🏀Game of the Night
Forget what the calendar says – March officially arrived on Monday night.
Postseason basketball isn’t called March Madness because games are routine and on Monday, No. 13 Smithfield pulled off one of the wildest wins in RIIL State Tournament history. The Sentinels scored six points in the final 48 seconds with Corey Blakely’s 3-pointer serving as the game-winner in the 75-74 upset over No. 2 Lincoln.
Lincoln beat Smithfield 64-49 on December 19, but that Lions team and the one that took the court Monday were nowhere near the same. Withstar Gianni Pagios still sidelined with an ankle injury – suffered late in the regular season; cost him the Division I Tournament – the Sentinels arrived ready to spring an upset.
Smithfield trailed 21-14 after the first quarter, but Blakely and Christian Snowman found their range and couldn’t miss in the second quarter. Blakely hit three 3-pointers and Snowman scored 11 points in the quarter that put the Sentinels on top 40-36 at the half.
With Blakely still scoring, Lincoln found itself down seven points heading to the fourth. The Lions let their experience show, as Jarrett O’Hagan and Josh Bergeron helped lead a comeback, with Andrew Picozzi’s 3-pointer giving them a 62-61 lead 2:29 into the quarter.
Smithfield pushed back, but Lincoln went on a spurt and for three minutes, maintained a two-possession lead. Brian Gugel’s putback of his own miss had the Lions ahead 74-69 and a stop or two away from survival.
With 48.4 seconds left, Blakely hit Shane Trainor on the right block for a layup with a foul. Trainor made the free throw and the Sentinels prepared to get a stop to have a chance to win.
Lincoln killed off 30 seconds, but a violation gave Smithfield the ball back with 18.4 left. Blakely took matters into his own hands, bringing the ball up slowly before pulling off a step-back 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Sentinels ahead 75-74 with 11.6 seconds to go.
Lincoln tried to attack with Bergeron, but he was fouled on the floor before he could get into shooting motion with 4.7 seconds left. Smithfield locked down on defense and prevented a clean look at a game-winning shot, with Picozzi’s fadeaway 3-pointer falling short at the buzzer.
Blakely was beyond good in the win, scoring 30 points. Snowman was also terrific for Smithfield, dropping 25. Luke Dwyer had eight points in the win. The Sentinels will try to keep their Cinderella run going on Wednesday night when they travel to play Central.
Gugel and O’Hagan led Lincoln with 17 points each. Bergeron scored 15 in the loss and Picozzi had 12. Lincoln’s season ends with the defeat.
🏀BOYS BASKETBALL – First Round
Portsmouth 57, Cranston West 48
The Division I champs found themselves in a battle, but unleashed a torrid defensive attack in the fourth quarter that helped them avoid an upset as the fourth-seeded Patriots downed the 13th-seeded Falcons, 57-48.
Nothing has come easy for Portsmouth this season – including its run to the D-I title – and this game was no different. The Patriots’ style fit what Cranston West wanted to do and it made for an interesting game.
Eight minutes in it looked Jack Casey was going to make it a runaway, as he scored 14 points to give Portsmouth a 17-11 lead. The Falcons responded by toughening up on defense and three 3-pointers helped them cut the deficit to three heading to halftime.
The Patriots’ lead remained there going to the fourth when they decided enough was enough. Portsmouth used a defensive effort last seen in its D-I title-game win over La Salle and made sure Cranston West couldn’t do anything to change the scoreboard. The Patriots held the Falcons to just seven points in the quarter.
While Portsmouth didn’t close with a fury, a 3-pointers and 4-for-4 shooting from the line from Adam Conheeny helped it close out the game.
Casey led Portsmouth with 19 points and Conheeny scored 15, with 10 coming in the second half. Jackson Hackley was also in double figures with 10. The Patriots move on to the quarterfinals and will host Classical on Wednesday night.
Diante Jackson was Cranston West’s top scorer with 12 and Noah Germain was right behind him with 11 in the season-ending loss.
Classical 83, East Providence 51
Any questions about who the state’s best player has been this season were put to bed as Eliezer Delbrey had a historical performance guiding the fifth-seeded Purple to an 83-51 win over the 12th-seeded Townies.
