St. Raphael must handle Rams’ pressure to have chance at upsetting Division I champions tonight in NK
PAWTUCKET — St. Raphael girls basketball coach Tammy Drape watched the way La Salle guarded Moses Brown All-State forward Oluchi Ezzema and forced the Quakers into numerous turnovers with their full court press in Saturday night’s Division I final at the Murray Center.
Drape expects to see the same type of defense from the No. 1 Rams when they face the No. 16 Saints in tonight’s Open tournament first-round contest at North Kingstown High at 5:30.
“We talked at practice the last few days that we do have some strengths we can use,” Drape said Thursday night. “The one weakness that they have is their inside game, but that’s not taking anything away from them. We talked about how Amaya [Dowdy] can create offense for the rest of the team.
“[La Salle coach] Sean {Reddy] is a great coach and I saw what he did against Moses Brown. He’s going to pressure everything and double down low. I just saw Moses Brown turn the ball over so much against their full-court pressure.”
While La Salle is coming off its second Division I title in the last three seasons, the Saints have had plenty of time to prepare for their Open tourney first-round game because they were upset in the first round of the Division I tournament by a Cranston West team that didn’t make the Open tournament.
Drape said she doesn’t like to focus on the first meeting with La Salle on Jan. 13 because both teams have changed, but she was quick to point out two players who made a big difference in the Rams’ 58-36 victory. Shooting guard Christina Kiser hit six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points, while Jayme DeCesare scored 22 points and hit eight of her 10 free throws.
“We hung around with them in the first half, but it was tough when they have a lights-out shooter like Christine Kiser and a point guard like Jayme DeCesare,” Drape said. “They’re a different team right now, so I don’t even like to look back at that game. They’re just a great team that is disciplined and they play together.”
Drape wouldn’t commit to playing one style of defense because she knows she’s going to have to throw different looks and concepts at DeCesare, who is averaging nearly 13 points a game this season. Drape said she’s been working on a matchup zone in practice to go along with a couple of presses the Saints have used to disrupt offenses.
Dowdy, a talented freshman from Woonsocket, poured in a team-high 20 points in the first meeting and Monet Gailloux had six, but no other Saint made more than a basket in the defeat. Gailloux and sophomore Paige O’Brien are going to be crucial in handling the Rams’ suffocating full-court press.
“The kids with the ball need to stay composed,” Drape said. “That’s going to be the key, because if we don’t turn the ball over and we can deal with their pressure and are patient, I think will be ok.”
After reaching the Open semifinals and then the quarterfinals in the first two years of the tournament’s existence, the Saints are back in the field after a one-year hiatus. Drape believes that no matter the result tonight, this experience can only be good for a team which features just one senior in Micayla Bourski and a talented group of freshmen led by Dowdy, Liz Bruno, Kaylee Mulligan and Tatum Forbes.
“I know we’re the bottom seed, but it’s good just to get in the tournament,” Drape said. “I explained to the girls what Cinderella was in a tournament like this. We’re going to have to be prepared because they’re a very good team.”
The winner of tonight’s contest will play either No. 8 East Greenwich or No. 9 South Kingstown Saturday at noon in Rhode Island College for a spot at the Ryan Center. The Avengers and Rebels tip off at NK at 7:30 tonight.