BLACKSTONE VALLEY MEMORIES

January 4

1963 On an inbounds play with 30 seconds remaining, Don Suggs fired a long pass to Jim Squadrito, who fed the ball to Frank Geiselman for an easy hoop to give Tolman a 63-62 clinching advantage as the Tigers edged defending state champion East Providence 65-62 before an SRO crowd of 700 who swarmed the court at the buzzer. Suggs, a 6-foot-6 junior, connected on 10 of 21 floor shots but only two of seven free throws en route to a team-high 22 points. Geiselman netted 14 points, Squadrito hooped 13 and Tom Smile, Tolman’s leading scorer, was limited to five.

1983 Coach Joe Hughes had five players in double digits as Cumberland posted its fourth victory in five Metro Division II outings romping past Pawtucket West 80-62. Ed McVeigh led the Clippers with a game-high 21 points, Tom Conboy and Al Marshall each caged 14, Mitch Malachowski netted 13 and Rich Lengieza added 10. Gary Grigas was high man for the Rangers with 18 points while Rick Blanco chipped in with 11.

1993 Saint Raphael Academy received a stellar performance from junior guard Michael Adams (18 points, 8-of-11 from the floor, four assists, three steals) leading the Saints to a 59-46 win over A-1 League foe East Providence. Kevin Kolek, the recent CLBC tourney MVP, remained on the beam with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Dave Gagne tallied 10 points and grabbed 12 caroms. In a C League crossover game, Steve Dumas “was unbelievable” according to coach George Desautell scoring a career-high 32 points (11-of-14 field goals, 10-of-10 free throws) dishing out six assists and collecting seven steals as Central Falls routed Bristol 87-52.