Delbrey, Classical’s two-time All-Stater, came into the RIIL State Tournament ready to prove a point and did so by scoring a bunch of them, putting up 46 points, a total that coach John Kavanagh said is a program record.
After losing to rival Central in the quarterfinals of the Division I Tournament, Classical was locked and loaded for its first-round state tournament game against East Providence. Delbrey was his usual self, putting up eight points while teammate Mohammed Fadia scored seven that had the Purple out in front, 21-9, after the first quarter.
If the Townies had any hopes of getting back in the game, Delbrey made sure it never happened. He dropped 11 points in the second quarter, getting the lead to 13 at halftime, then had 14 in the third as Classical went out in front 60-42.
The Purple continued to push in the fourth and Delbrey couldn’t be stopped, scoring 13 before going to the bench with 2:39 left in the game.
Delbrey had the big number, but Fadia finished in double figures with 16 points. J.J. Galvan and Arnold Mukama both added six in the win.
Freshman Robbie Mason provided most of East Providence’s offense, scoring 15 of his team-best 18 points in the first half. Jayden Vaz scored 11 in the loss, which ends the Townies’ season.
Classical moves on to the quarterfinal round and will travel to play at No. 4 Portsmouth – which won the Division I title last week – on Wednesday night.
La Salle 44, Shea 42
After a terrific run to the Division I final, the Rams’ almost had their state tournament end in the first round, but a second-half comeback and clutch free throws from London Miller allowed them to escape with a 44-42 win over the Raiders.
When the teams met in the Division I Tournament, La Salle had little trouble dispatching Shea by 23 points. This 2-15 matchup went a little different.
The Raiders came in hungry and was more than comfortable in using its size to engage in a tough, defensive battle that, thanks to some offense from Isaac Ibidapo and Jayden Morrobel, had them ahead of the Rams, 21-19, at the half.
La Salle didn’t panic. While the Rams are young, the D-I tourney gave them big-game experience and it showed. La Salle didn’t run away with things, but a back-and-forth second half leaned in its direction as Nick Tarro started to get buckets.
It was still a one-possession game with five seconds left when Miller was fouled. The freshman didn’t blink and made two free throws that made Shea’s last possession meaningless toward the outcome.
Tarro led La Salle with 16 points and Miller and Jaden Givens both scored 11. The Rams move on to the quarterfinal round and will host No. 7 Hendricken in a rematch of their D-I Tournament quarterfinal.
The loss ends the season for the Raiders.
Barrington 80, Ponaganset 55
The Eagles wasted little time in making sure there’d be no monumental upset in this one, as All-Stater Caleb Satisfield put on a show in the first quarter of the 80-55 win over the Chieftains.
A 16-1 upset is never out of the question – just ask Hendricken – but Barrington made sure that thought didn’t enter Ponaganset’s head.
Barrington scored the first five points of the game and led 8-4 two minutes in when a Satisfield 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run that ended with a layup from Colin McDermott to make it 19-4 midway through the quarter.
The Chieftains settled down and found some offense over the final four minutes, but the Division III champs didn’t have anyone who could slow Satisfield, who scored 15 points and had the Eagles up 30-17 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter Barrington got more serious about its defense and held Ponaganset to eight points. McDermott provided some pop on the offensive end with two 3-pointers and the Eagles went into the half up 50-25 and never let the game get close the rest of the night.
Satisfield got Barrington out to the hot start, but McDermott had it working from outside all night. The senior guard buried eight 3-pointers and finished with 28 points. Satisfield closed his night with 23 – 20 in the first half – and Ryan Rigamonti added eight in the win.
Gabe Mongeon led Ponaganset with 18 points and Justin Welch came through with 11. Brady Miller, the MVP of the Division III Tournament, scored nine in his final game for the Chieftains.
Barrington moves on to the Elite Eight and will host Mt. Hope on Wednesday night at a time to be determined.
No. 8 Mt. Hope 66, No. 9 Mount Pleasant 62
Eric Rueb’s story from the Huskies’ overtime win over the Kilties is coming soon.
