Clippers start fast, survive
Cumberland races to 24-0 lead before Westerly battles back in two-point home win
CUMBERLAND – From looking mightily impressive to dodging multiple bullets during a frantic finish, the Cumberland High boys basketball team ran the emotional gamut during Westerly during Sunday’s Division I preliminary-round contest.
Surging out of the chute to the tune of a commanding 24-zip lead, the Clippers went on to spend the final three-plus quarters in survival mode. It wasn’t easy, but then again, nothing is supposed to be handed to you at this point of the season. A determined Bulldog squad had an excellent shot to force overtime, yet a last-second layup wouldn’t drop as Cumberland moves on courtesy of a 57-55 victory inside the Wellness Center.
“That was the best start I’ve ever seen,” said Clippers coach Gary Reedy about a sizzling start that forced Westerly to burn two timeouts with not even four minutes off the clock.
The ball movement was crisp, which resulted in good looks from the outside. Four different Cumberland players buried at least one three while Westerly alternated between missed shots and turnovers.
To the Bulldogs’ credit, they didn’t roll over and get an early jump on their offseason. Led by juniors Dante Wilk and Marcus Haik, Westerly kept chipping away. The visitors moved to within four points late in the third quarter, then erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to square things at 55-55 with 60 seconds left.
The game’s final points were the result of a strong inside take by Cumberland junior Jack Proctor. Westerly missed a potential game-tying jumper, but the contest was far from over.
Between Cumberland’s inability to hit a free throw and Westerly running into problems on the glass, it remained a two-point game. The Clippers missed the front end of three 1-and-1 tries over five seconds, yet they secured the board each time. Shifting to the double bonus, Cumberland bricked two more free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining with Westerly finally able to secure the defensive board.
Overtime seemed inevitable when Wilk got to the rim for what appeared to be a good look with two seconds left. His bid didn’t drop and neither did the follow-up attempt as the final horn sounded.
“As a coach, you always keep pushing and supporting your players, but 24-0, you don’t expect to come back from that,” said Westerly head coach Mike Gleason. “We battled. A couple of loose balls at the end … we even had a chance to win.”
Cumberland junior Colin Morias buried three 3s as part of his team’s explosive start. Then he battled foul trouble and a Westerly defense that was determined to get the ball out of his hands. Morias ended up with 16 points, while Proctor added 11 points. Senior Jackson Walsh was the third Cumberland scorer in double figures with 10 points.
For Westerly, Wilk led all scorers with 18 points, while Haik ended up with 11 points. Neither team shot the ball well from the foul line. The Bulldogs were 4-for-10 while the Clippers went 5-of-18.
The roaring start out of the gate laid to rest any concerns regarding how Cumberland would respond after a long respite from game action. The Clippers last played on Feb. 19 when they surrendered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in a loss at Woonsocket.
Building off the 24-point cushion proved to be a challenge. After finally scoring at the 2:35 mark of the first quarter, Westerly blitzed Cumberland for three straight layups that gave the visitors some momentum despite being down by a 28-9 score after one quarter.
It was a 10-point game at the break (3525) with Cumberland appearing to back in a groove after hitting a three that made it 4229 with 4:40 left in the third. An 11-2 run by Westerly tightened things up considerably, but Cumberland had some breathing room heading into the final quarter after senior Will Andrews cleaned up a miss and Proctor converted on a nice feed Kalil Fofana.
Back to being down by double digits with 5:41 left, the no-quit Bulldogs jumped on Wilk’s back. He nailed five field goals in the final quarter alone.
“We plugged away … chopped and chopped,” said Gleason.
It didn’t help Cumberland’s cause that multiple players were dealing with cramping issues.
“We hit a wall like we did against Woonsocket,” said Reedy. “We got lucky. We stole it.”
Next up for the Clippers is a D-I quarterfinal-round contest at Bishop Hendricken on Tuesday (6 p.m.)