Earlier this month, Vermont crowned high school boys basketball state champions in four divisions: BFA-St. Albans in Division I; Lamoille in D-II; Hazen in D-III; and Williamstown in D-IV.
Now, it’s time to name a playoff MVP among those four winners. And it’s up to you, the reader, to vote for the player who’s most deserving. We included multiple players from the four winning squads. Voting is unlimited until the polls close at 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.
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See below the poll for how each player performed during tournament time.
Vote away!
Alex Clark, Williamstown High School
Alex Clark recorded 12 points, eight assists and seven steals in Williamstown’s 81-32 win over Rivendell in the Division IV playdowns. He scored a dozen points in the 73-48 quarterfinal triumph over Northfield and tossed in 11 points in the 68-55 semifinal decision over West Rutland. And in the D-IV final, he scored 10 points on the strength of three 3-pointers during a 71-64 win over No. 1 Twinfield/Cabot.
Colby Hall, Lamoille Union High School
The senior registered 23 points and five rebounds in Lamoille’s D-II quarterfinal win over Middlebury, a 59-52 decision that required overtime. He then had 15 points and four boards in the 45-42 semifinal win before scoring a game-high 20 points in the Lancers’ upset of No. 1 Hartford, 56-53.
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Lincoln Hill, Hazen Union High School
After tallying 15 points and five rebounds in the 74-25 D-III playdown win over Stowe, Lincoln Hill collected 15 points, six rebounds and five steals in the Wildcats’ 69-58 semifinal win over defending champion Thetford. In the 66-49 championship-game victory over No. 1 Randolph, Hill scored 16 points.
Sully Laflam, Hazen Union High School
Sully Laflam scored nine of his 22 points in Hazen’s key third-quarter run as the Wildcats returned to the top of Division III. Earlier in the playoffs, Laflam had 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the quarterfinals to beat Peoples.
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Michael Lavallee, BFA-St. Albans
After scoring eight points in BFA-St. Albans’ 68-38 playdown win over Colchester, Michael Lavallee tallied 13 points in BFA’s 68-38 quarterfinal triumph over defending champion Burlington and added a dozen points in the 51-46 overtime decision over Burr and Burton in the D-I semifinals. Then in the title game, Lavallee dropped 16 points as the Bobwhites ended a 39-year championship drought in their upset of No. 1 Rice, 54-48.
Nick Mascitti, Williamstown High School
The senior opened the playoffs with a 30-point, 18-rebound performance in the D-IV playdowns. He then reached 1,000 career points in a 26-point, 15-rebound outing in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he poured in 24 points before dropping 18 points in the title-game victory.
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Morgan Michaud, Hazen Union High School
Morgan Michaud’s 16 points in the D-III final helped Hazen rally past Randolph for the crown. In the quarterfinals, Michaud scored a dozen points. And in the semifinals, he had 26 points and eight boards.
Ryan Munger, BFA-St. Albans
The 6-foot-10 Ryan Munger registered double-digit scoring efforts in all four playoff games, powering BFA to its first crown since 1987. Munger scored 12 points in the playdowns and struck for 25 in the quarterfinals before putting up double-doubles at the D-I Final Four. He had 18 points, 15 rebounds, seven blocks, two assists and two steals in the semifinal victory, while recording a 13-point, 11-rebound, 3-block performance in the championship win.
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Tripp Rabtoy, BFA-St. Albans
After scoring 10 points apiece in the playdowns and quarterfinals, Tripp Rabtoy supplied eight points and eight boards in the semifinals before tallying 13 points and nine boards in the state final, which included two 3-pointers and three clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the title.
James Wallace, Lamoille Union High School
The junior forward had double doubles in the D-II playdowns (10 points, 12 rebounds) and semifinals (13 points, 15 rebounds), respectively, before tallying 15 points to help the Lancers claim the state title.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont high school boys basketball championship MVP during playoffs
