On Saturday, January 11, Boys Varsity Basketball traveled to Concord, New Hampshire to compete against St. Paul’s in the inaugural Hotchkiss-St. Paul’s Day. The game was competitive, but the Bearcats ultimately secured a hard-fought 61-52 victory.
Going in, the team knew the contest was likely to be close, as the two teams had similar finishes in last year’s NEPSAC Class A division standings. Hotchkiss finished the 2023-24 season with a 9-7 record, earning 11th place in the division. St. Paul’s sat one spot behind in 12th, with a 8-7 season record.
Despite similar records, the St. Paul’s Day game marked the first time in several years that these two teams had faced off.
Adding to the excitement was the fact that this year marked the start of a new rivalry between Hotchkiss and St. Paul’s.
Heading into the game, Boys Varsity Basketball was 2-5, with wins over Trinity-Pawling and Salisbury. St. Paul’s season record was 3-2.
Hotchkiss came out with a starting lineup of Jules Varin ’25, Ian Randall ’25, Owen Zabel ’26, Ty Francis ’25, and Dean Hogans ’25.
Early on, the game lived up to the competitive expectations, with the score tied 14-14 midway through the first half. Francis contributed several standout plays, including a pair of blocks and a highlight-worthy dunk. However, St. Paul’s closed out the half with a strong 16-6 run, giving them a 30-20 lead heading into the second half.
In the second half, the game was a completely different story, with St. Paul’s unable to stop the Bearcats from scoring.
Hotchkiss started off the second half with key plays on both the defensive and offensive end of the floor. Hogans and Preston Merrick ’26 came up with timely steals, which the team was able to capitalize on, closing the gap on St. Paul’s’ lead. On offense, multiple players contributed significant scoring plays, with Merrick and Zabel hitting crucial three-pointers down the stretch.
In the end, the team was able to complete the comeback and win 61- 52.
Reflecting on the game, Hogans said, “Being down 10 points at halftime was a struggle, but we knew that if we came out in the second half with a lot of energy, it was our game to win. We had energy in that second half that they couldn’t match. Everyone played their role to help us get the win.”
The game kicked off a grueling stretch for the team, which played five games in the next eight days.
The team lost to Blair Academy and Millbrook on January 12 and 13, respectively. On January 15, they won 59-58 against Kingswood Oxford. The team will face off next against Westminster at home on January 25.
