By RUSSELL JONES
WEST RUTLAND — Saturday marked a momentous event for many in West Rutland as girl’s basketball coach Carl Serrani celebrated his 300th win when the Golden Horde knocked off Rivendell, 42-24.
The Horde got off to a slow start, but their aggressive press on defense led to 24 turnovers in the game. With a 16-10 lead at halftime, Serrani got his team ready to go in the second half and they came out firing.
A 16-5 run in the third quarter helped to seal the win for West Rutland. Kiera Pipeling led the team in scoring with 12 points and Kiana Grabowski added 11. Madison Guay had six points to help clinch number 300 for their beloved coach.
Once the last second ticked off the clock and Westside was victorious, several players from Serrani’s 21-year coaching career came out of the stands to join his current players on the floor in a touching moment.
Serrani won a state championship as a student at West Rutland in 1976. He began his coaching career working as an assistant for grades 7 and 8. He worked his way up to the JV team and eventually broke into the ranks as a high school coach in 19XX.He has coached his teams to the Barre Auditorium 11 times and won two state titles in his tenure. His current team stands poised to make a deep run into the playoffs this year. They are currently ranked fifth in division four at 13-5 and have Arlington and a tough Mt. St. Joseph’s team to finish out the schedule.
