By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter
A historic season for the Woodstock Wasps girls basketball program came to an end last week at the hands of the Peoples Academy Wolves in the first round of the Vermont Principals Association Division III basketball tournament, 77-38.
The game between the 11-seed Wasps and three-seed Wolves was Peoples Academy’s first home playoff game in 36 years. Before the game, a member of the student body read a statement about former student-athlete Benjamin Jeremy Clapp, for whom the newly renovated court was dedicated, and whose athletic fund helped provide those renovations, making it possible to hold a home playoff game. Clapp tragically passed away at 14-years-old in August 2024.
The Wolves jumped on Woodstock quickly, with a full-court press. “We worked on it in practice,” said head coach Timmy MacDonnell. “But it’s hard to emulate that speed and length. That is what caught us off guard. It’s an area we can improve upon for next year.”
With the help of impressive three-point shooting from freshman Daisy Jane Berg (25 points, six assists, and six rebounds), the Wolves got out to a 22-6 first-quarter lead, which ballooned to 45-19 at halftime. “I think we fell short on defense; our defense was slow,” explained Woodstock junior Khloi Bruso on her team’s struggles. “And on offense, we just didn’t make a lot of the shots we took. It happens, it’s basketball.” Bruso finished as Woodstock’s leading scorer, totaling 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Peoples Academy grew its lead to 59-21 to end the third – an insurmountable deficit, especially on the road. “It’s super tough,” said MacDonnell. “It’s mentally hard for kids, anyone, not just kids, to bounce back and move on when things aren’t going well.” Even as the team began playing solid defense, the Wolves’ shotmaking was tough to overcome. “It becomes demoralizing when you play good defense and a girl banks in a three,” he said.
As time wound down in the fourth, both teams let the benches play, allowing underclassmen to get some playoff minutes and stars to receive their standing ovations. Staying on the court longer than her peers for Woodstock was the team’s lone senior, Paige Stone, playing in her final high school game.
“I’m sad,” she said postgame. “I love my teammates, I’m so proud of them for everything we’ve accomplished. I’m sad to leave them.” The senior stuck it out with the team through low-winning seasons to be a part of the winningest Woodstock girls basketball team in a decade. “What I’ve taken from this experience is perseverance,” she explained. “A lot of girls my age quit because we weren’t that good. They could be spending their time doing other things. But I stuck it out, and I got to reap the rewards.”
Stone was a beloved teammate. When asked what she would remember most from this season, Bruso said, “Our senior Paige is the most positive girl you can think of. We could lose a game by 50, and she’s there lifting us up. I’m going to miss that a lot.”
The Wasps end the season at 9-12, more wins than any team in ten years, according to MacDonnell. The head coach said the biggest thing this season accomplished was growth. “I think we’ve gotten better since December as a whole,” he said. “Kids are buying in and showing up consistently, and that helps as we try to grow numbers.”
“I’m excited for their future,” said Stone. “They’ll have a great season again, and many more to come.” She hopes that girls who watched the team succeed this year will come out for the squad next winter. “I would say go for it,” she said. “What’s the worst that can happen? You might fall in love with the sport, or you might never come back again. Just do it.
