Rams, Bulldogs Control Rebels, Bengals

PROVIDENCE – Behind the effort of sophomore Davida Dale, the LaSalle Rams cruised in the final 27 minutes of their March 2 contest against South Kingstown, taking the quarterfinal match-up of the girls’ basketball Division I tournament 57-42 at Rhode Island College.

With about 11 minutes left in the first half, No. 1 seed La Salle was having a bit of trouble with No. 9 South Kingstown. The Rebels fought back from an 8-2 deficit to get within one, 10-9, on a 3-point shot by senior Michaela Lawler.

However, Dale then asserted her presence, and showed why ESPN has her graded at 92, and a four-star prospect. Coming in off the bench, Dale scored 20 points and stole nine passes in a dominant all-around performance for La Salle.

Even that final score is deceptive, as the Rams stopped trapping and pushing the tempo by the eight-minute mark of the second half. La Salle led by as many as 30 before electing to use more of the shot clock on each possession down the stretch.

Dale repeatedly drove to the basket for layups and pulled-up for open midrange jumpers. Her game also opened up teammate Alyssa Jacolucci for easy buckets. The junior finished with 19 points, and on defense, finished with four blocks and a steal.

For South Kingstown, Lawler led the Rebels with nine points, with Mary Matthews, Stephanie Laraway and Madison West each chipping in seven points.

However, the grittiest and best performance for South Kingstown was turned in by Maggie Buell. The senior had a deceptive stat line, scoring only four points with two steals, but her rugged play on defense and rebounding was one of the few bright spots for the Rebels against the Rams.

The Rams will play No. 4 Westerly in the Division I semifinals 8 p.m. Tuesday at Rhode Island College.

Bulldogs Exhaust Bengals

PROVIDENCE – Senior Hannah Dobson turned in a dominant inside and outside performance for the Westerly Bulldogs, as they wore down the Bay View Bengals in the second half en route to a 55-39 victory in the Division I girls’ basketball playoffs Friday night at Rhode Island College.

Dobson finished with 28 points by hitting midrange jumpers, open 3-point shots and running the floor on fastbreaks. The senior also chipped in a block and a steal on the defensive end.

In contrast, Bay View struggled to get easy buckets against the fullcourt pressure of Westerly, and couldn’t hit open shots when they did get them. The Bengals only hit four 3-point shots, despite open looks for Kristine McCann, Raquel Pederzani and Rylee Leonard most of the night.

At the half, the Bulldogs only held a 23-17 advantage, thanks to good work in the post by Bay View’s Hannah Lee and defense on the perimeter by Dyamond Azakpo and Paige Monk.

However, the constant pressing by Westerly seemed to wear down Bay View, which had to rely heavily on Pederzani and Leonard as primary ballhandlers. Pederzani only received brief rests despite the pressure because of turnovers by her replacements.

In the final 10 minutes, Westerly never led by less than eight points. In the final six minutes, the Bulldogs pushed the lead up to 12, and a 7-for-9 mark from the free throw line by senior Erin Tiedemann iced the game for Westerly.

Lee led Bay View with 11 points, with Pederzani chipping in eight points and four steals.

For Westerly, Tiedemann finished with 11 points, three steals and a block, and Madison McLaughlin had nine points and four steals. Senior Ashley LeClair didn’t score a single point, but ran the offense beautifully for the Bulldogs all night, and also had four steals as a primary defender in the press and on Pederzani.

The Bulldogs will play No. 1 La Salle in the Division I semifinals 8 p.m. Tuesday at Rhode Island College.

Other Games

At 1:30 p.m., No. 2 Exeter-West Greenwich plays No. 7 North Kingstown. The Scarlet Knights will be heavy favorites, thanks to a wealth of size inside, outside and coming off the bench. EWG received a bye into the quaterfinals, while North Kingstown beat No. 10 Chariho in a preliminary round game, 46-35, on Wednesday.

At 3 p.m., No. 3 Barrington plays No. 6 Smithfield. Barrington received a bye into the quarterfinals, while Smithfield beat No. 11 Cranston West 57-41 on Wednesday.

The winners of Saturday’s games play each other 6 p.m. Tuesday at Rhode Island College.

The state title game, which will be between the winners of Tuesday’s games, takes place at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 10 at the Ryan Center on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus.