AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
Undefeated Lincoln runs away from BVP to hand Pride first defeat
Photo by Ernest A. Brown
LINCOLN – It wasn’t a timely three-point shot or a pinpoint pass that helped the Lincoln High boys basketball team remain perfect in Division III after posting a convincing 64-45 win over now once-beaten Blackstone Valley Prep Friday night.
The game turned sharply in the Lions’ favor after junior reserve Fabio DeCarvalho turned in a hard-nosed play that delivered another offensive opportunity for his team. Setting the scene, Lincoln trailed 13-11 and was in the midst of a tough stretch that featured 13 misses on 14 tries.
Lincoln was awarded a timeout with 3:33 remaining after DeCarvalho dove and secured what was recorded as an offensive rebound. The team that emerged from the huddle was completely energized and possessed an uncanny knack when it came to knocking down shots.
From senior Cody Anter buried six threes for a gamehigh 20 points, to junior Octavio Brito hitting shots from every possible angle on his way to collecting 18 points, the Lions owned the final 19 minutes. Only four players scored for Lincoln as senior Vinny Nassi dialed up 12 points while Randall Hien tossed in 11 points.
Each LHS player who ended up in the scoring column was responsible for the Lions’ Den reaching deafening levels at times. All of them owe a major debt of gratitude for the all- out hustle that was displayed by DeCarvalho.
“Sometimes we struggle with energy off the bench, but if we have a player come in and make a play like that, it just boosts everyone on the court,” said Nassi.
“We got contributions from the entire team,” said Lincoln coach Kent Crooks. “I’m so proud of these kids. I don’t know if we can play better team basketball than we did tonight.”
Anter hit a three after the extra effort that was exuded by DeCarvalho, but BVP responded with a three- ball from sophomore Jordan Mendes and a three-point play by classmate Chris Rodriguez-Gonzalez that pushed the Pride’s lead to 19-14. Instead of extending the lead, BVP gave it all back as Lincoln ended the first half on a 9-2 surge to grab a 25-21 lead at halftime. The final salvo was a three in the corner that Anter hit as the buzzer sounded.
With momentum clearly on their side, the second-half version of the Lions came out swinging and in essence put the Pride down for the count with plenty of time still remining.
Lincoln knocked down threes on four straight possessions that helped key a 21-6 run. The Pride were unable to jump back into the picture as they trailed by 17 points (44-27) with 11:07 to play.
Lincoln’s lead peaked at 20 points after Brito banked one in that made it 57-37.
For those who were expecting a close encounter between two of the better teams in the division, they were sorely disappointed.
“We lost some of their shooters in transition late in the first half, but they shot the ball great,” said BVP head coach Kevin Payette. “I wasn’t impressed with our toughness today. Sometimes when we went to the basket, we tossed up floaters instead of finishing through. You’re not going to get bailed out if you’re not going up strong.”
On most nights, Xavier Mendez heads into halftime with 14 points. That was the total the talented BVP junior ended up with as nothing seemed to come easy. Nassi drew the tough assignment for the Lions but also knew he had help that was ready to rotate over.
“I’ve seen (Mendez) fill up the box score and felt that if I could shut him down, we would have a pretty good chance of winning,” said Nassi.
Abdoulaye Sall helped BVP’s cause with 10 points. Now 9-0 in Division IIIEast, the Lions will look to remain perfect when they next step on the court next Tuesday at Ponaganset. The Pride ( 8- 1, Division IIISouth) will look to bounce back next Tuesday when they travel to Rogers.
BLACKSTONE VALLEY PRIDE (45): Sory Traore 1 0-0 3, Donovan Baptista 0 0-0 0, Kalil Fofana 3 1-2 7, Chris Rodriguez- Gonzalez 3 2-4 8, Jadin Cornelio 0 0-0 0, Xavier Mendez 6 1-4 14, Abdoulaye Sall 5 0-0 10, Jordan Mendes 1 0-0 3. Totals: 19 4-10 45. LINCOLN (64): Randall Hien 4 2-3 11, Octavio Brito 8 0-0 18, Aiden Bridges 0 0-0 0, Cody Anter 6 2-2 20, Fabio DeCarvalho 0 0-0 0, Vinny Nassi 5 0-0 12. Totals: 23 4-5 64.
Halftime: L 25-21
Three-point field goals: BVP 3 (Sory Traore, Xavier Mendez, Jordan Mendes); L 11 (Cody Anter 6, Octavio Brito 2, Vinny Nassi 2, Randall Hien).
Photo by Ernest A. Brown