Clippers sail past Cougars
Brandon Kolek knocks down five 3-pointers, scores 26 in blowout home win
Brandon Kolek scores game-high 26 points in Division II home win over North Providence
CUMBERLAND — The Cumberland boys basketball team doesn’t really care about the transitive property.
Just days after North Providence gave Shea its first Division II defeat of the season, the Clippers went to Pawtucket and were on the wrong end of a 16-point decision.
Friday night, the Cougars made the short ride north to Cumberland and one of math’s basic properties seemed to indicate a comfortable Cougar victory. Instead, Brandon Kolek, Tyler Kolek and the Clippers scored the opening five points of the contest and never looked back in a 66-45 victory.
“When we run our offense and the kids want to run it and we make that extra pass we look good,” Cumberland coach Gary Reedy said. “You can see we are getting better. I think Brandon is realizing that when everyone gets some touches we are a better team and a better offense.
“You know what it is in high school basket- ball? You have to win your games at home and try to win a few on the road. That’s what this is all about.”
Brandon Kolek was the focus of the Cougar defense until he checked out of the game with just over two minutes remaining, but they couldn’t stop him. The junior forward knocked down five 3-pointers and accumulated a gamehigh 26 points. His freshman brother, point guard Tyler Kolek, chipping in with 21
Freshman center Jackson Zancan added six and Josh Brodeur chipped in with four. Reedy said he was pleased with the play of Zancan and Cam Rosa, who battled through foul trouble for most of the night.
“I thought Cam Rosa had a great game,” Reedy said. “I’m not sure how many rebounds he had, but it had to be close to double digits. I also thought Jackson played really well. The bench played really well. Everyone is starting to understand their roles.”
Cumberland (8-5, 4-3 Division II) is still on the outside looking in when it comes to securing a spot in the open tournament, but the Clippers have won four of their five games in 2016. The Clippers finish off their two-game homestand with talented Exeter-West Greenwich Tuesday night.
North Providence (2-4 Division II) never recovered from its slow start. Senior guard Brandon Johnson scored a team-high 13 points, while senior point guard Alexandre Silva added eight. Noah DiDomenico scored all eight of his points in the first half.
“I’m a little surprised by this because I thought both of their guards would give us more trouble,” Reedy said.
Brandon Kolek and Zancan pushed the Clippers out to a 5-0 lead and even though Johnson helped the Cougars tie the game at 11, the Clippers never lost the lead. Kolek knocked down a 3-pointer moments after the score was tied to spark an 8-0 run.
The lead grew to as many as nine points, but poor Clipper transition defense allowed North Providence to close the gap to 31-25 at the break.
“The long shots we’re taking and taking them at bad teams is leading to transition opportunities for the other team,” Reedy said. “Sometimes when you’re up by a few baskets you shouldn’t be taking some of the shots we took.”
The lead hung around eight points for the first eight minutes of the half before Tyler Kolek knocked down a 3-pointer to stretch the advantage to 15.Brandon Kolek’s final three made field goals were 3-pointerrs, including a 3pointer with 2:15 left to increase the advantage to 22 and earn him a well-earned spot on the bench.