On Monday, the Cranston West Falcons faced the North Kingstown Skippers in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Cranston West ended up on the wrong side of a tough 78-56 walloping at the hands of North Kingstown. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Cranston West in their matchups with North Kingstown: they've now lost nine in a row.
Cranston West's loss came despite strong showings from Kyla Buco and Olivia Tedeschi-Moran. Buco scored 17 points along with two steals, while Tedeschi-Moran scored 16 points. Buco hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Saniyya Chase was another key contributor, scoring six points along with six rebounds and two steals.
North Kingstown's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jaelyn Holmes led the charge by scoring 23 points along with six rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Holmes has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Shea Kalin, who scored 20 points along with nine rebounds.
Cranston West's loss dropped their record down to 7-5. As for North Kingstown, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 9-3.
Cranston West will be playing at home against East Providence at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Rhode Island (East Providence is ranked 40th, while Cranston West is ranked 21st). As for North Kingstown, they will head out on the road to square off against St. Raphael Academy at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. St. Raphael Academy comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
