By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
There are many points of pride, joy and support in Central Falls, a tightly-compacted and close-knit city of 1.5 square miles and 18,000 people, a place where recent Academy Award nominee Viola Davis grew up and prospered.
Yet take a short walk and you will likely see graphic results of a reeling economy with the foreclosure of so many properties here and throughout the state.
Still, there's bright news this winter and it originates from the Central Falls High School gym – where the Warriors' boys basketball program has run and gunned its way to a 16-game win streak and the top of the Division 3 basketball standings.
Recently, the Warriors turned a close 37-31 game into a 75-44 rout over Mount St. Charles Academy, clinching its second straight regular season Division 3 title.
The Warriors avenged their only loss, 75-72, to the Mounties in the league-opener. This time a stifling three-quarter court press produced turnover after turnover after intermission as the Warriors converted steal after steal into several fast break and transition points.
Four starters scored in double figures led by Luis Pena with 22 followed by Rob Alers with 19 (and 11 assists), Antonio Mena 15 and George Carle with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Without a true post presence, the Warriors' versatile starting five, including Angel Gonzalez, comprise one of the most exciting and quickest contingents in the entire state.
Advancing the ball up the court more by passing than dribbling, they can produce points in bunches. Touch passes inside are common, as are long outlet passes off opponents' misses.
"We try to put up a shot within 10 seconds," said head coach Brian Crookes, whose squad can also settle into a half-court offense, too. "Any one of our players can go for big numbers but they don't care who scores."
Despite his team averaging a state-leading 78 points per game, coach Crookes was proud of the defensive effort against the Mounties.
"We want to get out and run but it starts at the defensive end," the fourth-year head coach said. "That's when we play our best."
Junior point guard Rob Alers, a 1,000-point career scorer who averages 17 points and 11 assists per game "is my favorite player to watch in the state," Crookes said. "He just knows and plays the game so well."
Carle, an undersized center, averages 15 points and 11 rebounds per game. Mena, a power forward, also averages 15 points. His father is a former member of the the Puerto Rican national team. Pena, the best pure shooter, also accounts for 15 per game. The high-flying Gonzalez is hard to stop on the move. And Jason Pita is a valuable sixth man.
For Crookes, who grew up in Central Falls and teaches at the middle school, there is a natural attachment to his team, and immense pride.
"They really care about each other," he said as assistant coach Carl Africo nodded in confirmation. “I'm lucky to be coaching them because they really are such good kids."
It has been 22 years since the Warriors last brought home a boys basketball state championship trophy. Before that the Warrior boys had won eight state titles throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. In two of past three years they reached the finals. Can they go all the way this year?
"I think that when we play well, we can compete with any team in the state," Crooke said.
And with the Warriors' girls program also on top, perhaps both programs can each win a state title and prove they belong among the elite teams in the state.
Boys Highlights
* Shea ended a two-year division stranglehold by Classical in posting a 73-59 victory over the defending state champions in a Division 2 North matchup. The Raiders held the Purple 15 points under their average and had a combined 41 points from Malcum Moniz (21) and Rudy Britto (20). Ashton Watkins had 19 and Lavon Waite 14 for Classical.
* Scituate extended its win streak to six with a 68-35 conquest of Toll Gate. Jake Tillman had 15, Bredan Cabral 13 and Jared Hanson 10.
* Matt Chicarelli had a game-high 26 points for North Smithfield in its 78-55 win over Fatima. Steve Vario connected on four of the Northmen's nine 3-pointers in a 19-point performance.
Girls Highlights
* Bay View recorded its biggest victory of the season, 45-39, over South Kingstown, and then recorded back-to-back wins over Classical.
* Ponaganset won its sixth straight game, 60-56, over Division 1 North rival Lincoln on 20 points each by Stephanie Constant and Tyler Williams and 11 by Kaitlin Lennon. Ashley O'Dell of Lincoln led all scores with 25.
* North Kingstown still trails Division 1 South leader South Kingstown by a game but the Skippers still swept the season series with the Rebels in a 41-33 victory. Taylor Bastien scored a game-high 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers and Nicole DeCristoforo added two more treys for the winners.
* Division 3 leader Central Falls has matched its earlier seven-game win streak with a 48-15 triumph over Mt. Pleasant. Anjelique Cooley and Valerie Biascochia each put up 15 points for the Warriors, who now face Hope for the regular-season title.
