Championship Weekend: Best D2 and D3 Players in Barre

This list goes deep but only because it has to! Montpelier's whole starting five had to be in here, Hartford has their guys, and Hazen + Thetford had duos which paced them. MHS completes the 4-peat and Thetford knocks off Hazen to prevent the back-to-back Wildcat titles! Dig in, this is a good one. (photo of Carter Bruzzese)   Carson Cody, 6'3 G/W - Montpelier H.S. Class of 2025   Cody's scoring was a critical separator for MHS. Carson struck a huge run in the 2nd quarter with multiple quick-trigger 3 balls off the catch and a couple transition buckets created by sly defensive back-taps from his running mates. He too created some disruption defensively, and his passing vs the press led to a few back-breaking buckets and FTs late. Carson logged 17 and came through when it mattered most.   Clayton Foster, 6'1 G - Montpelier H.S. Class of 2025   I just love Foster's impact. Clayton got the faceguard assignment on HHS' best perimeter creators, and he did well to stifle their rhythm. When they did get the rock in their hands, he pressured but consistently kept guys in front. Mix in his connective offensive work and couple savvy plays to force TOs and you see his impact is vital yet at times subtle. Just a winner.   Carter Bruzzese, 5'11 G - Montpelier H.S. Class of 2025   There was a stretch in the 1st half where MHS wasn't quite clicking and Bruzzese took matter into his own hands. Carter broke defenders down and got into the paint, finishing with nice footwork, timing and touch. He navigated the press handily too, creating some offense as he got downhill crossing halfcourt. Carter's defensive effort was key as well, creating a few turnovers with cunning activity or diving for loose balls. Eight points, orchestration, and winning basketball.   Kleo Bridge, 6'2 W - Montpelier H.S. Class of 2025   Kleo's gluey offensive activity, scoring bursts, and rugged defense shone through in this one. Bridge too got the offense jumping in the 1st quarter with some strong drives and the 3-ball. He kept that up a bit in the 2nd half too. Then you add in his physical + versatile defense where he'd cover 2-5 any given possession, rebound and then push; he kept the MHS attack coming from all angles. 13-points, dynamic skillset, and rangy impact.   [player_tooltip player_id='2811950' first='Atif' last='Milak'], 6'8 F - Montpelier H.S. Class of 2025   The big fella has x-factor energy. Milak's rim protection was quickly obvious as he repeatedly swatted shots at the rim; he must've had 5+ blocks and certainly affected plenty more. Atif of course rebounded the ball well too, on both sides actually. His inside finishing proved critical as he finished 2nd chance points, floated around the baseline for dumps off drives and feeds vs the press, and knocked down FTs. 16-points with interior two-way dominance.   Kole Fotion, 6'1 G - Hartford H.S. Class of 2026   While Kole wasn't able to get going as much as Hartford would've liked, you still saw plenty of flashes of high-level play. Fotion's off-ball movement is nonstop, and he worked well to create space. When he did get a catch, Kole made good reads and provided nine points off of some jumpers, off both the bounce and the catch. His defensive agility was top-tier and his energy never wavered. He'll be a problem for the next couple years.   Christian Hathorn, 5'11 G - Hartford H.S. Class of 2024   Hathorn's impact wasn't in the way I initially anticipated. I know he's a good shooter and the HHS offense is well-oiled, but MHS took his air space away. Christian responded in kind by attacking the pressure and puncturing the paint. Consistently he got in the middle and displayed nice pace and awareness, drawing the big, forcing the rotation, and finding the passing angle to provide wide open bunnies at the bucket. Connective offensively with high effort output defensively.   Brody Tyburski, 6'3 F - Hartford H.S. Class of 2024   The big man had his work cut out for him considering the size differential at the 5, but he didn't flinch. Tyburski kept doing what he does best, which is high post facilitation and dribble drives for lays. He managed to drop a few looks inside against the length of Milak, and he even splashed a 3 late in the 4th to keep hope alive. He added nine points, hustle plays, and a dash of facilitation.   Mitchell Parkman, 6'1 W - Thetford Academy Class of 2024   The effort does not fluctuate with Parkman, he only knows one gear. Mitchell went head up at Hazen all night with his physical slashing, offensive rebounding, hustle plays, and rugged defense. His feel around the cup generated a good deal of interior offense, he hit a couple treys off the catch, and simply energized this Thetford team with his activity. 22 points, boards, extra possessions, defense. He does all the stuff no one else wants to and it wins games.   Xavier Hill, 6'3 G - Hazen Union H.S. Class of 2024   Xavier was the chessmaster for nearly the whole game. Hill's the offensive generator with his versatile scoring ability and clinical distribution in both transition and the halfcourt. He scored it with jumpers, with slashes, with post-ups, the whole shebang. Mix in his heady court awareness and well-timed feeds and you get plenty of open looks. Defensively he operated as a rover and junked up drives then rebounded the rock. His 17 points, 11 boards, and 5 assists sum up his night quite well.   Brendan Moodie, 5'9 G - Hazen Union H.S. Class of 2025   Shooter! Moodie was getting to it with his jumper. Brendan opened the game up with a gutsy pull-up 3 off a ball screen and it was nothing but nylon. He followed it up with another pull-up in the mid-range a couple minutes later and then became the beneficiary of numerous feeds from Xavier for catch-and-shoot jumpers. His 16-points off of the jumper had Hazen right there for a repeat.   Hunter Clay, 5'11 G - Thetford Academy Class of 2025   The inside scoring from Clay is my main takeaway. Hunter remained intent on getting inside and his persistence generated 15 crucial points for a team without a ton of firepower. He got buckets in transition and with quick drives in the halfcourt. An energizer with decent touch around the cup.

This list goes deep but only because it has to! Montpelier's whole starting five had to be in here, Hartford has their guys, and Hazen + Thetford had duos which paced them. MHS completes the 4-peat and Thetford knocks off Hazen to prevent the back-to-back Wildcat titles! Dig in, this is a good one. (photo of Carter Bruzzese)