Vermont-NEA Scholars' Bowl Kickoff Tournament 2000

ESSEX JUCTION, Vt. -- Rice Memorial High School stormed from the fifth seed with three straight playoff victories to capture the Vermont-NEA Scholars' Bowl Kickoff Tournament at Essex High School on Sept. 16, 2000.

Rice posted only a 3-2 record in the preliminary round but defeated a chimera team from Burlington and Colchester, Champlain Valley, and Hanover (N.H.) in the ladder-play playoffs to take the title. The Little Indians (6-2 record) averaged just 98.1 points per game (5th) in the five-minute toss-up and bonuses, five-minute all toss-ups format but won close games all afternoon. Rice beat Champlain Valley 85-65 in the semifinals before rolling to a 175-60 win -- its highest point total of the day -- in the final against Hanover.

Hanover (6-2 record) beat previously undefeated Burlington in the semifinals to secure second place. Burlington (7-1 record) was third with a chimera team from Mt. Anthony and Rice (4-3-1 record) fourth. Champlain Valley (5-2-1 record) went 4-0-1 in the preliminary round but wound up fifth.

A total of 12 teams from eight Vermont schools competed in the tournament, which coincided with the state coaches meeting.

Rank	Team	Overall Record	Prelim. Record	Playoff Record	PPG
1	Rice Memorial (champions)	6-2	3-2	3-0	98.1
2	Hanover	6-2	4-1	3-0	129.4
3	Burlington	7-1	5-0	2-1	160.6
4	Mt. Anthony/Rice*	4-3-1	2-2-1	2-1	86.9
5	Champlain Valley	5-2-1	4-0-1	1-2	110.0
6	Thetford II	4-4	3-2	1-2	72.5
7	Colchester	4-4	1-4	3-0	106.9
8	Thetford I	3-5	1-4	2-1	69.4
9	Burlington/Colchester*	3-5	3-2	0-3	44.4
10	BFA-St. Albans/Rice*	2-5-1	0-4-1	2-1	81.9
11	BFA-St. Albans	1-6-1	1-3-1	0-3	56.9
12	Thetford III	1-6	1-3	0-3	48.1