Sholman, Woonsocket secure home wins

PAWTUCKET — The Mount St. Charles girls basketball team gave one of the top contenders for this year’s Division III title a significant run for its money Monday night.

By game’s end, sophomore Armani Rivera and her Shea/Tolman teammates could still lay claim to a perfect record in league play after posting a 49-44 win at Jenks Middle School.

It was a one-possession game with a minute remaining as Sholman protected a 45-42 lead. Almost single-handily, Rivera saved the day as the local co-op team improved to 6-0 in D-III (7-1 overall). After driving right down the lane and missing, Rivera stayed with the play and was fouled after collecting the offensive rebound. She made both free throws with 23.2 seconds remaining.

For good measure, Rivera came up with a steal near midcourt and finished with her left hand for her team’s final points. Mount St. Charles sophomore Alexis Robillard supplied the game’s final hoop as she banked in a 15-footer as time expired.

The fact that Mount (2-3, Division III) was in a prime position to pull off what would have been a major upset speaks volumes of the progress that’s been made under first-year head coach Ed Cunanan. That said, moral victories won’t get you very far as the Mounties were outscored 19-7 in the fourth quarter.

Emma Roberts led the Mounties with 18 points.

“It’s a young team that had an undefeated team on the ropes. It’s a hard lesson to learn but these are the kind that you need to learn in order to grow,” said Cunanan. “Their point guard [Rivera] is a heckuva player. We did a good job shutting her down for most of the game.”

Rivera led all scorers with 19 points while Klani Gaul powered her way to 17 points for Sholman which trailed 25-20 at halftime.

“They’re a good defensive team with some height and speed. Their inside presence really hurt us,” said Sholman co-head coach Walter “Bunky” Gonzalez. “The turning point was when we turned our defense into offense.”