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NORTHFIELD — Burlington's dominance on the hardwood continued at the 2026 Unified Basketball championship on Tuesday, May 19, at Norwich University.
No. 1 Burlington Unified basketball claimed the first championship of the 2026 spring season with a 44-31 win over the defending champions and No. 2 seeded Middlebury.
"It feels great," Blayde Gardley said. "We had the greatest time and sometimes struggled with our defense, so it feels nice to get the championship for the Seahorses. It's the greatest honor for our team."
It's the third basketball title in two years for Burlington, whose girls and boys teams each captured the Division I titles in 2025. Burlington captured its second Unified title and first since 2023.
The turning point in the game came in the third quarter when Ella St. Francis made her lone basket of the contest. St. Francis had attempted a handful of "Granny" shots in the first half, but all of them missed the basket. Then she landed one in the third quarter, leading to a big eruption from the Seahorse bench and fans.
That made basket was the early spurt in Burlington's eventual 20-1 run that blew a two-point halftime lead into a 19-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
"Basketball starts on the defensive end, and our defense really just locked it down," Seahorses head coach Mike Leonard said. "We got rebounds and emphasized getting out on the run, on the fast break since we don't make a lot of shots."
During that run, Fritz Beynnon found his groove, sinking three layups while Abdu Abdullahi also had some impact layups. Beynnon led the Seahorses with 14 points. The other key player for Burlington was Maewynn Stanton, the Seahorses' lone holdover from that 2023 championship winning Unified team. Stanton helped keep the offense afloat in the first half, scoring six of his 12 points in the opening 16 minutes.
Connor Swan and Colton Murray led the Tigers with 10 points apiece.
Stanton scored key baskets to open up the fourth quarter, with all of his shots coming from just under the hoop. The Seahorses played enough defense to hold on for the win, and the players got a signature moment they will remember forever.
"This team bought in, they care about each other and they are all friends," Leonard said. "They really embody the Unified spirit."
Contact Judith Altneu at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington Unified basketball claims 2026 championship
Continue reading...
No. 1 Burlington Unified basketball claimed the first championship of the 2026 spring season with a 44-31 win over the defending champions and No. 2 seeded Middlebury.
"It feels great," Blayde Gardley said. "We had the greatest time and sometimes struggled with our defense, so it feels nice to get the championship for the Seahorses. It's the greatest honor for our team."
It's the third basketball title in two years for Burlington, whose girls and boys teams each captured the Division I titles in 2025. Burlington captured its second Unified title and first since 2023.
The turning point in the game came in the third quarter when Ella St. Francis made her lone basket of the contest. St. Francis had attempted a handful of "Granny" shots in the first half, but all of them missed the basket. Then she landed one in the third quarter, leading to a big eruption from the Seahorse bench and fans.
That made basket was the early spurt in Burlington's eventual 20-1 run that blew a two-point halftime lead into a 19-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
"Basketball starts on the defensive end, and our defense really just locked it down," Seahorses head coach Mike Leonard said. "We got rebounds and emphasized getting out on the run, on the fast break since we don't make a lot of shots."
During that run, Fritz Beynnon found his groove, sinking three layups while Abdu Abdullahi also had some impact layups. Beynnon led the Seahorses with 14 points. The other key player for Burlington was Maewynn Stanton, the Seahorses' lone holdover from that 2023 championship winning Unified team. Stanton helped keep the offense afloat in the first half, scoring six of his 12 points in the opening 16 minutes.
Connor Swan and Colton Murray led the Tigers with 10 points apiece.
Stanton scored key baskets to open up the fourth quarter, with all of his shots coming from just under the hoop. The Seahorses played enough defense to hold on for the win, and the players got a signature moment they will remember forever.
"This team bought in, they care about each other and they are all friends," Leonard said. "They really embody the Unified spirit."
Contact Judith Altneu at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington Unified basketball claims 2026 championship
Continue reading...
