The Rice Green knights hold up the championship trophy in front of the students section in celebration.In one of the better basketball games I've seen in recent memory, The Rice Green Knights upset the #1 seed and undefeated St. Johnsbury Academy Hilltoppers 48-40 in an overtime thriller in the Vermont State division I high school boys basketball championship at Patrick Gymnasium on Thursday night March 7, 2013 in Burlington, Vermont...
The Burlington Police department color guard stands at attention on the
court during the singing of the National Anthem.
I love photographing the championship game. There's nothing like it around here during the regular season... the crazy fans, signs, painted bodies, oversized heads, and the loud cheering from parents and students a like!
The Rice Green Knights student section hold up flags and large head pictures as they cheer for their team
A few Rice fans paint their chest and cheer for the team
St. Johnsbury fans cheer for their team
A St. Johnsbury fan holds up a sign during the game
A woman holds up a giant head of a Rice player (His mom??)
It wasn't pretty for Rice at first, not scoring a basket for the first six minutes of the game. The Hilltoppers came out on fire and it looked like they were going to run all over Rice and cap off their undefeated season with the championship.
Vlad Cobzaru tries to block a shot
After Rice settled down, they started playing well and making shots. Slowly they caught up to the Hilltoppers and made it a close game...
Halftime entertainment...
In the second half the lead changed several times and it was a hard fought battle to the buzzer..
It was all Rice in overtime, dominating St. Johnsbury and taking home the championship for the 4th time in six years.
Overtime tip off
