Slow start dooms Cumberland at NK
Zancan leads way in defeat with 19
NORTH KINGSTOWN — Cumberland’s season ended in the opening round of the state girls basketball tournament as Division I powerhouse North Kingstown had too much in a 49-27 victory on Thursday night.
The Skippers were fresh off putting a scare into top-seeded La Salle in the Division I semifinals and used two first-half runs to take control. Cumberland cut a 14-point deficit to seven early in the second half as North Kingstown struggled, but the Clippers soon hit their own drought and couldn’t keep up when the Skippers started to pull away.
“Our achilles heel all season has been shooting, and it showed tonight,” Cumberland coach George Coderre said.
“We had a number of good looks that we rjust couldn’t finish. First half, we missed five tlayups. Instead of maybe being up by four, we were down by six. You can’t do that against a good team like this. You have to maximize your opportunities.”
The game was played before a crowd limtited to parents or guardians and event staff rdue to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Those who could attend checked in at the front entrance and no additional tickfets were sold. It made for an unusual atmosphere. d “It’s tough to stay focused with all the distractions,” Coderre said. “And North Kingstown, too. You could tell they were distracted. It’s affecting everybody.”
With cancellations rippling across the nation’s sports landscape all day, there were also feelings of uncertainty. The Rhode Island Interscholastic League said Thursday that tournaments will continue, but the situation has been constantly changing.
“I told them before the game, ‘This is the state championship game, because we may not play tomorrow,’” North Kingstown head coach Bob Simeone said. “It was very hard to focus them.”
Cumberland went to the lead in the early going thanks to four quick points by Madison Zancan. The Clippers were on top 9-7 when North Kingstown found its footing for a 10-0 run, keyed by six Katelyn Haberle points and a 3-pointer by Jillian Rogers.
Thanks to buckets by Zancan, Juliette Vemmer and Abigail Vallely Cumberland worked back to within four, but the Skippers ended the half on another 10-0 burst. Haberle’s steal and layup in the final seconds of the first half made it a 31-17 game.
“We called a timeout and said, ‘Let’s get out and run. Let’s turn the tempo up,’” Simeone said. “We started to get out and get some easy baskets.”
The Skippers hit a serious drought out of halftime, missing their first 10 shots and losing nine turnovers in a 7:09 scoreless stretch. Cumberland got four points from Vemmer and three from Zancan but that was all the ground it could make up. Emma Michaud ended the dry spell with a bucket inside at 8:51, the beginning of a 12-0 run that put the game away for the Skippers. Cumberland went just over seven minutes without a field goal.
“They’re a very good ballclub,” Coderre said. “They’re talented, they’re big, they’re athletic. They play well together. We had to be at our best to just be in the ball game. I thought we played with heart. We never quit on it, but their talent showed through.”
Zancan led all scorers with 19 points and Vemmer had six for the Clippers. Rogers paced North Kingstown with 16 points.
It was a season of promise for the Clippers, who went 12-5 in Division II with a roster featuring just one senior.
“In spite of the fact that we’re a little too mechanical, we’re understanding what we need to do, and that’s a big thing,” Coderre said. “Overall, I’m pleased with the progress we made.”
Photo by Chuck Nadeau / CN Photography