High school winter sports teams took a brief holiday break before resuming play in a flurry of action. Three teams compete in tournaments over the weekend, with boys’ hockey traveling to New Hampshire and the basketball squads duking it out with Cape Cod teams in the Stripes Tournament.

There are no home games this week.

Boys’ Basketball

The boys took a hard loss to visiting Dennis-Yarmouth on Dec. 15 before rebounding to quash opponents Sandwich and Abington in their next two games. The team is now 3-1, and headed to tournament play on Cape Cod over the weekend.

The Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins proved a close match from the start, with the Vineyard ahead by just three points after the first quarter, a margin that held until halftime. Though they entered the second half ahead 28-25, the Vineyarders suffered from turnovers (29 total) and could not find the shutdown defense that had won them their previous game against Sandwich, D-Y took advantage of the slip to pull out the win 59-49. Senior Navardo Anderson led the Vineyarders in scoring with 11 points.

Senior Izak Brown goes for a layup against DY on Dec. 15. — Ivy Ashe

Anderson and fellow seniors Izak Browne, Jack Roberts, and DeShawn James provided the offense needed to roll over Sandwich 75-47 in a Dec. 19 rematch. In the team’s first meeting with Sandwich, the Vineyarders squeaked by with a 50-46 win.

Browne knocked out three three-pointers in the first quarter, and would finish with 13 points to lead the Vineyard scoring. Anderson, James, and Roberts scored 12 points each, and 10 players total put up points for the team.

“What a difference a few days can make,” head coach Mike Joyce noted.

Coach Joyce said he was most impressed by the resurgence of the defense, which held Sandwich to just four points in the second quarter to give the Vineyarders a 36-15 lead at the half.

The defense shut down Abington during last Saturday’s game, as the Vineyard defeated their opponents 72-57.

Girls’ Basketball

The Vineyarders are undefeated after three games, drawing on the strength of their bench to ride to their wins. In their second game of season, played Dec. 15 at Dennis-Yarmouth, the girls cruised to a 63-28 victory, with all players seeing time on the hardwood and scoring to boot. Freshman Mya Houston led the scoring with 12 points, including three three-pointers, while senior Maggie Riseborough scored 11 points. Seniors Kendall Robinson and Katie Stewart scored 9 and 7 points respectively.

During last Wednesday’s home opener against Sandwich, the Vineyarders pulled out a 73-58 win. Head coach Lisa Stewart praised the balanced scoring attack and the defense’s communication, which helped shut down a squad known for their three-point shooting. Senior Jennie Lindland led the scoring with 17 points, and Riseborough notched her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Stewart scored 13 points, and Robinson had 10 while leading the defense with senior Alayna Hutchinson. Junior Kat deBettencourt scored six points, including — much to the delight of the crowd — a reverse layup late in the game. Houston and fellow freshman Sam Hargy were strong off the bench, as was sophomore Lucy Hackney.

Sophomore Dorian Johnson skates against Lowell Catholic in season opener for boys hockey. — Ivy Ashe

Boys’ Hockey

The boys are off to a strong 3-0 start after wins against Lowell Catholic, Bourne and Nauset. Freshman goalie Wyatt Jenkinson had an outstanding varsity start against Lowell Catholic in the first game of the season, fending off a barrage of power play goals and helping the Vineyarders to a 3-1 win. Senior Kyp Cooperrider scored first for the team on assists from senior Max Davies and Shay Hill in the first period, and junior Tyson Araujo landed a power play goal from sophomore Alexander Vukota. Senior Brian Fraser scored with six minutes remaining in the game on an assist from junior Sam Burke.

The Vineyard took on Bourne in an away game last Wednesday, closing with a lopsided 9-1 win, and defeated Nauset 5-3 on Saturday. Araujo, Cooperrider, Fraser and Hill all scored for the Vineyard, as did sophomore Dorian Johnson.

Girls’ Hockey

The Vineyarders remain on an up-and-down course after two wins and two losses on the season. They travel to Marshfield today and take on Quincy/North Quincy next Wednesday.

The girls moved to a 2-1 record after a decisive 4-1 home win against Latin Academy on Dec. 15. Latin Academy entered the game having scored 14 goals in their previous two matches, but the improving Vineyard defense and senior goalie Texe Craig held the Dragons to just one. Senior captain Kassidy Bettencourt finished with two goals and an assist, while co-captain Emily Cimeno notched one goal and one assist. Sophomore Erin Hegarty also scored on an assist from sophomore Aubrey Ashmun, and senior defender Tayla Kuehne landed an assist of her own.

Last weekend, the team traveled to Bourne to take on a co-op Bourne/Mashpee/Wareham squad, falling 5-3. Ashmun and Bettencourt each scored for the Vineyard, as did junior Callie Jackson, but it was not enough to hold off their opponents.