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From the opening tip, it was clear Bellows Falls came out with intent.

The Terriers didn’t ease into this one — they attacked it. Every cut was sharp, every defensive rotation urgent, and every possession felt like it mattered. Otter Valley struck first, but the response was immediate. Coby Levesque found Kissell inside to get the Terriers on the board, and on the very next trip, Kissell stepped into a three. The message was simple: this wasn’t going to be one-dimensional.

When Saul James threaded a pass to a cutting Jaden Bazin for an and-one finish, the gym came alive. The Terriers were playing connected basketball — moving the ball, trusting each other, and forcing Otter Valley to defend every inch of the floor. Still, the Otters answered with perimeter shooting, draining the first of what felt like a never-ending stream of threes. A late Morgan Haskell triple sent the teams to the first break tied at 13, but the tone had been set.

The second quarter belonged to Bellows Falls’ defense and composure. Bazin erased the Otters’ first look with a block, and Levesque began forcing his will inside, attacking downhill and earning a couple quick trips to the line as the Terriers leaned into their physicality. What stood out most wasn’t any one basket — it was the way the Terriers played together. James to Kissell for another three. Levesque jumping a passing lane and finishing in transition. The scoreboard said 22–17, but sitting in the gym, it felt like Bellows Falls was controlling everything.

Otter Valley kept hanging around but Bellows Falls never blinked. Bazin battled inside, Kissell stretched the floor, and the Terriers took a slim 28–26 lead into halftime with the sense that they had more to give.

Otter Valley tied it immediately out of the break.

That was the moment Bellows Falls responded like a veteran group.

After the game, Evan Chadwick pointed to his team’s commitment to staying the course despite Otter Valley’s hot shooting.

“Otter Valley was hitting everything in the first half — contested threes, tough looks — and I don’t think we could have defended those shots much better,” Chadwick said. “But in the second half, we really stuck to our game plan.”

The Terriers turned up the pressure, executed clean sets, and ripped off a 6–0 run that pushed the lead to its largest of the night thusfar. When Levesque dropped a perfectly timed pass to Bazin for another and-one finish, the building erupted. A Haskell three followed, and for a stretch, it looked like the Terriers might finally shake the Otters.

Otters held firm.

Otter Valley leaned back into its shooting, clawing its way back to 42–37 by the end of the third. Every possession now carried weight.

The fourth quarter was chaos in the best way.

Bazin swatted a shot and Levesque raced the other way for a finish. Haskell slipped a pass through traffic to Levesque at the rim. Bazin buried a three. Bellows Falls pushed the lead to 51–43 and the home crowd could feel it — one more stop, one more bucket, and this thing might be over.

Otter Valley refused.

An 8–0 run — fueled by deep threes that felt like they hung in the air forever — tied the game at 51 with just over a minute left. The gym went quiet. Every bounce suddenly mattered.

A missed Terrier opportunity gave Otter Valley a chance to take the lead. They didn’t. Kissell came down with a massive rebound and was fouled, splitting the pair at the line to give Bellows Falls a one-point edge with under 30 seconds remaining.

Looking for their 11th made three on the night, the Otters got exactly what they wanted — a clean look from deep. The shot rose, hovered, and clanged off the rim. Bazin secured the rebound and was fouled, but missed at the line, giving Otter Valley one final chance after a scramble and timeout.

One last look.

Eight seconds.

Deep shot.

Miss.

Levesque secured the rebound as the horn sounded, and Bellows Falls survived 52–51 — in a game that felt like it demanded everything.

For Chadwick, the win represented an important step forward for a young group still learning how to close.

“We’ve lost a couple of close games to really good teams, and we’ve talked all week about sticking to the game plan,” Chadwick said. “If we do that, close losses turn into close wins. I hope the guys see this as a catalyst. The confidence is building with this young group, and they’re just a fun team to watch.”

The Terriers were led by Bazin with 18 points and 16 rebounds, Kissell with 14 points and seven boards, while Levesque chipped in 10 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Haskell added eight points, and James set the tone offensively throughout the night, consistently putting teammates in position to score while dishing out seven assists.

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