For the second consecutive year, the Castleton women’s basketball team met Husson University at Husson in the North Atlantic Conference Championship game. Round two of the heavyweight bout went to the Eagles this time around, 80-69, ending the Spartans hope for a repeat.”It’s not that we played poorly against Husson. It’s just that they played so well,” coach Tim Barrett said.

Castleton had a long and trying road back to the NAC championship, especially without thousand-point scorers Mary Nienow and Jess Banks.

Going into the season break in December, and before beginning their conference play, the Spartans were a game below .500 with a 4-5 record. Castleton played what Barrett called “the toughest non-conference schedule” the team had ever played which included powerhouses like Middlebury, Baruch, and Bates.

Barrett said the tough non-conference play had helped his team when it came time for conference play. The Spartans rattled off six wins in their first seven games back from the break and then, after a couple of losses, went on a five-game winning streak. Castleton ended the regular season on a cold note, though, with losses at Maine-Maritime and Husson, finishing the season at 16-10.

“From Oct. 15 to the end of the year, we made a lot of improvement in every area,” Barrett said.

Barrett said he was proud of his players’ achievements throughout the season and how they all came together.

One standout was guard Christine Jaques.

“She [Jaques] was a back-up point-guard a year ago,” said Barrett. “She did a good job this season and brought good consistency.”

Barrett spoke about the two seniors departing from the team as well.

“We need to fill the void left by Katie [Hoxsie] and Laura [Cary],” said Barrett. “Katie was one of our best defenders, and Laura was good down low. Both players are going to be missed.”

Barrett said the Spartans will try to build on the successes of this past season, and that their goal, like every season, is to win a conference title next season.