Jones, St. Raphael sink Skippers
Second-half domination leads Saints to Div. I home victory
PAWTUCKET – St. Raphael Academy clicked on all cylinders Tuesday night during an impressive 70-55 victory over a North Kingstown team that had won five of its first six games in Division I.
The Saints got two big performances from Trevante Jones (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Huascar Beato (16 points, nine rebounds) but it was their overall depth that prevented North Kingstown from rallying in the second half. Sophomore guards Jay-Juan Hayes and Stephen Lora came off the bench to combine for 17 points, including 7-for-8 from the free throw line when the Skippers resorted to fouling the youthful duo.
“We’re going to need them,” Saints coach Tom Sorrentine said after the game. “Depth is always important in our league.”
While Jones and Beato claimed the spotlight in this game, it would be hard to overlook the importance of junior guard Peter Wilson, the smoothest player on the court. Wilson finished with a quiet eight points but his ball-handling skills saved the Saints on numerous occasions against NK’s trapping defense. Wilson handed off five assists and blocked three shots.
The Saints also got a trio of 3-pointers from senior guard James Judd. Sophomore forward Mohammed Danmola came off the bench when Jones picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half. Danmola netted one hoop and held the fort until Jones returned.
After the Skippers spurted to an early 8-3 lead, the Saints rallied on a pair of treys from Judd, two layups from Jones and a basket by Wilson after Jones blocked a N.K. shot and fed his teammate, who dribbled down the court and spun in a layup for a 17-11 advantage.
The Skippers went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead, only to see the Saints run off 10 straight points. Beato hit two threes and a layup while he and Jones dominated the boards at both ends of the floor. The Saints led 32-21 before NK ran off the final five points of the first half.
SRA went on another early 10-0 run in the second half to take a 42-28 lead, using a variety of pressing defenses to fluster the Skippers. Judd hit one three- point field goal and Lora tossed in another. After Wilson blocked a shot, Jones grabbed the loose ball and dribbled the length of the court, contorting his body to convert a layup for a 14point lead with 13 minutes left in the game.
Jones collected his fourth foul at the 10:07 mark. The Skippers took advantage, going inside for several hoops, pulling within eight points at 47-39 before Lora calmly stroked in a three for a 50-39 lead with seven minutes left.
When Jones returned at the sixminute mark, the Saints settled down and watched their sophomore backcourt duo protect the lead with precise foul shooting down the stretch. Hayes showed his passing skills with a welltimed alley oop pass to Jones for a layup. One minute later, Jones again stole the ball and went the distance for a 59-48 lead at the three-minute mark.
“We wanted to extend the floor tonight and show them a variety of presses,” Sorrentine said. “Those young kids (Lora and Hayes) know how to play the game. Trevante (Jones) did everything tonight for us, from rebounding to scoring and playing defense. Huascar (Beato) had a nice game. Peter (Wilson) can get to places on the court (with his dribbling skills) and create. This is a good team. All we lack is size.”
The Saints, now 6-2 in D-I, visit West Warwick, 3-4, on Thursday.