The girls basketball matchups between West Rutland and Hartford over the last couple years, since the Golden Horde made the move to the Southern Vermont League B Division, were a treat given the talent on the floor.
Two girls always stood out in those matchups, one from each side. For West Rutland, it was Peyton Guay, who graduated last year as the state’s all-time leading girls basketball scorer. For Hartford, it was Charlotte Jasmin, who still had one more year to add to her legacy after Guay had turned her tassel.
Guay capped her career with 2,279 points and became just the fourth girl in state history to reach the 2,000-point mark last year. Jasmin looks destined to become No. 5 in that group. She is knocking on the door of 2K, and playing on a dominant Hartford team, she’ll have up to four more games to make it happen.
Another link between those incredible scorers is the adversity they dealt with at the height of their powers. Both suffered torn ACLs and returned to action way faster than anyone thought they could. Simply put, they are built different.
With the girls basketball playoffs on tap, let’s take one final look at the top 10 teams in the state in our New England Basketball Journal Vermont girls Top 10.
1. Mount Mansfield (19-1)
Previous rank: 1
Mount Mansfield heads into the Division I state tournament as the favorite to win it all in two weeks at Patrick Gymnasium. The only blemish on MMU’s record was a loss to St. Johnsbury and that was avenged with a Cougars win over the Hilltoppers on Saturday to close the regular season. The win over St. Johnsbury came a bit different than many have this year. The Cougars’ offense has been such a force, but on Saturday it was quality defense that held a strong Topper attack to just 33 points in a six-point win.
2. Rutland (18-2)
Previous rank: 2
Rutland’s 18 regular season wins are tied for the most in program history with the 2023, 2006 and 1982 teams. None of those teams were able to win it all, so RHS will look to buck that trend this year. Rutland will be coming in with a lot of confidence, winning its last six games after losing a par of contests late last month. Their last two wins came against Fair Haven and Windsor, who are contenders in their respective divisions.
3. St. Johnsbury (15-5)
Previous rank: 3
St. Johnsbury will be heading into the Division I tournament off of a loss, but there’s no shame in falling to Mount Mansfield in a game decided by just six points. They are the only team to beat Mount Mansfield this year and were on a roll going into Saturday with eight straight wins since their second loss of the season to fellow contender Rutland.
4. Lamoille (19-0)
Previous rank: 4
Lamoille enters the Division II playoffs as the only girls basketball team in the state with a perfect record. With two straight semifinal exits, this feels like the Lancers’ best chance to win a state title. The last time Lamoille hoisted the hardware was 15 years ago. Lamoille’s most recent win was another reminder of how elite this team is, edging Division I North Country. Two wins over the Falcons and one against Hazen are some major feathers in their cap.
5. CVU (14-6)
Previous rank: 6
Counting out an elite program like CVU is foolish this time of year. This year’s team may not be as dominant as some of its predecessors, but it is playing great basketball when it counts the most. The Redhawks have won nine of their last 11 games going into the playoffs and one of those two losses came by just four points against title favorite Mount Mansfield. Zoey McNabb is CVU’s lead guard and she recently hit 1,000 career points.
6. Hartford (19-1)
Previous rank: 7
Hartford enters in the Division II tournament on an absolute tear, winning 11 straight games. Their lone loss came to Division I state title contender Rutland and the list of impressive wins is a long one. The Southern Vermont League B Division is a gauntlet, with fellow title contenders Fair Haven, Windsor and West Rutland all part of that division. The fact that Hartford went undefeated in league play can’t be ignored. With Charlotte Jasmin on the brink of history and a great supporting cast around her, a run to Barre looks very likely.
7. North Country (17-3)
Previous rank: 5
North Country will be going into the playoffs coming off a loss, the second time this year NCU lost to Lamoille, but it’s worth noting that those losses came by a combined six points. The Falcons were rolling going into that matchup as 10 of their last 11 wins came by 20 points or more. The real question will be how they fare in the D-I playoffs. They played a lot of quality teams in lower divisions, but didn’t get many tests against D-I opponents. Their two games against D-I opponents came within the first three games of the season.
8. Milton (18-2)
Previous rank: 9
Milton will be entering the Division II playoffs on a roll, winning 13 straight games since a two-game skid in early January. Marlie Bushey is one of the Yellowjackets stars’ and she recently surpassed her mom Liz Bushey’s career points record, an example of how important their family has been to Milton basketball. The Yellowjackets missed out on getting to Barre last year, but have a good shot at changing that this year.
9. Fair Haven (16-4)
Previous rank: 8
Fair Haven had a bit of an up-and-down end to the regular season, going 2-3 in its last five games with those losses coming to Rutland, Hartford and Burr and Burton Academy. The Slaters are the two-time defending Division II champions and are regulars at the Barre Auditorium, so the team is very capable of righting the ship quickly and making a run. Fair Haven boasts a ton of depth, led by Audrey Perry, Tori Kelly and Quinn Murphy, but others are very capable of taking over in spurts. In Saturday’s loss to BBA, it was Madi Hayes and Ori Kerr keeping FHU afloat. If those role-players remain confident in the playoffs, Fair Haven could be super dangerous.
10. Middlebury (15-5)
Previous rank: 10
Middlebury closed the regular season with a loss to Milton, but the Tigers had been rolling going into that game, winning seven straight before that game. Middlebury’s defense has been a major piece of that success. The Tigers have allowed more than 50 points just once this season, with that coming against Division I title contender Rutland. That could serve them well if they go deep in the playoffs where points can sometimes be hard to come by.
