[VIDEO] Mariners Beat Townies on Last Second Shot

NARRAGANSETT – Down by three with 26 seconds to play, the Narragansett girls’ basketball team used buckets inside from juniors Hannah Maymon and Mercedes Harris to beat East Providence 56-55 on Tuesday night.

The sequence capped a physical, competitive game between the two teams that played contrasting styles. Harris was the dominant player of the game, finishing with 18 points and more than five blocks for Narragansett (1-1).

In contrast, East Providence (0-2) used an inside-outside game. Senior Alyssa Dias hit five 3-point shot en route to 17 points, and senior Bianca Vails slashed to the hoop and took advantage of the fastbreak for 10 points.

It was a ragged but entertaining game between the two teams, which were evenly matched throughout the night. Neither team went up by more than six points, and both racked up fouls.

East Providence junior Taylor Wiggins drew repeated fouls on smaller Mariner defenders. She finished 9-for-11 from the free throw line, and had 13 points. The Mariners shot 24 times from the free throw line, sinking 15 shots, and East Providence went 11-for-16.

Despite losing freshmen guards Abby McKanna and Chelsea Sahagian for stretches because of foul trouble, the Mariners were able to go to a bit of a bigger lineup thanks to a deeper bench this year. Ten different Narragansett players logged at least five minutes.

“We run a lot deeper this year,” Narragansett head coach Kathryn Mahoney said. “We need to learn to gel as a team, and that will come with time.”

The Mariners’ win comes after a season-opening drubbing at the hands of the Division I North Kingstown Skippers. Mahoney said the team seemed to play a lot more in control and calmer against East Providence.

“I told the girls, if they play like that every game, I’ll be happy,” she said.

Narragansett next plays Friday at the Prout School (3-0, 1-0 Division II-South). In early action Tuesday night, Narragansett’s junior varsity squad also beat East Providence.

East Providence head coach Michael Solitro said the game was made tougher with the absence of senior captain Shania Connor.

“With Shania on the bench, you’re really only putting one dominant ballhandler on the court,” he said.

Solitro added that some of his team’s early problems would hopefully improve as the season went on, and he preferred a loss now, in the non-division portion of the schedule.

“We’ve got to hit our free throws down the stretch to ice the game,” he said, referring to two missed shots by Dias. “We’re a young team, and this is a great learning experience.”

East Providence hosts Lincoln (1-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday. It is the Division I opener for both teams.

Statistics provided by Narragansett sophomore Catherine Tierney.