Clash in the Valley
Third game between rivals is for spot in Division III semis
In a Division III boys’ basketball quarterfinal game, North Smithfield will square off with Burrillville tonight. Detailed preview inside.
BURRILLVILLE — Burrillville boys basketball coach Kevin Randall is acutely aware of the cliché “imposing your will on an opponent” because he’s an assistant coach on the Division III champion Bronco football team.
But, Tuesday night at the Broncodome, the No. 4 Broncos and No. 5 North Smithfield will spend 32 minutes trying to impose their will on their local rival for a spot in the Division III semifinals. While the Broncos want to take the air out of the ball and force the Northmen into a halfcourt contest, the smaller, faster visitors want to turn the contest into a track meet.
“They’re a very good defensive team – it’s what they live by – so we need to get out in transition,” North Smithfield coach Brandon DiPaola said after practice Monday afternoon. “When we’re out in transition, Steve [Goulet] and Ethan [Savoie] are spotting up on the wing, it’s really tough to play them. In the half-court set it’s easier to slow them down. We’ve been working on some stuff to get going.”
“We’re in serious trouble if they get going in transition,” Burrillville coach Kevin Randall said prior to Monday afternoon’s practice. “We have to turn this into a half-court game. I think we win this game if our top guys play like our top guys and we’re consistent defensively. We can’t have stretches where they score five straight possessions and in transition.”
The numbers tell you everything you need to know about the Blackstone Valley foes. In North Smithfield’s 21 games, Savoie, Goulet and Micah Camble-Meriweather have helped the Northmen score at least 60 points in 16 games. Conversely, the Northmen have allowed more than 60 points in 12 contests.
On the other side, Jay Cabral, Dom Esposito and the Broncos have scored more than 60 points in just half of their 20 games, while the Broncos have allowed at least 60 points in just seven games.
“We have a lot to show out for one of our last games,” said Esposito, who was voted first-team all-Division III by the coaches. “We knew what was coming from them and their offense, so that helped us with our game plan. We have a game plan for everything that they’re throwing at us, so we’ll be ready.”
Each team has a blueprint to advance to Friday’s semifinal at East Providence. The Northmen rolled into the Broncodome in late December and secured a 70-59 victory. Savoie hit six 3-pointers in the second half and Aldrec Viera Dones also scored 20 points in the victory.
The key to the win was offensive balance. Goulet, who reached the 1,000-point plateau in January, controlled the first half and scored 12 points. Camble-Meriweather added 16 points.
“To us, that first game definitely matters because they came in here and shot the lights out,” Randall said. “Steve Goulet is a top-3 player in the division and Ethan Savoie just reached 1,000 points. They had a high-powered offense already and then they added the two transfers [Camble-Meriweather and Jason Meriweather]. They’re formidable to say the least. It’s their high-powered offense against our lockdown defense.”
The Broncos secured a split of the season series and a share of the Division III-North title last month with a 57-52 victory. Burrillvile’s Ethan Prario held Savoie to just one point, while Dearden dominated his matchup with Viera Dones to keep the Northmen from running after missed shots.
“They’re a lot bigger than we are and they’re a very psychical team,” DiPaola said. “Trying to control Quentin Dearden on the glass is important because he did a very good on the offensive glass. They scored a bunch of putbacks. They’re going to have to shoot 3s against our [1-3-1] zone, but we can’t allow putbacks.”
Burrillville is looking for a second straight trip to the Division III semifinals, while North Smithfield is hoping to advance to East Providence Friday night for a first semifinal game since winning the D-III title in 2013.
Division II – No. 9 Portsmouth at No. 1 Cumberland
For the second straight season the Portsmouth boys basketball team is coming to the Wellness Center to take on a high-octane Cumberland team in the Division II quarterfinals.
The Patriots hope tonight’s contest goes better than last year’s – it almost has to.
