The Tolman Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Burrillville Broncos at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Tolman is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.8 points per game this season.
Tolman is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Lincoln, who was ranked 14th at the time (Tolman was ranked 21st). Tolman received a blow on Saturday as they fell 70-52 to Lincoln. The Tigers have struggled against the Lions recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from John Hilaire, who posted 13 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Nicholas Fleury, who put up 11 points and six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Tolman smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Burrillville put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Prout, posting a 74-42 victory. The Broncos have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 20 points or more this season.
Tolman better focus on containing Sean Zanella and Logan Gelinas as the pair were huge in Burrillville's win. Zanella went 7 of 13 on his way to 18 points, while Gelinas dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 boards. That's the most points Zanella has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Belluzzi, who had five points in addition to five rebounds and four steals.
Burrillville pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Tolman, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-3.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Tolman hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 58.8 points per game. However, it's not like Burrillville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 70.4 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Everything came up roses for Tolman against Burrillville when the teams last played back in February, as the squad secured a 65-34 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tolman since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