No. 6 Central 83, No. 11 Westerly 61
Central head coach Mike Reed did not report statistics to the Journal, per the agreement with the coaches association.
No. 7 Hendricken 76, No. 10 St. Raphael 60
Hendricken head coach Jamal Gomes did not report statistics to the Journal, per the agreement with the coaches association.
🏀GIRLS BASKETBALL – First Round
No. 12 Rogers at No. 5 Portsmouth, 5:30 p.m.
Westerly 70, Exeter-West Greenwich 46
Late in the third quarter the Bulldogs found themselves in a ballgame, then proceeded to show why they’re Division I champs in their 70-46 win over the Scarlet Knights.
Westerly was the top seed but didn’t get an ideal draw up against Exeter-West Greenwich, the Division III champs, and it showed as much with how the game played out for the first 20-plus minutes.
The Knights weren’t content with just qualifying for the state tournament. EWG took care of the basketball and, with All-State track star Nini Olawuyi leading the way, used its athleticism to control pace and go into the half only down two to Westerly.
Olawuyi scored 1:24 into the quarter on a drive down the lane to tie the game at 27. Westerly looked like it was ready to take control with a 9-2 spurt, but Kate Hebert buried a long 3-pointer that made it 36-32 with 3:26 left in the third quarter.
Next thing anyone knew, the game was over.
The Bulldogs did it with defense, as Hamelin was maniacal the second the ball crossed midcourt. Turnovers led to quick buckets and Westerly was finishing at the rim with layup after layup that led to a 15-0 run to close the quarter capped by two free throws from Sophie Gwaltney.
There was no slowing down. The Bulldogs opened the fourth on a 9-0 run before Hebert made a 3-pointer with 5:09 left to play, the Scarlet Knights’ first points in over six minutes.
Reyes was ferocious, leading Westerly’s offense with 30 points. Hamelin filled the stat sheet, again, with nine points, six steals, six assists and five rebounds. Jenna Parker scored seven points and had nine rebounds and Gwaltney and Macy Antoch both scored six points.
Olawuyi was magnificent in her final game for the Scarlet Knights, putting up 22 points to close out a career that saw her teams reach two championship games and win one title. Hebert, who will lead EWG next season, came through with 13 points in the season-ending loss.
Barrington 67, Coventry 28
The Eagles were on a business trip, using their defense to dominate from start to finish in the 67-28 win over the Division II Oakers.
No. 2 Barrington was not messing around with No. 15 Coventry, which played its way into the State Tournament after an upset over Rogers in the quarterfinals of the D-II Tournament.
The Eagles ramped up their pressure, using their quickness, speed and athleticism to prevent the Oakers from doing anything they wanted to do on offense. With Coventry not scoring, Barrington did plenty and led 20-5 after the first quarter before taking a 35-15 lead into the half.
Not much changed in the second half as the Eagles finished strong and got themselves into the quarterfinals of the state tourney with a date against Moses Brown, the team that ended their division tournament.
Genesis Castro and Keira Martin led Barrington with 15 points each and Faith Van Ness had nine in the win. Sabrina Vesey scored 10 points for the Oakers, who will be a team to watch out for next season.
Ponaganset 69, St. Raphael 32
The Chieftains let their defense do the work, keeping the Saints to single digits in each of the first three quarters on their way to a 69-32 win.
No. 3 Ponaganset struggled defensively in their quarterfinal loss to Cranston West in the Division I Tournament, but made sure not to let that happen in this first-round game against No. 14 St. Raphael.
The Saints scored seven points in the first quarter, nine in the second and five in the third. While they were having problems putting points on the board, the Chieftains were not. Marron Nerney buried two 3-pointers and scored eight points in the first eight minutes to build a 17-7 lead, and four different players scored in the second to maintain the gap.
In the third quarter, Kaitlyn Simoneau hit two 3-pointers and scored eight points while seven different Chieftains scored, giving them a 49-21 edge going to the final quarter.
Nerney and Simoneau both scored 12 points to lead Ponaganset, with Maci LaFontaine right behind them with 11. Ava Morey added six points – all in the fourth quarter – in the win that sends Ponaganset to the quarterfinals, where they’ll host Cranston West on Wednesday night.
