Rogers hands Raiders fourth consecutive D-II defeat

Shea racks up “more turnovers than points” in frustrating loss to Vikings

PAWTUCKET – This week’s NBA-like schedule took a toll on Shea High’s chances to contend in Division II.

The Raiders lost their third game in four nights on Thursday as Rogers High pulled away in the second half for a 57-48 victory. The Vikings improved to 6-7 in Division II while Shea dropped to 8-6.

Rogers double-teamed Shea center Abdul Ajia whenever he got the ball down low, holding the 6-foot-3 junior to just one point on the night. Ajia had scored 25 on Monday night against Portsmouth in an overtime loss but was no match for the athletic and very physical Vikings.

“That was the least of our problems,” Shea coach Matt Pita fumed after the game ended. “We had more turnovers than points tonight.”

Well, maybe it just seemed that way to the coach. His team completely fell apart after Ajia picked up his fourth foul with 9:06 left in the game. The Raiders led 38-37 when Ajia left for backup center Emiliano Lopes. The Vikings then went on a 10-2 run, taking a 47-40 lead with five minutes remaining.

Shea made one final run when Yanique Duarte hit a three-point field goal with 2:48 left and then Jeovan Fortes added two free throws, cutting the Raiders’ deficit to 53-48. Rogers missed a shot at its end and Shea headed up with a chance to make it a onepossession game. That’s when Jarell Perry stole the ball and went the distance for a game-breaking layup with 90 seconds left.

Shooting guard Jamay Holland finished with 22 points for Shea, 11 in each half.

Duarte and Dom Fernandes added eight points apiece but the Raiders really lacked an inside threat with Ajia double-teamed and fellow front-courter Aaron Jefferies sitting out his third straight game with a shoulder injury suffered last Friday night against Narragansett.

Shea has now lost four games in a row, three of those defeats coming against the best teams in the division – Portsmouth and Westerly (both 12-1) and Narragansett (112). On the bright side, the Raiders’ schedule lightens up over the final two weeks of the regular season. Shea is now idle until next Wednesday when it hosts Prout, which was 4-9 at last check. Next Friday, Shea visits Mount Hope (3-10) and then the club closes out its league schedule at home on Feb. 16 against Lincoln High (8-5).

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