Cumberland routed the Patriots 84-38 on its way to the Division II title. This season, the teams met in Cumberland on Jan. 29 and Clipper junior Jackson Zancan poured in 30 points and Tyler Kolek had 21 in an 80-70 victory.
“They’re either going to play a zone or a box-andone, but we need to worry about what we do,” Cumberland coach Gary Reedy said. “We like to play an up-tempo game and play some defense. We need to keep them off the boards because they have a good, solid team and one of the keys is going to be rebounding.”
The Patriots, who upset Barrington in the first round, return a couple of talented players who likely remember last season’s game. James Reilly and Jack Skrzypiec have been the team’s top scorers, while Will Smart presents an inside presence.
Reedy knows what he’s going to get from Zancan, Kolek and Dante Aviles-Santos, but he’s interested to see how some of his talented underclassmen respond to playoff pressure.
“We’ll see what [Mitchell] Lydon can do and what [Ben] Keeler can do and the young kid [Brandon] Raftery can do,” Reedy said. “They’re a junior and two sophomores who are playing important varsity minutes.”
Division III – No. 6 Ponaganset at No. 3 Central Falls
Motivation won’t be an issue for the Central Falls boys basketball team when Ponaganset comes to The Teepee in the Division III quarterfinals tonight. On Feb. 1, Steven DelSesto scored 33 points to lead the Chieftains to a 78-76 home victory over the Warriors.
“We have to play solid defense and hold Ponaganset to one shot because they’re a very good shooting team,” said Central Falls coach Jeff Doucette, who was named Division III coach of the year. “DelSesto lit us up the first time we played them, so we have to contain him. I don’t mind running because that’s what we do, but we like to limit other teams from doing that. We need to slow them down in transition.”
The Warriors have been powered by Dutchie Arroyo, and Emmanuel Division from the guard position, but Doucette said the key in tonight’s game is defensive rebounding. Starlyn Mercardo and Elton Soares will be in a frontcourt battle with Chris DePetrillo and Cal Parrillo.
“Starlyn Mercado and Elton Soares are what make us run defensively,” Doucette said. “If they can get us out on the break with their rebounding, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Division III – No. 7 Lincoln at No. 2 Tiverton
Lincoln boys basketball coach Kent Crooks isn’t running away from the idea that his Lions are underdogs when they travel to the East Bay to take on reigning Division III champion Tiverton in the Division III quarterfinals.
“There’s no pressure on the kids and no pressure on us because we’re the seventh seed and they’re the second seed,” Crooks said. “We’ve had a good year up until now and I feel good. I hit the kids with a quote today that victory favors the team that makes the fewest mistakes. When it comes to playoff time – or any
Division III – No. 7 Burrillville at No. 2 Shea
The task is very simple, but will be extremely challenging for the No. 7 Burrillville girls basketball team.
When the Broncos and No. 2 Shea met last month at the Broncodome, Raider super sophomore Yasmine Santos and Ashley Torres outscored the Broncos by seven points as the Raiders earned a 60-33 victory.
“We have to shut down their two big players and we have to crash the boards and rebound the ball well, otherwise we’re in trouble,” Burrillville coach Sam Stanton said. “We have a plan put in place for [Santos] and Torres because they were the big problems for us last time.”
The Raiders (16-2) have been a formidable foe for every team in the division not named Tiverton. Santos is averaging almost 18 points a game for a Raider squad that not only wants to get back to the Division III title game but also return to the Open state tournament for a second straight season.
Burrillville won its playoff opener against Mt. Pleasant and did so by scoring a season-high 56 points. No Bronco averages more than eight points a game, but the team has won games thanks to balanced scoring led by Liz Ethier, Jocelyn Valliere, Sam Prario and Alyssa Simpson.
“Playing at Shea is tough to begin with because their court is so small,” Stanton said. “We need to be strong with the ball and play with confidence. We’ve been playing with confidence over the last two weeks, so we should be all right if we keep playing that way.”