Keniamarie Oyola led St. Raphael with eight points. Carolyn Abreu scored seven in the loss.
North Kingstown 51, Chariho 31
The Skippers played with fire, taking control on both sides of the court and putting the game away by halftime in a 51-31 win over the Chargers.
Any remanence left over from North Kingstown’s Division I Tournament upset loss to Portsmouth was long gone when the matchup against Chariho started.
The Skippers, seeded fourth in the state tourney, got three 3-pointers from Brooke Faunce and a defensive effort they needed as they led 17-4 after the first quarter. In the second quarter Michaela Bejbl handled the bulk of the scoring, getting seven points as NK continued to prevent the Chargers from getting on the board while building a 30-9 halftime lead.
Nothing changed in the third quarter. Alexis Boudreau led six Skipper scorers with five points in the third quarter and with a 47-13 lead heading to the fourth, NK emptied the bench for the final eight minutes.
Faunce and Beijbl led North Kingstown with 10 points apiece. Maya Bigelli scored eight points for the Skippers and Boudreau finished with seven. NK will get a rematch with Portsmouth on Wednesday night in the quarterfinal round.
Madilyn Fizzano led Chariho with seven points and Tessa Aiello scored six in the season-ending loss.
Moses Brown 60, South Kingstown 50
The Quakers jumped out to a quick start and Lauren Bousquet and Marielle Nassiff couldn’t be stopped in the 60-50 win over the Rebels.
Any ill-effects felt from the Division I title game didn’t show up in Moses Brown’s state opener. The seventh-seeded Quakers wasted little time in establishing dominance, opening the game on a 14-0 run and leading 24-8 after the first quarter. No. 11 South Kingstown ate into the deficit a bit in the second quarter thanks to nine points from Chloe Quirk, but Bousquet’s ability to get to the foul line prevented it from dipping into single digits.
Moses Brown led 36-25 at halftime and then built on it as Nassiff took over for the offense, scoring seven points in the third quarter and keeping things going with nine points in the fourth.
Bousquet had a double-double in the win, scoring 26 points – 19 in the first half – to go with 12 rebounds. Nassiff finished with 20, getting 16 in the second half. Abigail DeWolf scored even in the win for the Quakers, who will travel to play No. 2 Barrington on Wednesday in a repeat matchup of the Division I quarterfinals.
Quirk led South Kingstown with 15 points. Jade Holland scored 10 in the season-ending loss.
Cranston West 51, Smithfield 41
The Falcons were flying high until things got a little close for comfort late, but they managed to lock down on defense and dispatch the Sentinels, 51-41, to advance to the quarterfinals.
No. 6 Cranston West, a semifinalist in the Division I Tournament, came out firing as Madeleine Marques scored seven points and freshman Aniyah Holloway came up with four to pick up a 16-5 lead on No. 11 Smithfield. Kyla Buco, Maggie Sjovall and Miley Cournoyer came up with two buckets apiece in the second quarter and the Falcons extended their lead to 31-17 at the half.
The game seemed to be over – or at least heading in that direction – but Annabelle Lally wasn’t ready to see her season end. The Smithfield junior took over in the third quarter, scoring seven points to cut the deficit to 11 heading to the fourth. Lally continued to put points on the board and her putback had the Sentinels down 42-36 with 5:10 left to play.
Cranston West responded with a Buco free throw and then found a way to corral Lally and prevent anyone on Smithfield from doing damage. The lead never got smaller than seven the rest of the way before the buzzer sounded on the victory.
Buco and Sjovall led the Falcons with 11 points each. Talya Walker scored nine, hitting two 3-pointers, and Marques scored seven points. Cranston West moves on to the quarterfinals and will travel to play Ponaganset, which it upset on the road in the D-I tourney.
Smithfield, a Division II semifinalist, was led by 21 points from Lally. Elaina Reed came up with 12 points in the season-ending loss.
No. 8 Lincoln School 40, No. 9 Tiverton 37
Due to a technological error, the scorebook sent to the Journal couldn’t be accessed. We will try to get more from the game on Tuesday morning to provide a full recap.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Scores from the RIIL Boys and Girls Basketball State Tournament on Monday