The 2009 Credit Union Basketball Championships playoffs have begun with first round, quarterfinal and semifinal action at the Community College of Rhode Island (boys) and Rhode Island College (girls). The Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island will host the boys state championships on Saturday, March 14 and the girls on Sunday, March 15.
Division 1 Boys
* Bishop Hendricken showed why it has a cumulative record of 98-8 against RIIL competition the past six years while capturing the last five state titles with an 80-58 quarterfinal thrashing of No. 11 Hope behind 23 points by Billy Baron, 23 from Matt Barboza, 13 by Ricky Ledo and 10 by Nick Manning.
* No. 2 Mt. Pleasant and No. 3 Cranston East will collide for the second time this season after both squads won their quarterfinal games.
* Kevin Cabrera had a game-high 19 points and Mike Juarez erupted for 14 of his 16 points in the second half in the Thunderbolt's 72-51 win over pesky North Kingstown. Cranston East outscored the Skippers, 23-4, at the end of the game. The Rebels were led by Rob Hazard who accounted for 15 of his team-high 17 points in the first half.
* Ethan Smith continued his stellar play in the tourney by scoring 16 of his team-high 19 points for No. 5 Cranston West in its 56-43 triumph over No.4 Woonsocket. The Falcons put the clamps on the Villa Novans' leading scorer, Antjuan Jones, who scored 11 points, six points below his average, while Nathan Geter had a team-high 12 points. Smith earlier scored 31 points and Gian Papa 22 in a 75-64 win over No. 8 Hope.
* No. 3 Mount Pleasant relied on 18 points by unheralded 6-3 senior center Jeff Darius to advance the No. 3 Kilties to the semifinals, 71-57, over No. 6 La Salle. Frank Robinson chipped in with 15 points and point guard Billy Soriano had an outstanding floor game with 13 points for the Kilties. Ethan Hattoy led the Rams with 19 points and Pucci Angell added 14.
Division 1 Girls
* Coming into the tournament with a 12-game win streak, No. 1 La Salle is poised for a three-peat and has captured five crowns overall in the past seven years. The Rams have one of the best inside-outside combinations in All-State guard Torey Jones and 6-1 center Jamilla Dillon.
* Seniors Jillian Woerner and Erin Ferry lead No. 2 Bayview, 2008 state finalist and five-time Division 1 Central champions, into the playoffs.
* No. 3 South Kingstown, the South champs, defeated the Rams in their only meeting this season, an epic 62-61 overtime affair, spearheaded by 6-foot forward Annie Lawler, 6--3 center Ali Jones and point guard Meg Morrissey.
* No. 4 Cranston West, runner-up to Bay View in the Central Division, won 15 of its last 16 games behind Rachel Ferri and Ariana DeSimone.
Division 2 Boys
* Defending state champion Classical (17-1) is keyed by Ashley Watkins and Lavon Waite and finished with a 17-1 record. But the Purple will have serious contenders. Narragansett, behind Jay Jeannotte and Brendan Kenny, also finished with a 17-1 records on its way to winning the regular season Division 2 South title.
* Shea, which broke the epic win streak of Classical, has an explosive up-and-down offense with one of the state's leading scorers in Malcum Moniz (21 points per game).
* Coventry earned a tough assignment of facing Shea after dismantling Pilgrim, 82-47, in a preliminary-round game as Sean Finnegan had a career-high 32 points, including six three-pointers. The Oakers were the only team in the state to defeat Narragansett and depend on the experienced leadership of Trevor Dimicco and Brandon DiPaola.
Division 2 Girls
* The East co-leaders, No. 1 Portsmouth and two time defending Division 2 state champion No. 5 Barrington, are on a possible collision course for the semifinals after both rivals won their respective first-round games.
* Sarah Ethier registered a game-high 23 points for Portsmouth, which outscored Tolman by 20 points in the second half in a 64-46 win. Tricia Fontaine added 14 and Caitlin Sewall 11 for the Patriots.
* No. 2 Woonsocket blew out Chariho, 73-43, with Kailey Figuere scoring 17 points, one of six Villa Novans with eight or more points.
* In a 56-39 win by Barrington over Johnston, the Eagles had three players in double figures, including Jerribelle Yutangco with 14, Kelly Mannix, 13, and Catherine Matthews, 12.
* No. 11 Scituate threw itself into the mix with a startling 48-46 upset over No. 6 Mt. St. Charles as Katie Birrell scored half the team's points and Stephanie Hopkins made two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to seal the win.
Division 3 Boys
* Central Falls is the favorite with its talented and unselfish starting quintet of Luis Pena, Rob Alers, Antonio Mena, George Carle and Angel Gonzalez charging into the tourney with a state-best 17-game win streak.
* No. 2 Moses Brown has won six in a row and rely on Anjuwon Spence (20 points per game) as the division's best hope for being a Central Falls party crasher. The Quakers lost twice to the Warriors but still held the explosive Warriors to eight points below their state-leading average of 78 points per contest in the losses.
* Matt Chiccarelli is the division's leading scorer (22 points per game) for North Smithfield which defeated the Quakers in their last meeting.
Division 3 Girls
* In a three-team playoff, it will be hard to pick who should prevail between No. 1 Central Falls and No. 2 Hope, who split during the regular season. The Warriors are led by freshman Ana Rodriquez and by Valerie Biascochea.
* Hope's all-division point guard Mikaela Garvin, who does it all for the Blue Wave, could be the major factor for her squad to repeat as state champions.
