St. Paul's hosted Vermont Academy for the home opener on Monday and came out on top against a traditional NEPSAC Class AAA power. The game was back and forth throughout the first half, with 5 lead changes in the first 10 minutes. After St. Paul's went on a run to build a 24-19 lead, Vermont closed the half on a run of their own, going into the break up 35-28. And then the Big Red owned the second half, clawing back to tie the game at 48-48. After this, SPS built the lead all the way to 63-54, before Vermont was forced to pressure and foul in the final stages of the game—where St. Paul's made just enough free throws and heady plays to hang onto the victory. In the win, Jake Reardon finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds, Trey Miller added 15 points and 6 rebounds, Mekhi Simmons added 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Liam Henaghen had 9 points on three 3-pointers, Quintin Eason finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Ray Farmer contributed 4 clutch assists with 0 turnovers.