the lead-in to the game. “Everyone was just clicking tonight,” he said post-game. “If we play like that, we’ll be a tough team to beat.” 

The game had special meaning for Harry Molesworth as it marked both his return from injury and a chance to recover some pride from the team’s loss to the Bucks in the state semi final last year. “We had to avenge the loss last year….we’re clearly the better team” he said post-game. 

On his career night, Patterson joked about “having a special feeling” as he warmed up. “I just took the shots available to me,” he said. “They gave me a bunch of wide open looks.”  

Rivendell are next in action against Oxbow on Thursday. “We have to keep momentum up,” said Perkins, joking that the team’s winning streak sits at one game. “Just keep playing the way we’re playing….and we’ll win.”  added Patterson. 

Tip-Ins: The large Rivendell crowd included many alums, including all-time leading JV scorer Sam Drummond….Despite vast crowd encouragement, reserve forward Luke Avery was unable to score in his limited minutes….Blue Mountain have lost back-to-back games after a pair of blowouts to open the season….Robert McNelly lead the JV team to a win….Tonight marked the first game Rivendell played with a full-strength roster. 

WINDSOR- The scouting report for the Windsor Yellowjackets was simple. Led by sharpshooter Maison Fortin, they would attempt to push the pace and outgun opponents with a barrage of three point attempts, while creating easy points with a full-court press.Unfortunately, knowing and stopping something are two very different actions. Rivendell found this out the hard way as the Yellowjackets blew the game open with a second quarter surge, then kept the lead out of reach in a comfortable win.

Rivendell started the game well, with Jacoby Patterson slicing through the Yellowjacket defense to find Josh Gould for an easy layup. On the very next possession down, Josiah Welch missed his first attempt but followed it in with a flying finish to give the Raptors a 4-0 advantage within 2 minutes. Windsor nailed their first three of the night on the next possession but Rivendell answered with a layup to hold their advantage. But from there, it was all Windsor. Maison Fortin scored his first points of the night on a driving layup, then followed with a three-pointer to give the Yellowjackets their first lead of the night. Windsor would continue to push their advantage as despite Rivendell holding the ball for long stretches, the end product never materialized. A Rodger Petermann three would cap the quarter with Windsor leading 14-6. 

The second quarter opened with real hope for Rivendell, as triples from Carter Bacon and Jacoby Patterson sliced the lead down to just two in quick fashion. But from there, Fortin would begin to dominate as the Raptor offense stalled.The senior guard dropped in bucket after bucket, nailing three pointers and slashing through the defense for 11 consecutive points as the team built a 36-15 lead going into the break. 

In the second half, Windsor’s offensive onslaught never slowed. Despite Rivendell finally putting some points on the board, the Yellowjackets seemed to have an answer for everything thrown at them. Jacoby Patterson would spearhead the best stretch for the Raptor offense, scoring 10 consecutive points with a succession of dazzling moves, but his one-man onslaught barely moved the needle as Windsor simply pushed the ball up the floor faster than the Raptors could ever respond. Windsor reserve Lee Bevis nailing a three-pointer in immediate response to Patterson’s final triple of the quarter felt emblematic of the struggles the Raptors faced all night. With just seconds left in the quarter, Patterson would get one shot at repeating the long-range bomb he scored in the matchup with Stevens, but the shot fell short and Rivendell trailed 57-35.

The fourth quarter passed rather quietly as the breakneck pace of the game finally caught up to both teams. After the scoring barrage of the third quarter, the two teams only combined for ten points in what would be a meager end to a fast-moving affair. After a real lack of success before, Rivendell made a few more free-throws to reach the final score of 61-41. 

Maison Fortin led all scorers with 31 points. “Man, he’s fast….he can hit it from outside and drive. He’s a really good high school player.” said Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins after the game. Jacoby Patterson led the Raptors with 16 points. 

“It’s the best defense we’ve faced all year,” said Patterson post-game. 

“Hats off to them. They’re a really good team and they play at a great pace.” Perkins added. 

Rivendell is next in action on January 3rd when they host Blue Mountain. The game marks the first matchup between the teams since the 2022 state semifinal, where Blue Mountain ended Rivendell’s bid at a perfect season in dramatic fashion. 

Tip-Ins: Rivendell’s 20 points in the third quarter marked the highest score in a lost quarter since the 2021 playoffs….Welch and Patterson were named to the all-tournament team….Fortin won the inaugural tournament MVP award….Rivendell were missing forward Parker Piper due to illness….Pierson and Welch accounted for 72% of Rivendell’s total rebounds….Rivendell finishes the 2022 calendar year with a 17-4 record. 

ORFORD, NH- After a disappointing pair of results in preseason scrimmages and with two key players sidelined with injuries, some worried that Rivendell might start their 2022 campaign on a sour note. The Raptors silenced that thought as they jumped out to a large lead thanks to a relentless defensive performance and never looked back in a comfortable win.  

The Raptors came out of the gate quick, scoring the game’s opening 7 points before a Solan Farmer floater gave the Minutemen their first bucket. But from there on, it was all Rivendell. Derek Vogelien hit a three-pointer while being fouled and converted the 4-point-play, then added two assists including an impressive bullet pass to Luke Avery as the Raptors scored 14 consecutive points to end the first quarter at 21-2. 

After such a dominant quarter, Rivendell coach Andrew Perkins opted for a slower tempo, backing out of the 2-2-1 full-court press the Raptors had used effectively in the first quarter. From there, Rivendell maintained their advantage through dominant rebounding, with Parker Piper and Carter Bacon each hauling down 4 rebounds in the quarter. The first-half lead spiked to as much as 22 at the 4-minute mark and stayed around that number to the half, helped by a late pair of Mill River 3-pointers that finally pushed the Minutemen into double digits.   

Raptors forward Ashton Pierson dominated the third frame, scoring eight of the team’s ten points in the quarter while grabbing five more rebounds in an exceptional performance. Pierson also spearheaded a great defensive quarter from Rivendell, as despite the team switching from their conventional 2-3 zone defense to a more aggressive man-to-man look, the Raptors held the Minutemen to a single make from the floor. 

Mill River finally showed some life on offense in the 4th quarter, opening the period on a 5-0 run and outscoring the Raptor bench unit to reach a slightly more respectable final score. 

Ashton Pierson and Derek Vogelien led the Raptors with 14 points each. Pierson also hauled in a career-best 13 rebounds for his first ever double-double performance. “I just go into every game with the goal to get as many rebounds as I can,” Pierson said post-game. “13 is pretty good.” he noted with a slight chuckle. Solan Farmer led Mill River with 14 points. 

Coach Andrew Perkins was also pleased with Rivendell’s performance, praising the team’s depth in how the team has responded to the injuries that struck early this year. “Today was a good chance to practice some guys in positions they’re not familiar with- and it paid off.” 

Rivendell returns on the 13th at home against Woodstock. “I expect them to be a pretty good test… they were a young team with potential and promise when we saw them last year.'' said Perkins of the matchup with the Wasps.