Second-half issues doom St. Raphael in defeat to Skippers
PAWTUCKET – The St. Raphael girls basketball team got it half right on Tuesday night. The same can also be said about visiting North Kingstown.
In the end, the Skippers’ half of productivity carried the day.
Down by eight points at halftime, North Kingstown flipped the switch and outscored SRA by 11 points during the latter half. When the final buzzer sounded, the Skippers stood tall following a 34-31 win in Division I-C action at Alumni Hall.
Senior Bryanna Rawsley helped fuel the comeback with a team-best nine points while classmate Grace Veas- ley supplied six of her eight points after the break.
For SRA, sophomore Amaya Dowdy finished with nine points while classmate Elizabeth Bruno added seven points. After scoring 41 points in their first league loss to Cranston West the last time out, the Saints once again fell into a deep freeze on the offensive end. After missing 22-of-29 shots in the first half, SRA in the second stanza went 6:10 without a point and 10:24 without a field goal. Both droughts started when play resumed.
St. Raphael also missed 6-of-12 free throws, which loomed even larger in a game that ended up being decided by a single possession.
“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board,” said SRA coach Tammy Drape after her club fell to 3-2 in league play. “Just too many missed field goals. Plus we’re depending too much on our normal people. Everyone has to contribute.”
As much as his own team was in a rut after going 3-for22 from the floor during the opening half, North Kingstown mentor Bob Simeone wasn’t ready to push the panic button. The last thing the Skippers wished to get into was a track meet with the quicker Saints. If St. Raphael was going to extend its eight-point halftime lead, the three-point line was there for the taking. The Skippers never had to make a defensive adjustment as SRA managed just three treys for the game against a slew of misses.
“We tried to slow the tempo down,” said Simeone. “We gave them the three but they were off all night.”
Offensively, NK started throwing the ball inside and found cracks within SRA’s scheme, particularly in the corners. When junior Katelyn Haberle swished a three with under 12 minutes remaining, the Skippers’ run was up to 11-0. They also moved ahead for the first time in the game at 19-18.
The Saints suffered a blow when starting point guard Tatum Forbes left with an injury with 12:06 left. She was clearly missed as the home team missed their first 16 shots of the second half before Dowdy cleaned up a misfire.
North Kingstown’s lead grew as high as seven points on a couple of occasions. When junior Maggie Schwab (four points) scored inside over Dowdy, the Skippers seemed in business at 29-22 with 3:41 remaining.
A hoop by Bruno and a steal that led to a layup from senior Sierra Gonzalez (three points) trimmed SRA’s deficit to 29-25 with 2:41 left. After a NK free throw, Dowdy converted a three-point play that made it a three-point game. The door was open after a turnover by the Skippers, who also missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 50.1 seconds on the clock. The Saints, however, continued turn in empty possessions.
Two free throws from senior Amanda Vancini gave North Kingstown (3-1, Division I-C) some breathing room at 33-28 with 35 seconds to go. Another free throw by the Skippers extended the lead before Bruno made a three from the right wing with 5.1 seconds left.
In need of a miracle following a timeout, SRA could only watch as North Kingstown broke the press to melt away the final precious seconds. NORTH KINGSTOWN (34): Katelyn Haberle 2 1-1 6, Audrey Martone 0 0-0 0, Maggie Schwab 2 0-1 4, Julia Kershaw 0 0-0 0, Amanda Vicini 1 3-4 5, Grace Veasley 2 4-5 8, Bryanna Rawnsley 3 1-3 9, Isabella DeGregory 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 9-14 34. ST. RAPHAEL (31): Sierra Gonzalez 1 1-2 3, Elizabeth Bruno 2 1-2 7, Tatum Forbes 2 0-0 5, Money Gailloux 0 0-0 0, Paige O’Brien 1 2-2 4, Kaylee Mulligan 1 1-2 3, Amaya Dowdy 4 1-4 9, Tatyanna Vicente 0 0-0 0, Aliviyah Perryman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 6-12 31.
Halftime: SRA 16-8.
Three-point field goals: NK 3 ( Bryanna Rawnsley 2, Katelyn Haberle); SRA 3 (Elizabeth Bruno 2, Tatum Forbes).