BARRE – Any self-doubts or simmering frustrations didn’t faze Spaulding during Monday’s 67-61 boys basketball victory over North Country. Aidan Badger made five 3-pointers to help the Crimson Tide overcome an early 11-point deficit and the Granite City crew dodged some foul-trouble issues down the stretch to outlast the Falcons. Badger and teammate Fletcher Finegan finished with 19 points apiece, while Jaxson Laik added 10 points in the winning effort.
Aiden Briggs scored 19 points for North Country and both Scott Kingsley and Haidin Chilafoux chipped in with 15 points apiece. “Credit to North Country: They came out with a ton of energy and picked us apart,” Spaulding coach Marcus Thornton said. “I was so proud of the boys for handling that the way they did and never wavering from the game plan.
" Kingsley made a layup a few seconds into the game before Laik swished in a mid-range jumper from the right side. Three straight buckets from Briggs gave North Country a timely spark and Chilafoux added two foul shots for a 10-2 lead before Badger assisted Laik to snap the Tide’s scoreless spell. A slashing layup by Kingsley was followed by a bank shot from Finegan and a reverse layup by Chilafoux.
Julian Thailkill kept the Falcons hot by draining a 3-pointer from the left corner for a 17-6 lead to wrap up the first quarter. A short jumper off the glass by Spaulding’s Hayden Morris and a layup by teammate Alex Cepeda kicked off the second-quarter scoring. Kingsley scor.
