Sports Roundup: Both Basketball Teams Winners

NARRAGANSETT – Thanks to an impressive defensive effort in the final eight minutes, the Narragansett boys’ basketball team turned a tight game into an easy victory, 55-41, against the Tolman Tigers on Thursday night.

It was a much-needed win for the Mariners (6-7, 4-5 Division II-South) against Tolman (6-5, 4-5 Division II-Central), as they look to improve their seed for the state tournament from its current rank in the 20s.

“It was a big win,” Narragansett head coach David Gee said. “We needed to beat a good team.”

It was the Mariners’ first win in league play against a team with a .500 record. Narragansett has taken care of business against the division’s weaker opponents, beating Scituate, Chariho and Ponaganset each by more than 20 points.

However, the Mariners have struggled against the top teams, coming close by not beating West Warwick, Central Falls and Cumberland. The Mariners lost to the three by a combined total of 17 points.

On Thursday night, the Mariners looked like they would sweat out another close game. Neither team could score effectively in the first 24 minutes, with Tolman holding a 24-21 lead at the half, and the Mariners leading 30-29 with eight minutes remaining.

Defense led to offense for Narragansett though. Switching to a more aggressive, pressing defense, the Mariners repeatedly forced turnovers against the Tigers, with Mark Griffith, Pat Doyle, Zachary McKanna and Francis Castrovillari logging steals.

In a little less than three minutes, the Mariners went on a 9-2 run. McKanna and Doyle both snapped out of cold snaps from the floor during the run.

Even though they were missing – McKanna went scoreless in the first half – Gee said he told them to keep working through the offense and shooting.

“If it’s a good shot, pretty much everyone knows their role and has permission to shoot,” he said. “As long as it’s a good shot, keep shooting.”

Tolman cut the lead to three on a corner 3-point shot, but Narragansett sealed the game thanks effective use of the shot clock, clutch free throws from Pat Degnan and a 3-pointer by Griffith.

The lead swelled to 14 after several questionable intentional fouls were called on Tolman players in the final 20 seconds, however, Narragansett had the game locked up by then.

Gee said the team finally executed the little things – getting on the floor for loose balls, making the extra pass – that prevented them from previous wins.

“We’ve failed to do the little things for a long time,” he said. “I thought we grew up a bit tonight.”

Win the win against Tolman, Narragansett has 3.2 seeding points for the state tournament, placing them 22^nd as of Saturday morning. Division II wins count for 0.8 points per win.

Division I Central leads with eight points, and Hope and South Kingstown are currently in a tie for 32^nd with two points each. However, neither would qualify, since the other requirement for the state tournament is a .400 winning percentage.

The Mariners host Lincoln (2-9, 1-7 Division II-Central) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Boys’ Junior Varsity Tournament Sunday Afternoon

Senior Pat Doyle, a member of the basketball tournament, is hosting the school's second annual junior varsity basketball tournament on Sunday afternoon.

Last year's tournament was hosted by Bill Byrne, and was won by South Kingstown. This year's field is Narragansett, Prout, Middletown and North Kingstown.

Games start at 1:30 p.m., in 60 minute intervals, until the finals at 4:30 p.m. All proceeds benefit the school's athletic programs.

Girls’ Team Still Undefeated in D-II Play; Muzzle Huskies

In action Friday night, the girls’ basketball team had no problem with visiting Mt. Hope, throwing the Huskies off the scent with a 66-47 win.

According to a box score in The Providence Journal, Mercedes Harris again led the Mariners with 22 points. Chelsea Sahagian had 17, and Abby McKanna had 13 points. Also scoring for the Mariners were Ali Castrovillari (6), Leia Mistowski (5) and Raquel Harris (3).

With the win, Narragansett improved to 11-2 overall and 9-0 in Division II-South play. Mt. Hope fell to 6-6 overall and 5-4 in league play. The Mariners now get a week off, as they host Prout (7-5, 4-4 Division II-South) at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27.

Other Sports? Game On (So Far)

If you’re wondering whether the scheduled Saturday sports are still on despite , well, so far, so good. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, the RIIL had not made any changes to the Saturday schedule.

To keep on top of things, you might want to check their web site before venturing out for any games. Saturday’s teams in action are:

• The boys' indoor track team (1-6, 1-6 Metropolitan) has a 10 a.m. meet against La Salle (4-2, 4-2 Metropolitan) and Moses Brown (1-5, 1-5 Metropolitan) at the Providence Career and Technical Academy.
• Individuals from the wrestling team are performing at the Hurricane Tournament at Warwick Veterans High School at 9:30 a.m.
• And finally, in an inexplicable home game for South Kingstown boys' ice hockey (3-4-2, 2-4-2 Division II-South), they take on the Mariners (1-11, 0-11 Division II-South) at 6 p.m. at St. George's.

Other News and Notes

• Narragansett freshman Eric D’Aguanno is no longer on the boys’ basketball squad. He will be playing prep basketball instead.
• In other player moves, senior Samantha Sabetti went from the basketball squad to the indoor track team.
• Narragansett junior Jarred Whalen has recovered from a football injury and is back in game action for the boys’ basketball team. Freshman Joe Sekator is also now eligible and playing on junior varsity.
• For the girls’ basketball team, Peaches Griffith is now in the regular playing rotation after recovering from an early season injury.