Basketball Recap: North Providence Comes Up Short

If North Providence was feeling good fresh off their 70-39 takedown of Woonsocket last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The North Providence Cougars fell to the Smithfield Sentinels 58-52. The Cougars lost against the Sentinels in their previous head to head back in February of 2022, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 57-30 score last time.

Despite the loss, North Providence saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Marianna Xavier posted 13 points along with seven boards and six assists. Those 13 points gave Xavier a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Catherine Nicolo, who put up 12 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, North Providence smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive matches.

North Providence's defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-4. As for Smithfield, they now have a winning record of 5-4.

North Providence will welcome Times Squared Academy at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. North Providence is facing Times Squared Academy at the right time seeing as Times Squared Academy is stuck on an eight-game losing streak. As for Smithfield, they are taking a road trip to square off against East Providence at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.