ADDISON COUNTY — Only the Vergennes Union High School boys’ basketball team ended up receiving a playoffs seed with a home playoff game attached when the Vermont Principals’ Association announced post-season pairings Monday. Middlebury earned the distinction of being the only local boys’ team that finished the regular season with a winning record.
The 3-4 Commodores won two overtime games late last week and received the No. 8 seed in Division III and prevailed easily in regulation in their first playoff game.
The Tigers (5-4) were awarded the No. 9 seed in D-II, the division in which 3-6 Mount Abraham and 2-6 Otter Valley received the Nos. 13 and 14 seeds, respectively. All three teams came up short on the road in first-round contests. COMMODORES
On Tuesday, the Commodores blitzed No. 9 Randolph, 74-50, after opening the game with a 10-0 run. VUHS evened its record at 4-4 with its fourth win in five outings at will next take on No. 1 Green Mountain Union (9-1) on Saturday. 
Sparking Tuesday’s win statistically were Tyler Bergmans (18 points, 13 rebounds), Ian Henderson (14 points), Abram Francis (13 points) and Hayden Bowen (12 points, 10 rebounds).
In regular season play last week, on March 10 the Commodores defeated visiting Enosburg in overtime, 59-51. The Hornets forced the extra session with a buzzer-beating three, but VUHS dominated OT as Bergmans scored nine of his game-high 19 points. Francis (13) and Henderson (10) also reached double figures for VUHS.
On Saturday, VUHS also defeated the Eagles in extra time; see story on Page 1B.

TIGERS
On Tuesday, host No. 4 U-32 closed the first half on a 10-0 run to wipe out a nine-point Tiger lead on the way to a 67-45 first-round D-II victory. The Raiders, led by 22 points from Owen Kellington, improved to 6-3.
The 5-5 Tigers got double-figure scoring from Max Alberts (12) and Karic Riche (10), as Gabe Dunn and Wesley Hirdler each chipped in nine.
Back on March 10, MUHS absorbed a 65-32 loss from visiting Milton. Yellowjacket Kyle Brown and the Tiger’s Riche each scored 15. Penn Riney hauled in 14 boards for MUHS.
The Tigers bounced back on Saturday to defeat Mill River, 66-32. Three Tigers scored in double figures: Riche (15), Riney (14) and Owen Connelly (11).

MOUNT ABE
On Wednesday the Eagles hung with No. 4 Milton for three periods, but the Yellowjackets pulled away for a 62-44 victory by opening the fourth quarter with a 15-5 run. Yellowjacket Kyle Brown scored 23 as Milton improved to 6-1.
Griffin Paradee led the Eagles with 13 points, followed by Brett Sargent with nine and Henry Cogswell with eight.
On March 10, the Eagles lost a heartbreaker, 47-45, at Missisquoi. Cogswell tied the game with 10 seconds left, but T-Bird Patrick Walker banked home the game-winner from the lane in traffic in the final seconds. Cogswell (10 points), Quincy Cook (nine) and Koby LaRose (eight) led the Eagles in scoring.

OTTERS
On Wednesday the Otters gave No. 3 Mount St. Joseph (6-1) a battle, cutting the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter before falling, 57-44. Andre Prunty and Jerimiah Green each scored 19 points for MSJ.
Dylan Gaboriault led a balanced OV attack with 11 points, followed by Alex Philo (nine), Parker Todd (seven) and Cole Letourneau and Lane Eddy (six each).
On March 12 the OV boys coasted past visiting Springfield, 45-26, after taking charge with a 12-0 first-quarter run. Todd sparked the Otters with 16 points and seven rebounds, Gaboriault scored seven, and Eddy chipped in six points and six boards.