By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Bishop Hendricken High School, the No. 1 boys' basketball team in Rhode Island, has already detected a scent of the playoffs.
On Tuesday, the four-time Rhode Island Interscholastic League Division I champions utilized full-court pressure to dismantle Cranston East, 67-45, in a RIIL Division I West game. The Hawks are poised to make a trophy-case expansion run again when the post-season commences next week.
"We've been playing very well the past 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and we're starting to put it together at the right time," said eight-year Hendricken coach Jamal Gomes, noting his team went to overtime last week before losing, 77-73, to No. 3 (in Eastern Mass.) Central Catholic; the Hawks (17-2) also did well in a recent scrimmage against No. 1 Charlestown, Mass.
Hendricken has held nine opponents to under 50 points this season, but a balanced attack, comprised of five starting players averaging nine or more points per game, also commands respect.
The basketball program has drawn extra attention for its unprecedented team success in the past five seasons (82-6 in regular-season play statewide), primarily because of its star players: Jim Baron, Jr., who now plays for his father, Jim Baron, Sr. at the University of Rhode Island; Joe Mazzulla, now at West Virginia, and Dave Rufful, now at Northfield-Mt Hermon and committed to Dartmouth College.
This season's cast does not have major primetime players, but the talented duo of 6-foot-0 senior guard Brendan Degnan (18 points per game) and 6-1 junior guard Bill Baron (17 ppg and another of Jim Baron's sons) are as talented as any backcourt tandem statewide.
In the team's latest win, Degnan scored a game-high 22 points and made three shots from behind the arc, while also notching his 1000th career point. Baron finished with a flourish, contributing 17 points.
"They're our 1-2 punch and if they are both on, we are difficult to guard," said Gomes.
Degnan, who masterminds an offense that can push the ball up the floor with the ability to finish in transition, will be attending Division III Wheaton College in nearby Norton, Mass., next season. "He's one of the best players in the state," Gomes said of Degnan.
"Bill has the potential to be a Division I player," Gomes added of Baron. "Everyone knows he can shoot the three, but he also has an ability to finish strong with either hand, pass and sees the floor well."
"Kevin McCartney (a 6-4 center), who can score inside, rebound, pass and hit the mid-range shot, has been the most pleasant surprise of all," Gomes noted, also mentioning the contributions of Nick Manning (9 ppg), Matt Barboza (9 ppg), Nick Maglio and Sean Murray.
Yet the Hawks (16-1 in RIIL Division I) are not invincible and it might take some extra coaching wizardry by Gomes and his assistants to guide this season's edition past the opposition over the next three weeks.
Woonsocket, Division I North winners at 13-2, beat Bishop Hendricken, 63-59, back on Jan. 18. Mt. Pleasant gave the Hawks all they could handle before falling, 60-56. And there have been narrow wins against Exeter West Greenwich (75-70) and Cranston West (61-59).
Naming North Kingstown, Woonsocket and Mt. Pleasant as 'dangerous' opponents and a few others as sleepers for the upcoming playoffs, Gomes said, "we're most successful when we play tough 'D'."
If the latest effort against Cranston East is an example of its stingy defense, Hendricken has to be considered the favorite again in an attempt to earn its fifth consecutive state championship.
Rhode Island Basketball Notes: Coventry, Classical, Rogers tough in Division II
Coventry, 14-2 and on an 11-game roll, claimed the Division II Central title with a 64-61 victory over West Warwick on Wednesday night before a large Senior Night crowd. Four Oakers placed in double figures: Jesse St. Pierre with 15, Kevin Woodcock 13, Jon Ruest 12 and Trevor Dimicco 11.
If defense spells success in Division II, perhaps Classical, the North champion at 16-0, will meet South titlist Rogers (11-4) in the finals. Classical overwhelmed Tolman, 66-36, on Tuesday and remains the only boys' team in the state undefeated against all Ocean State competition, allowing just 46 points per outing. Rogers usually limits teams to fewer than 50 points per night, too.
Trailing Rogers in Division II South are Narragansett, Portsmouth and Tiverton, all in a tie for second at 9-6 heading into the final day of regular-season action on Friday.
Mt. Pleasant, behind a racehorse attack engineered by Billy Soriano and Jordan McDonald, has captured Division I East with a 12-5 mark.
In Division I South, North Kingstown (14-3) prevailed over second-place Exeter-West Greenwich (10-7), which boasts the highest-scoring backcourt tandem in the state in Pat Sturdahl and David Storti.
Central Falls (17-2) will be the top seed in Division III but the Prout School, North Smithfield and Moses Brown, all at 15-4, will likely send the battle for the state title up for grabs.
Pairings for the upcoming state playoffs will be released on Saturday.
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the New England Preps for MaxPreps. He may be reached at rwathoop3@aol.com.
