HU girls hoops: ‘A season like no other’
March 6, 2021 | By Katie Martin 
Coming off a co-championship win last season, Harwood girls basketball will have a tough time topping their fairy-tale 2020 finish, but head Coach Tom Young sees a strong team with promise to keep the momentum going in the 2021 abbreviated season.
“I may very well have the strongest 1-12 roster that I have had at Harwood. This is great because it will make our practices more competitive. I know it will take some time to implement the new style of play but I feel if we can peak towards the end of the season, we will once again be a very tough team to face in the playoffs,” Young said at the season outset.
In his fifth year in the program, Young is assisted by Melody Frank, Greg Titius and junior varsity coaches Marc Rocheleau and Jeff Fuller.
“I think the beauty of high school sports is each year brings a new team makeup. We lost 4 seniors but this group wants to show that their team can compete at the same level as the previous,” Young said.
And with the COVID-19 pandemic, Young said his entire squad needs to be “varsity ready” at any time with all players -- varsity or JV -- ready to fill in a role at any time for what he describes as “a season like no other.”
Harwood 28, U-32 38
Harwood traveled to meet neighboring rivals, the U-32 Raiders, for their first game of the season Feb. 12. Close throughout, the Raiders pulled ahead for a 10-point win, 38-28. Highlanders Tanum Nelson contributed 17 points. Heavy hitters from the Raiders include Yvonne Roberge and Olivia Hogan, each scoring 10 points.
Harwood 61, Randolph 14
Next, the Highlanders traveled to face Randolph on Feb. 15. Harwood came out strong from start to finish, leaving Randolph behind 61-14.
Pleased with the effort, Young said his team just needed to shake off the rust at the start of the season. “It had been a year since we had a game and we needed to get our feet wet again. We jumped out to a 29-0 halftime lead and cruised from there,” he said.
Young complimented his team's defense, calling it stellar and part of an overall noteworthy team effort. Junior Tanum Nelson led the team with 24 points, followed by sophomore Ayden Parish with 8, and senior Ashley Proteau with 7; freshman Quinn Nelson chipped in 6 points.
Harwood 54, Williamstown 30
Harwood hosted Williamstown on Feb. 18 for their first home game where the Highlanders again took the lead and ran with it. Tanum Nelson led the team with 11 total points, followed by Cierra McKay with 9 and Ashley Proteau with 7.
Young said that his team is still working on their defensive game, specifically getting the rebounds. “[The game was] another great effort on both ends of the floor. We used our speed to overwhelm Williamstown and they struggled with our defensive pressure,” Young said. “[The] team continues to play unselfish team basketball and feeds off the energy of each other.”
Harwood 55, Lamoille 32
On the road against Lamoille on Feb. 22, Harwood was able to pull off another win by 23 points.
Tanum Nelson again led her team with total points, ending the game with 19, followed by Ashley Proteau with 9, and Ayden Parish and Emma Ravelin each with six.
“We worked on not getting out-worked, and to come out with the instinct to take charge of the game early. We went up 20-0 after the first quarter,” said Young, adding that he was especially happy with the team’s intensity.
“The team continues to have great energy and the bench is really stepping up. Great support top to bottom,” he said.
Lyndon 46, Harwood 33
Last Friday’s encounter against Lyndon Institute was a close-matched game, but ended in a 13-point win for Lyndon. The Highlanders were missing their leading scorer Tanum Nelson, but the rest of the team stepped up. Emma Ravelin ended the night with 16 points; Ashley Proteau had 9 overall.
Carrying a season record of 3-2-0 so far, the Highlanders were to play Middlebury at home on Tuesday, March 2, after press time.
Middlebury 45, Harwood 39
Harwood led for the first half, 22-15, but the tide turned Middlebury’s way in the third quarter Tuesday night at home for the Highlanders. Ashley Proteau was high-scorer with 13 points and Emma Ravelin took care of 9.
The girls are home Saturday at 1 p.m. against Northfield. Next week, they travel to Peoples Academy Wednesday for 7 p.m. Their final home game of the season is March 13 against Stowe at noon.
Katie Martin is an assistant coach with Harwood girls hockey.