Preview: Tolman Tigers vs. Coventry Oakers
The Tolman Tigers will look to defend their home court on Monday against the Coventry Oakers at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, Tolman faced South Kingstown in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Tolman came out on top against South Kingstown by a score of 81-70. Winning may never get old, but Tolman sure is getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Tolman to victory, but perhaps none more so than John Hilaire, who scored 26 points along with six assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hilaire has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Malik Gelinas, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds.
Coventry was handed a 29-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against St. Raphael Academy on Friday. Coventry came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Raphael Academy and snuck past 56-54. The win was just what Coventry needed coming off of a 74-45 defeat in their prior match.
Tolman is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. As for Coventry, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8.
Everything came up roses for Tolman against Coventry in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 86-57 victory. Does Tolman have another victory up their sleeve, or will Coventry turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
