By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
The Ryan Center, home to the University of Rhode Island basketball teams, awaits the arrival of the Division I, II and III boys and girls finalists on March 8.
In the meantime, the boys' action at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick and the girls' competition at Rhode Island College in Providence reaches a peak of activity this weekend with quarterfinal round games.
Here's a look at the match-ups:
Boys Division I: Friday, February 29
The most intriguing match-up features two familiar Division I South foes: league leader and three seed North Kingstown (15-5), with Mason Kenney and other standouts, versus six seed Exeter-West Greenwich (13-8), with both teams having split their season series.
The EWG duo of Pat Sturdahl and Dave Storti, 1,000-point scorers who account for over two-thirds of their team's offense, would have reason to say 'I told you so' to those who said they would not even make the playoffs. For when this school of 625 students got accepted into the Division I ranks two years ago to compete against far larger schools, it was poised to do so alongside imposing 6-foot-9 center Ben Crenca, who instead went to Worcester Academy. Yet here they and their Scarlet Knights still stand.
Second-seeded Woonsocket (16-2), which ran away with the Division I North title, faded somewhat in the middle of the season after an 11-game win streak, highlighted by a stunning 62-59 victory over Bishop Hendricken. The Villa Novans must be wary of potential giant-killer Cranston East (13-11), a 10 seed that beat East Providence, 82-79, in a preliminary round game and which just fell short in the regular season, 46-41, to Woonsocket.
If, as expected, top-seeded and four-time defending state champion Bishop Hendricken (18-2) gets past St. Raphael Academy (12-10) and three seed Mt. Pleasant (15-7) advances over Central High (13-10), that sets up a semifinal matchup on Tuesday between two Division I teams many observers believe are the best squads. Mount Pleasant lost to the Hawks, 73-69, earlier, and was one of just three Ocean State teams to give the Hawks a stiff test.
Boys Division II: Saturday, March 1
Top-seeded Classical (20-1), on a 16-game win skein and beating most opponents by 20 points or more, gets its first taste of action when it meets eighth-seeded Narragansett (12-10) and the Mariners' high-scorer, Jay Jeanotte.
Waiting in the wings for the Classical/Narragansett winner will be the winner between fourth-seeded Rogers (15-6) and five seed Scituate (15-7). Rogers, whose key player is Mason Choice, is well-known for clamping down defensively (43 ppg allowed), but will have to shut down a Scituate team that vanquished North Providence, 85-34, in the preliminaries.
West Warwick (16-7), a four seed, has an imposing front line of 6-5 forward Bruce Sobers and 6-7 Ryan Coburn, along with a 3-point specialist in Rich Lizotte. But its task against defending state champion and third-seeded Feinstein (19-4) will be to shut down Jerrell Gomes and Adalberto Bueno, both capable of taking over a game.
Surprising second-seeded Coventry (14-3), riding an 11-game win streak and a well-balanced attack on its way to its first division title in three decades, will have to slow down the pressing, 3-point shooting and fast-breaking style of a smaller Tiverton squad (12-10), seeded seventh. If they do so, the Oakers will meet the winner of West Warwick vs. Feinstein
Boys Division III: Sunday, March 2
Central Falls (17-4) had the best record of any Division III squad, but three other teams, including Moses Brown (17-5), Mount St. Charles (16-7) and Prout (17-4) won't make it easy for the Warriors. And Central Falls probable opponent in the semifinal is Prout, which avenged an earlier 28-point defeat with a 65-55 win over the Warriors on the last day of the season.
Rhode Island College, meanwhile, will be brimming with activity for girls' quarterfinal playoff action.
Girls Division I: Saturday, March 1
Brittany Wilson and her top-seeded St. Mary Academy- Bay View contingent (22-1), along with two seed South Kingstown (17-2) and three seed and defending state champion La Salle Academy (17-3) are the three strongest squads. La Salle was defeated by South Kingstown earlier in the season and Bay View Academy has not lost to any Ocean State team, while compiling a 16-game win streak since Christmas.
Number 11 Exeter-West Greenwich (6-14), behind 15 points by Melissa Murphy, provided the biggest upset of the tourney – boys or girls – with a 51-49 prelim victory over sixth-seeded Cranston West (13-10). Their reward: a meeting with La Salle.
Girls Division 2: Saturday, March 1
Two likely semifinal scenarios are top-seeded Scituate (17-3) and its headline player, Kaitlyn Birrell, versus fourth-seeded North Providence (14-5), led by Stephanie Corso, in one bracket, and two seed Tiverton and Westerly in the other.
Scituate, however, won't take North Providence lightly if they do meet, because the Scituate lost to North Providence, 63-60, during the regular season.
Aiming to make the semifinals from the other bracket is second-seeded Tiverton (17-5), a scrambling squad with no player taller than 5-8, which may meet up again with three seed Westerly (17-4) and Meredith Ward, bound for Holy Cross next year; Westerly defeated Tiverton, 68-58, earlier in the season.
Girls Division 3: Monday, March 3
With just four teams competing - Hope (12-2), Central Falls (12-4), Our Lady of Fatima (12-7) and Mt. Pleasant (10-7), seeds one to four, respectively – Hope rates as perhaps a slight favorite, though Central Falls split the season series against the Blue Wave.
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the New England Preps for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at rwathoop3@aol.com.
