BRONCOS REWARDED
Burrillville nails down 41-34 win over North Smithfield in D-6 title game
Burrillville High senior Jordan DaSilva wasn’t sure how he felt about waiting as he sat with his teammates inside Hendricken High’s McNally Gymnasium stands on Sunday afternoon.
On one side, he admitted he enjoyed seeing the action between East Providence and Barrington in a R.I. Unified Basketball Tournament divisional final, but the ending seemed to take forever..
“It’s not difficult because you can see how both teams are working together, and how they’re all trying to score points,” he stated.
Seconds after, he remarked, “I know I’ve got to relax, calm down. We’re next!”
He referred to the fact that he and his Broncos were about to battle North Smithfield for the Division 6 Unified state championship.
“Jordan, you’re too hyper,” offered senior teammate Juliette Ayotte. She then stated, “I’ve got a sure-fire way to calm you down. I won’t play hard if you don’t take it easy!”
DaSilva immediately got the message. Once he
finally walked onto the hardwood, he fashioned a team-high 13 points, eight steals and five rebounds to deliver to Burrillville a 41-34 victory over the Northmen.
“Before the game started, I saw my mom, grandmother and my Uncle Jimmy walk in, and that made me nervous,” DaSilva explained. “I just had to talk to myself. I said, ‘Jordan, settle down!’ I knew if I didn’t, I’d miss all my shots.”
The gritty Broncos not only closed their campaign at 6-2, but claimed a second straight Ocean State crown in the same school year. Last fall, DaSilva and some of his same teammates captured the Unified Volleyball title.
When asked which meant more to him, he replied with a wide grin, “Basketball is way better because it’s more hands-on and physical. In volleyball, you just stand there and hit the ball back and forth.”
The triumph proved to be as emotional, if not more, for the players’ parents, family members and fans in the crowd.
“These kids are so courageous,” noted senior C.J. Wagner’s grandfather, Lew Wagner. “They give everything they’ve got all the time. They don’t let their handicaps stand in their way. They’ve got so much heart; there’s no quit in them.
“I’ve been coming to C.J.’s games for 15 years now, not only basketball but also soccer and volleyball,” he added. “He’s 21 now, so this is his last year. I can’t believe it’s ending.” His tears weren’t far from shedding. Senior teammate/athlete Jarred Lipka mustered six points and seven boards in the decision, while freshman Donald Nadeau chipped in the same amount of points; C.J. Wagner and sophomore Andrew Desjarlais four each; and Ayotte five crucial rebounds as a partner.
“We did a lot better than I thought we would,” Ayotte stated. “I don’t know why, but it seemed lkke we played great here. When I see (the athletes) happy, then I’m happy. It’s what it’s all about.
“I’m not really into sports, never have been,” she continued. “I don’t see us as a team but a family tat just so happens to be playing games. To be honest, I joined the Unified (hoop) program my freshman year just to get more involved with school; I figured signing up for a club would help me.
“Then I ended up getting close to all of these people, and became extended family members. I love them all.”
For North Smithfield, which assembled a premier comeback attempt in the second half, frosh Griffin Archambault drained a tilt-leading 16 points, while senior athlete Michaela Gamache canned 10 and junior Michael Glaude four.
Despite the loss, they finished with a 3-5 overall mark.
“I thought it was awesome; these kids are so deserving,” mentioned BHS head coach Cortney Lacey. “This was everything you could ask for. I thought Don Nadeau had his best game of the season, that he played very aggressively, forcing some turnovers and grabbing some steals.
“If there was a really emotional moment for me, it came from C.J. at the end,” she added. “It was his last game ever. Then again, I feel the same way about Natalie Couture, Juliette and Jarred. I’m going to miss coaching them.”
As for the contest itself, the Broncos jumped out to a 6-0 lead before NS retaliated with an 8-7 surge to close the gap to 13-8 (after Archambault’s eight-foot jumper) with 8:40 remaining in the opening stanza.
Lacey’s bunch responded in kind, however. DaSilva landed a layup, Lipka turned a theft into a short jumper, Desjarlais dropped a 16footer and Nadeau an off-balance jumper to rally for 12 unanswered points and take a 25-8 cushion into the break.
The Northmen nevertheless didn’t relent, slowly inching back into the game. With 9:44 left in regulation, Lipka’s coast-to-coast layup gave the soon-to-be champions a 31-14 lead. Exactly 5:12 later, NS knifed the deficit to 3730 after Glaude’s short jumper rattled home.
Burrillville immediately slowed down the tempo with perimeter passing, which caused the defense to extend out, and Desjarlais drained a phenomenal trey to make it 39-30.
“I was surprised it went in,” Desjarlais confessed. “I lined up the shot, but surprised. I was so excited!”
NS never recovered, though superb efforts were registered by juniors Brittany Morris and Elena Daniels, senior Kathy Esquede and freshman Kaia Boyes.
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, DaSilva leaped for joy, and sophomore Mikey Morey leaped into his arms.
“We’re all so thrilled,” stated BHS assistant Meghan White. “They’ve all worked very hard this season. We drive them to be the best they can be at every practice, try to keep them focused but also have fun. Some of these kids were on the volleyball team that won, so they had tasted success before.
“I just think they wanted it so badly because what it felt like in the fall, and they wanted to relive it.”
Perhaps C.J. Wagner summed up the championship best.
“It’s always good for me!” he stated. “Yea! I love it.”