Basketball Game Preview: Woonsocket Villa Novans vs. North Smithfield Northmen

The Woonsocket Villa Novans will head out on the road to challenge the North Smithfield Northmen at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Woonsocket is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Cumberland on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Woonsocket had to suffer through a 45-17 loss at the hands of Cumberland. The Villa Novans were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 26-4.

Despite the loss, Woonsocket had strong showings from Delilah Sirypannho, who posted six points, and Lexi Rivera, who had four points. Those six points gave Sirypannho a new career-high.

Meanwhile, North Smithfield beat Lincoln 42-32 on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Northmen.

North Smithfield's win came from a few key players Woonsocket will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Raeghan Reilly, who put up 16 points and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Mya Silveira, who posted seven points in addition to 13 rebounds and four steals.

North Smithfield's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Woonsocket, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-3.

Woonsocket came out on top in a nail-biter against North Smithfield in their previous meeting back in January of 2021, sneaking past 44-41. Does Woonsocket have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Smithfield turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.