Make it 13 in a row
Cumberland starts crucial week with road win over Shea
The Cumberland High boys’ hoop team came from behind to beat Shea and stretch its winning streak to 13 straight.
PAWTUCKET – In a game that featured blistering runs on both sides, the Cumberland High boys’ basketball team swung for the fences and wound up taking control of Monday’s wildly entertaining Division II showdown against Shea.
A three-point lead for the Raiders with 8:08 remaining was wiped away behind some masterful moves to the hoop by junior Tyler Kolek, who was the supreme catalyst with 29 of his game-high 34 points coming in the second half. Kolek tied the game with a three and the Clippers just kept pouring it on for there in an 84-74 final at “The Cage” that stretched Cumberland’s winning streak to 13 games.
Kolek also had seven assists, five steals, and five rebounds. Jackson Zancan added 24 points, 12 rebounds, and seven blocks while Brendan Raftery finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Dante Aviles-Santos dialed up three 3-pointers for 11 points.
For Shea, which battled back from a 11-point second-half deficit to take the lead, Gerald Soe led the charge with 30 points. Erickson Bans made his presence felt with 27 points, but other than those two, points were hard to come by for the Raiders, which lost at home for the first time this season. After Bans, Shea’s next leading scorer had just six points. The Raiders also had two starters foul out.
The start of the second half was a fast-break paradise. Up 33-30, Cumberland stretched the lead to 11 points (51-40) after Kolek hit a step-back three. Shea answered behind a Bans hoop and a three by reserve Trenton Curry that kick-started a 9-0 run. With the lead now down to two (51-49), Kolek hit a layup but the Raiders countered with six straight points to cap off an impressive 16-2 run.
Instead of letting the game completely slip away, Cumberland responded in a way befitting of this team’s special season. Kolek did most of the heavy lifting, scoring 11 straight points that featured two 3-point plays and a make from deep. The sequence pinned the Raiders in a 69-60 hole.
“We could have folded after they took the lead, but we kept our composure,” said Reedy. “I told the boys it would be a game of runs.”
Shea tried to fight back, but it seemed Cumberland had an answer for everything that Soe and Bans did. After Soe hit a layup, Kolek came back with two free throws that pushed Cumberland’s lead to 77-65 with two minutes left.
A three by Soe helped bring Shea to within six (78-72) with 42.6 seconds left, but Kolek made his free throws as Cumberland went 21-of-25 at the line. Raftery, who gave the Raiders’ frontcourt some problems with his length, went 7-of-7 at the charity stripe.
“Playing these guys on this small court, it’s always tough,” said Kolek. “We just weathered the storm and I’m proud of the guys.”
“Their guys are very good. We just ran out of bullets,” said Shea head coach Steve DeMeo. “When we missed a defensive assignment, they made us play for it.”
The first half was a back-and-fourth affair with Shea (10-5, Division II) enjoying a 19-15 lead after Bans netted four straight points and Cumberland turned the ball over five times that led to 11 points for the Raiders. The lead for the Raiders remained four, but Cumberland ended the half on a 7-0 run that was capped with a basket by Ben Keeler just as the horn sounded.
The win keeps the Clippers (141, Division II) very much alive for the Division II regular-season title with the team’s next game taking place Wednesday night at home against Johnston. Cumberland will now become big fans of the Raiders, who host one-loss East Greenwich on Wednesday.