Villa Novans’ miracle comeback ends in heartbreak vs. Rebels
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Two 3-7 Division I teams with equally-young rosters entered South Kingstown High School on Monday night. While on paper the Rebels and Woonsocket looked to be mirror images of each other, SK came out firing and led by as many as 20 in the second half.
The Villa Novans awoke from their slumber in the second half, charging all the way back to take their very first lead of the game with 22.9 seconds remaining. The unbelievable comeback would just lead to heartbreak for the Novans, however, as SK's Kevin Roberts nailed a putback attempt with time winding down to give the Rebels the win, 67-66.
T.J. Cahill was instrumental on the Novans comeback bid, scoring a team-high 21 points and hitting six 3-pointers. Cahill, along with Ke'Vaughn Davis (15 points, and the go-ahead shot in the final minute) and Tyheem Gray (13 points) breathed life into what had been a moribund Novans offense for most of the night.
The Rebels grabbed a litany of offensive rebounds and converted them into second chance points, leading by 11 at the half, and quickly stretching that out to 20 in the opening moments of half number two. Sophomore center Keegan Records, despite consistent foul trouble, scored 17 points, 14 of which came in the final 16 minutes.
“That's the big driver,” said SK head coach Roland Fiore of second-chance points. “We've been doing better on the offensive boards.”
At 40-20, the Rebels held a dominating 20-point lead, but the Novans refused to go quietly. A 24-8 Woonsocket run followed the night's largest lead, putting the Novans right back into a game that looked all but over just moments before.
Two of Cahill's 3-point makes came on the gamechanging run, and the sophomore was joined in accurate deep shooting by senior Ethan Washington, who also hit two 3-pointers on the stretch. SK quickly put forth a response, re-establishing a lead of as many as 10, but two crucial disqualifications allowed the Novans to stick around a little longer.
“We were worn down there a bit with the fouls,” said Fiore. “I just gave them all credit, from the last guy on the bench to the top five, they hung in there. A good matchup, two teams fighting for a potential playoff spot down the road.”
Lengthy Keegan Records picked up his fifth foul with a little over two minutes to play, and dependable senior ballhandler Greg Rendine soon joined him on the bench. The Novans took full advantage, as Davis grabbed a pair of crucial steals in the backcourt, and quickly converted them into points.
Davis got his team within two using a steal and score, and then gave them the lead when he was fouled on a layup. The old-school threepoint play gave his team their very first lead, but it would only last around 10 seconds, as Kevin Roberts collected a Rebel miss down the other end and used the board to sink the game winning shot.
The Rebels were helped along in their bid to secure the win by Novans head coach T.J. Ciolfi, who was issued a key technical foul in the game's final minutes, after heatedly arguing a call with the officials. Greg Rendine hit both of the free throws following the technical, giving the Rebels crucial points, especially considering the final margin of victory.
The Villa Novans fall to 38 in league play with the loss, but can still lock in a playoff spot if they rattle off some wins. Doing that will not be easy, with games against Bishop Hendricken ( 10- 1) and Smithfield ( 8- 1) both scheduled for later this week.