Warriors pick up road victory
Maldonado shot secures win over Mounties
WOONSOCKET – Thrilling if you’re the Central Falls boys’ basketball team. Frustrating if you’re Mount St. Charles.
In a matchup featuring two teams that still have some work to do before clinching a spot in the Division III tournament, the Warriors made all the winning plays down the stretch to scratch out a 49-44 win on what was MSC’s Senior Night Thursday night. C.F. (6-7, Division III) trailed by seven with 4:14 remaining before receiving two timely three-pointers and a defensive stop that came in the dying seconds and Mount looking to force overtime.
A three-ball by senior Andrez Maldonado broke a 44-all affair with 1:14 remaining and ultimately put the Warriors up for good. The clutch trey came off one of 21 turnovers committed by the Mounties (5-8, Division III).
Mount still had life after Central Falls became careless with an ill-advised pass at a point in the game when the Mounties were looking to save some clock by sending the visiting team to the free-throw line. There were 13 seconds left when the Mounties threw the inbounds with the ball eventually landing in the hands of senior Alex Gasbarro, who led all scorers with 19 points.
Standing behind the three-point line, Gasbarro was set to let it fly when C.F. junior Ian Grace knocked the ball loose near midcourt. Two free throws by Maldonado proved to be game, set, match as it became a two-possession game with 2.3 seconds remaining.
“Huge win,” said C.F. head coach Jeff Doucette. “We told them that we would get good shots if they ran the offense.”
Said MSC head coach Henry Coleman, “Their defensive pressure caused some turnovers that were key down the stretch. Unfortunately, we had some empty possessions and Central Falls took advantage.”
For Mount, it was a bitter pill to swallow for a group that went through so many different ebbs and flows throughout the evening. MSC trailed 11-10 with one quarter in the books after Grace hit a three with the horn about to sound. The deficit grew to 18-12 before the Mounties seized control behind a 9-1 run that translated into a 23-19 lead at halftime.
The lead grew to six for Mount after Gasbarro fed fellow senior Nate Tessier (10 points) on the first possession of the second half. It was then C.F.’s turn to respond with Chunn Anderson (13 points, 11 coming in the latter half) hitting a three that kickstarted a 7-0 run.
Both sides then went back and forth with the game tied at 31-apiece going into the fourth. Mount appeared to be in good shape after Gasbarro scored off a turnover and added a three from the corner that highlighted an 8-2 run. When Michael Hebert nailed a three for his lone basket of the contest, the Mounties found themselves up 42-35.
The Warriors chipped away but still trailed by three after Gasbarro went to the line and made a pair with 1:39 left. Then came the first of two timely threes for C.F. with Anderson tying the game with 1:14 left.
“They knew what they needed to do. We didn’t overkill at halftime. Instead, we came
out early to get up more shots. I thought that paid off for us down the stretch,” said Doucette.
For the Warriors, Alex Maia finished with 12 points.
OTHER BOYS BASKETBALL
RESULTS: Northmen top previously undefeated
Mount Hope
BRISTOL – Free throws in the closing stages by Cam Reynolds helped North Smithfield become the first team to knock off Mount Hope in league play this season. Reynolds finished with 10 points as the Northmen held on for a 47-44 win in Division III action Thursday night.
The Northmen are now 9-5 in D-III (117 overall) while the Huskies drop to 12-1. Aidan Bienvienue scored all 10 of his points during the first half while Dave Doherty came up with four timely points over the final two minutes.
Tigers rally past Warriors
SEEKONK – Make it seven straight wins for first-place Tolman after Isaiah Gois pumped in 23 points for a 50-41 win over Wheeler in Division II action Thursday night. The Tigers trailed by 11 points at halftime and were behind by three points going into the fourth.
Now 11-1 in league play, the Tigers also received 10 points from Jalin Baptista and nine points from Maarten Lopes.
Perrico’s big night lifts Novans to win
NORTH KINGSTOWN – Taking the court for the fourth time in five days, Woonsocket rolled to a 68-53 win over North Kingstown
Thursday night. Now 5-8 in Division I, the Novans received 30 points from Shane Perrico while Mikey Laboy netted 13 points.
Raiders breeze past Blue Wave
PROVIDENCE – Shea went on the road and came away with a 76-62 win over Hope on Thursday night. Now 12-2 in Division II, the Raiders received 18 points apiece from Elijah Evora and Joey Reyes Serrano. Jordan Mendes netted all 10 of his points during the second half.
BVP holds off Scituate
CUMBERLAND – A close affair for much of the evening saw Blackstone Valley Prep pull away late in a 52-44 win over Scituate Thursday night. Now 6-7 in Division III, the Pride received 22 points and 13 rebounds
from Xavier Lara while Quentin Blouin hit four three-pointers for 12 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL Titans hand Sholman first D-III loss
WARWICK – A bid to force a second overtime would not drop as Shea/Tolman fell for the first time against a Division III team this season with Toll Gate holding on for a 49-43 win on Thursday night.
Sholman (11-1, D-III) made a furious rally just to force the extra session after trailing by 10 points with five minutes remaining in regulation. Sophomore Armani Rivera led the Pawtucket-based co-op team with 22 points.
Follow Brendan McGair on Twitter @ BWMcGair03