BFA downs Rice, wins first boys basketball title since 1987

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Ronald Reagan was serving his second term as President, gas cost less than 75-cents per gallon, and Lethal Weapon...yes, the first one...was the #1 movie in America the last time BFA-St. Albans captured the VPA D1 championship in boys basketball. But on Thursday night at Patrick Gym, the 2025-26 Bobwhites put that drought to bed with a masterclass in gameplanning and execution to beat top seed Rice 54-48 and claim just the second title in program history.

“A really long time,” said junior guard Tripp Rabtoy after the game. “I mean, that was like the last time we’ve been to the finals, right?”

Rabtoy is right. And in their first championship appearance in nearly four decades, the Bobwhites methodically got in the paint, challenged Rice to beat them from beyond the arc, and assisted on 12 of their 20 made field goals to pull the upset.

Michael Lavalle led BFA with 16 points, but Ryan Munger was really tough for the Green Knights to handle too. The towering Bobwhite center chipped in 13 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, dished five assists, and drew eight fouls to keep his team comfortably ahead pretty much from the middle of the first all the way to the end.

“I just think we know we can do it,” Munger said of BFA’s run from the 6-seed to a state championship. “I think we know if we play our game, we can beat anyone.”

Rice tried to climb their way back in it: Pascal Munezero poured in 23 points, Moses Pial had a monster transition dunk to give the Knights momentum late, and a pair of tripes from Landon Merchant helped them get as close as three points...but they never had the ball within a single possession the entire second half.

BFA salted the game away at the line by making nine of ten free throws in the final minute and twenty seconds.

“This just means so much for the school and so much for our team,” Munger added. “We worked so hard for this moment. And this is what we get.”

“Yeah, it’s been a pleasure to play with this team,” Rabtoy added after his own 13-point, nine rebound effort. “It’s been a grind. It’s just a Cinderella story.”