Clippers, Novans not looking ahead
Squads focused on quarterfinal foes
The temptation might be there, but the Cumberland and Woonsocket boys’ basketball teams can’t afford to look ahead.
Nor should they.
For the record, Sunday will see the Villa Novans play Barrington in a noontime tip while the Clippers go up against Toll Gate at 2 p.m. CCRI-Warwick will be the site for both contests … contests that will solve half of the Final Four puzzle for this year’s boys’ basketball open state tournament.
Cumberland and Woonsocket reside on the same side of bracket. If each squad passes their respective Round of Eight test on Sunday, a collision course between all-too familiar foes will be realized at URI’s Ryan Center.
The Novans and Clippers have already met three times this season. Why not add a fourth chapter?
Hold your horses, say Cumberland head coach Gary Reedy and Woonsocket mentor T.J. Ciolfi. Let’s pump the breaks on any chatter regarding two neighboring high schools meeting in a high stakes game until it actually happens, OK?
Publicly, both coaches are saying the right thing. The Clippers are focused solely on the Titans while the Novans only see the Eagles in their line of sight. To get caught up on what could lie ahead isn’t even up for discussion within the respective camps.
“When you start looking ahead … it’s not like sitting down and filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket and coming up with possible matchups three weeks from now,” Ciolfi said. “We’re focused on what we have to do on Sunday.”
Reedy added, “I’ll be honest. I didn’t know who was on our side of the bracket until (Thursday night). I haven’t been following it that much. We’ve been busy. We’re worrying about Toll Gate. Plus, it’s pointless to think about it.”
Unlike Thursday’s opening round of the state playoffs, Woonsocket and Cumberland on Sunday will square off against non-Division I teams.
The Novans, seeded fifth, draw No. 13 Barrington, a Division II team that overcame foul trouble to eliminate No. 4 Narragansett from the state playoffs. At this stage, Ciolfi says the pregame preparation revolves around making tweaks and going through the list of necessary adjustments should the Eagles implement a wrinkle that requires a counter move.
“The way we approach it now is that if we play our best game, we should win,” Ciolfi said. “At this point, there aren’t going to be any changes. We are who we are.”
Woonsocket is coming off a stout defensive performance, holding La Salle to a mere 29 points on Thursday night. Dating back to the loss to Bishop Hendricken in the Division I semifinals, the Novans’ offense has been largely grounded. The team’s leading scorer, Dwayne Robinson-O’Hagan, has managed just 26 points over the past two games.
Usually, he nets that many in a single contest. Getting him back on track has been a focus over the past few days, as his ability to connect from deep and get to the rim sets the tone for running mates Denzel Lyles and Justo Colon.
As for the Clippers, who find themselves 32 minutes away from a return trip the Final Four, it was Reedy’s mission on Friday to get his players’ heads out of the clouds and back down to Earth. The history-making upset of top seed Hendricken won’t mean a thing if the 16th-seeded Clippers don’t get past the ninth-seeded Titans, which succeeded in turning the page after losing to Mount Hope in the D-III championship. Toll Gate bounced Wheeler from the state playoffs on Thursday.
“Are we going to have a hangover? The only way you get rid of it is by having a tough practice,” Reedy said. “Toll Gate looks like they play a lot of zone, but let’s take of business.”
Sunday’s quadruple-header at CCRI-Warwick also includes No. 3 Cranston East taking on No. 4 Mount Pleasant at 4 p.m. and No. 2 North Kingstown facing No. 7 Westerly at 6 p.m.