Mounties beat Spartans in 3 overtimes
Hale, Reinhardt, Canestrari all knock down four 3-pointers in D-III road win
The Mount St. Charles boys basketball team found an improbable way to win an improbable contest Thursday night.
The Mounties trailed Scituate by four points late in the third overtime of their Division III-North clash when senior guard Anthony Canestrari knocked down his fourth 3-pointer. Alex Hale, who finished with a team-high 25 points and four 3-pointers, connected on a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to put the underdog Mounties up by a point.
The Spartans had two chances to tie the game, but neither effort went in and the Mounties pulled off one of the upsets of the season, 71-70 in three overtimes.
“The kids have been working hard and they’ve shown a lot of heart and a lot of pride to finish the season,” Mount coach Henry Coleman said. “Obviously the season hasn’t gone as well as planned, but this win is a testament to their character. I couldn’t have been more proud of how the kids are finishing off this season.”
Just how improbably was Thursday night’s victory? The last time the two teams met, the Spartans secured a 71-36 victory in Woonsocket on Dec. 16 and the margin of victory could’ve been larger if the Spartans hadn’t stopped shooting 3-pointers in the second half.
As it is, the Mounties secured Thursday’s win by playing great defense and forcing their way over the top of every ball screen. The Spartans only made four 3-pointers, while Canestrari, Hale and Eddie Reinhardt combined for 12.
“The kids have been working hard and they’ve shown a lot of heart and a lot of pride to finish the season.”
-Henry Coleman
Reinhardt and Canestrari complemented Halle’s performance with 17 points apiece, while Alex Merten delivered 10 points.
“Hale is tough to guard because he has a good mid-range game, he can take you down low and he can shoot the 3pointer,” Coleman said. “He’s very versatile because he can mix it up with his dribble.”
Mount St. Charles (3-17, 3-12 Division III-North) will finish up a three-game road swing Monday night at Ponaganset before Masters comes to town Wednesday night for senior night.
Scituate (8-7 Division III-North) will head to Burrillville Tuesday. The Spartans were lead by Justin Mink, who dominated the paint the score a gamehigh 27 points. Brian Heston knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 16, while Steve Santanelli also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
The Mounties could’ve made life easier on itself if they had grabbed a defensive rebound at the end of regulation, instead Heston knocked down a 3pointer in the final seconds to send the game into overtime tied at 50.
“The kids stuck together after they hit that shot and they kept their composure and got ready for the next four minutes,” Coleman said. “The kids kept battling throughout those three over- times and refused to give in at any point.”
Two, four-minute overtime couldn’t separate the teams before Canestrari and Hale combined to score the game’s final five points.