Saints earn title chance
Undefeated St. Raphael pulls away from Wheeler
PAWTUCKET — Amaya Dowdy wasn’t going to be denied, not with a trip to the Division I final at stake.
Double teamed throughout Thursday’s semifinal game against fourth-seeded Wheeler, Dowdy still found ways to make her mark and influence the outcome. She finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the top-seeded St. Raphael girls basketball team clinched a spot in the finals with a 53-35 defensive-fueled lockdown of the Warriors.
The Saints advance to face No. 2 seed Barrington after the Eagles grounded No. 6 Cranston West. The D-I title game is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. from Rhode Island College. SRA and Barrington did not meet during the regular season. Both are undefeated – the Eagles are 11-0 while the Saints are 10-0.
“You’ve got to respect their record. Steve (Lenz) is a great coach and they’ve got great guard play,” said St. Raphael head coach Tammy Drape when asked about Barrington.
Wheeler’s 2-3 zone made it a point to surround Dowdy every time she touched the ball.
The old basketball adage of swinging the ball whenever faced with a double team registers crystal clear with the UMass Lowell signee. Sometimes, however, you need to take matters into your own hands, and that’s what she did.
The fact that Dowdy made 10 trips to the foul line offers a glimpse into a player who wanted to take charge. Granted, Dowdy was displeased in only shooting 50 percent from the charity stripe. Nonetheless, she changed her tone upon being reminded of the sheer volume of attempts.
“I wanted to get to the line, but I also wanted to get one of their players in foul trouble. That’s what I was trying to focus on,” said Dowdy.
Defense has been the Saints’ calling card all season. That proved to be the case again Thursday night. Wheeler netted just two points in the second quarter and placed four players in the scoring column.
The true thorn in the Warriors’ side was SRA sophomore Genesis McNeil, who continues to display uncanny instincts when it comes to anticipating where the ball is heading next.
McNeil collected an eye-popping 15 steals. Many were the result of her jamming the passing the lane and triggering the fast break. She also contributed nine points and five rebounds.
“Going into the season, I was scared because I thought it was going to be me and [fellow senior captains Liz Bruno and Chloe Rayko], but Genesis is hungry every time we play. I’m happy to have her,” said Dowdy. “She’s always on it.”
Added Drape, “She anticipates the extra pass so well. She’s long and fun to watch.”
Usually, the Saints rely on their defense to get them started. In the first quarter, the offense was dialed in as the home team jumped out to an 11-4 lead behind two threes from
Bruno (eight points) and one try from Rayko (11 points).
Wheeler made a push to get within four (16-12) heading into the second quarter, but things soon fell apart for the Warriors. The visitors committed eight turnovers in the second as SRA doubled up its opponent heading into halftime (28-14).
It was still a 14-point game heading into the final quarter with St. Raphael continued to own the upper hand and then some. At times, Drape with a smaller lineup with either senior Malyse Vieira and sophomore Tyla Forbes alongside Dowdy, Bruno, Rayko, and McNeil. Part of the reason why the coach loaded up with guards stemmed from junior forward Victoria Adegboyega running into foul trouble.
“We’re trying to get other people involved,” said Drape.
For Wheeler, senior Kate Kennan swished four threes for 14 points while junior Mia Mancini had 11 points. Last year, those two same players combined to score 34 points against the Saints.
St. Raphael is now down to its final two practices of the season. As Dowdy noted, it’s about sticking with what has worked to date – not reinventing the wheel.
“We’re going to focus on defense. That’s why we’ve won all these games,” said Dowdy.