Playoff-like basketball arrives early at Barre Auditorium with Mount Mansfield-Essex games

Posted by author January 25, 2025 Basketball

Spread the love

BARRE – A playoff feel came early to Barre Auditorium on a Friday night in January.

The Essex-Mount Mansfield’s girls basketball game was tied with under a minute to play. Bella Schultz-Mitchell grabbed a defensive rebound for the Cougars. After several passes, Aly Dorman got some space at the free throw line and nailed a jumper with 18 seconds left.

Dorman’s jumper was the difference as Mount Mansfield seized the opening game 37-35 fulfilling a dream for many Vermont high school players: Hitting the game-winning shot at Barre Aud.

“It felt great,” Dorman said. “This was such a team effort. That shot was there because of our defense.”

The regular-season event — MMU and Essex boys played a nightcap — was unique for D-I teams at the 87-year-old Barre Aud.

“Even being down here in the locker room and hearing the bounce of the balls and the craziness up in the gym,” Cougars girls basketball coach Mark Pfaff said. “It was a great experience.”

The Aud hosts the Division II, III and IV semifinals and championships, creating an annual dream for many small town Vermonters to play a game in the 1,750-person arena with a suspended floor. The Division I teams play its Final Four at UVM’s Patrick Gym so those schools don’t usually have the opportunity to play at Barre Aud. Essex and MMU took advantage of the opportunity on Friday.

“It was definitely really different from a regular game,” Cougars boys basketball player Tommy Brockmyre said. “It’s so much bigger than all the other gyms we play in.”

While the girls game was a defensive thriller with the Cougars allowing four points in the fourth quarter, the boys game still featured a major first-half comeback.

The Hornets opened the game strong, building a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Essex couldn’t hold the advantage for long. The Cougars came storming back, compiling a 22-5 run to take a 33-27 margin into halftime. During that run, the Cougars nailed five 3-pointers coming from five different players (Brockmyre, Paddy Norcross, Miles Huyler, Atticus Erwin, and Henry Rogers).

“It was really the defense that we picked up the energy and that lets the offense start hitting three pointers,” Brockmyre said.

The Cougars attracted several dozen students to Barre creating a buzz that filled the intimate gym every time a Mount Mansfield player hit a big shot. In total, the Cougars converted 10 3-pointers in their 68-54 victory over Essex.

The Barre Aud hopes to host more Division I teams next season giving more kids the opportunity to play in this historic Vermont landmark.

Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.