The Brattleboro Bears welcomed the Hilltoppers of Saint Johnsbury for a Saturday afternoon matchup in front of an eager home crowd, with much of the attention centered on Reese Croutworst. Entering the game with 983 career points, Croutworst needed 17 on the night to reach the coveted 1,000-point milestone.

Saint Johnsbury wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on its first trip down the floor before immediately applying full-court pressure to test the Bears’ backcourt. Brattleboro didn’t waver. The press was calmly broken, and Emma Frehsee quickly answered with a three-pointer to give the Bears the lead.

That shot ignited Brattleboro’s defensive identity. On the ensuing possession, the Bears forced a turnover, followed by a Croutworst finish in the lane to get herself going. From there, the defensive intensity ramped up. The student section felt it too, rising to its feet and chanting “DEFENSE!… DEFENSE!… DEFENSE!” as the gym erupted after a strong defensive rebound to close the possession.

After the Hilltoppers’ opening basket, Brattleboro rattled off 12 unanswered points, forcing a Saint Johnsbury timeout. Even after the break in action slowed the Bears’ scoring run, the Hilltoppers continued to struggle to find clean looks. Their only points the rest of the quarter came from the free-throw line, as Brattleboro’s gritty, physical defense dictated the pace.

That relentless effort was perfectly encapsulated by Juliette Pals and Myah Waite. Pals chased down a long rebound headed out of bounds, diving to save it back toward the sideline. Waite followed with a diving effort of her own, tipping the ball to a teammate to maintain possession. It was emblematic of the energy Brattleboro carried throughout the contest.

Asked about the defensive intensity and effort this team showed throughout the game, particularly during key hustle plays that energized the crowd, the Bears’ head coach, Sarah Landers, pointed back to the focus of the week in practice.

“Coming off last week’s game where we lost by 20 (At Saint Johnsbury), the biggest thing we emphasized was controlling what we can control,” Landers said. “In that game, both teams shot the ball well — effort, hustle, and toughness are things we can always control. We talked all week about how, if we’re not having a great shooting night, our energy and effort still have to be there. That was crucial this afternoon, and the energy we had from the start was incredible.”

The Bears received balanced scoring in the opening period, getting baskets from four different players and closing the quarter with a 12–4 advantage.

The second quarter saw the game become increasingly physical, with tension building during a slow scoring stretch for both teams. An early technical foul assessed to Saint Johnsbury added to the emotion, though the Hilltoppers were able to find some traction, putting together a 7–0 run to keep the contest within reach.

Brattleboro’s defensive mindset never wavered — ball handlers were pressured, the paint was packed, and shooters were consistently contested. The defensive highlight of the night came when Parker Thibault chased down a Hilltopper in transition and swatted away a layup attempt at the rim.

As the quarter progressed, Brattleboro applied full-court pressure of its own, fueling the already electric atmosphere. The student sections traded chants, with Saint Johnsbury’s “Defense! Defense!” drowned out by the Bears’ students responding with “We can’t hear you!” That energy seemed to provide a spark, as Hailey Bristol corralled her own missed free throw and kicked it out to Croutworst for a midrange jumper. Brattleboro headed into the break leading 16–11, with Croutworst sitting just 10 points shy of 1,000.

The third quarter was defined by defense. For a full eight minutes, Brattleboro dug in and held Saint Johnsbury scoreless. Offensively, the Bears started slowly, though Waite found a cutting Croutworst early to break the seal for the second half. Late in the period, Brattleboro found its rhythm, with Bristol and Croutworst combining to score 11 points. The Bears carried a commanding 27–11 lead into the final frame.

Saint Johnsbury opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer in an effort to spark a comeback, but Bristol answered immediately with a three of her own. The Hilltoppers didn’t fold, putting together a 9–0 run to cut the deficit to 32–23 while reapplying full-court pressure that briefly rattled Brattleboro.

Once again, Bristol settled things with a strong finish to push the lead back to 11. Late in the period, Croutworst attacked the lane and drew contact. Her initial attempt rolled off the rim, but with the pressure mounting and her career total sitting at 997, she calmly knocked down both free throws — points 998 and 999.

Despite the personal milestone looming and the game tightening late, Croutworst remained composed as the Bears’ primary ball handler, continuing to move the ball and find open teammates against the press rather than forcing a shot. Saint Johnsbury outscored Brattleboro 17–11 in the final quarter, but the Bears closed out a 38–28 victory.

Croutworst led the Bears with 16 points and controlled the glass with 10 rebounds, while Bristol followed with 11 points, all coming in the second half.

Croutworst finishes the night with 999 career points and will have her next opportunity to reach the 1,000-point mark Wednesday night at Burr and Burton Academy — a milestone that would make her the first Brattleboro girls basketball player to reach the mark since 1992.

Reflecting on Croutworst’s composure late in the game — with the 1,000-point milestone within reach — Landers emphasized what the night said about Croutworst’s growth as a leader.

“I’ve had this same conversation a couple of times tonight — this is probably the most proud I’ve been of her as a leader on our team,” the coach said. “It’s clear she’s the most well-rounded player we have. We’ve talked about how she doesn’t always have to have the ball in her hands, and how working it to her teammates allows her to get the ball back in better spots to score. Whatever she took away from those conversations this week, whether with me or the other coaches, really showed tonight. She played some of the best team basketball I’ve seen from her, and I’m just so proud of her.”