Patch Narragansett - South Kingstown, RI --Something will give in the Division II girls’ basketball final today, as the high-powered Narragansett Mariners’ offense clashes with the tough man-to-man defense of the Prout Crusaders.
Tip-off is at 1:30 p.m. at the Ryan Center, on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus. We will be hosting a live chat for the game.
No. 2 Narragansett (18-4, 14-2 Division II-South) has had a relatively easy path to the finals, at least compared to the other top seeds in the tournament that were felled in the quarter and semifinals by Prout.
The Mariners opened with a 55-44 preliminary round win against No. 15 Mt. Hope, followed by a 54-48 win against No. 7 East Greenwich that featured a 25-0 run. Narragansett overcame a sluggish first half to dominate No. 11 Coventry in the second half for a 59-42 win.
Narragansett typically only plays five players, four of them natural guards – Maggie Salomone, Chelsea Sahagian, Ali Castrovillari and Abby McKanna. Center Hannah Maymon typically pairs on the low block on defense with either McKanna or Salomone, depending on the match-ups.
However, the Mariners seldom need more than five players, thanks to the offensive and defensive firepower of their guards. Narragansett typically gets 15 to 20 steals a game with a combination of a full-court press, a three-quarters court trap and a 1-2-2 zone with McKanna at the top.
In contrast, No. 8 Prout (16-8, 10-6 Division II-South) has had to fight until the end for its wins, excluding a preliminary round 58-46 thumping of West Warwick.
The Crusaders upset No. 1 Rogers with sharp shooting, defense and controlling the game’s pace, en route to a 49-43 win. The song remained the same against No. 4 Moses Brown, as Prout won a brutal defensive struggle 34-28.
Prout’s offense typically runs through forward Maddie Hagerty. The senior is under six-feet, but gets free in the post and from the free throw line with a variety of headfakes. She is also a skilled passer, and frequently sets up center Jackie Tousignant and wing Brittany Donovan for layups.
Olivia Hirst, a sophomore, also comes off the bench to provide the Crusaders with another offensive option and 3-point threat. While Hirst doesn’t start for Prout, she often finishes games on the court. She has been the Crusaders second-option on offense for most of the playoffs.
Narragansett won the Division II title in 2012, thanks to the play of Sahagian and McKanna, senior Jackie Iannucci and junior Mercedes Harris, the daughter of then-URI assistant men’s basketball coach Larry Harris.
Salomone missed the season due to a knee injury, and Maymon split time at the 4 with senior Hannah Collier. Harris, playing for Panther Creek High School in North Carolina, announced that she was committing to Division I Long Island in August.
Prior to last year, Narragansett’s last title was in 1994, when the Mariners were Class B champions. The Mariners won a Class C championship in 1991.
Prout’s Division II title in 2011 its only in basketball, and also its only title game appearance. That year, the Crusaders were led by Female Athlete of the Year Emily Caswell, with Hagerty, Tousignant, Victoria Jedson and others playing key supporting roles.
Caswell went on to commit to NCAA Division II Caldwell College to play basketball. Caldwell is 19-11 as of Saturday morning, with Caswell now a sophomore averaging 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in 26.9 minutes per game.
*NARRAGANSETT ROSTER*
Chelsea M. Sahagian
Jordan T. Cameron
Sydney K. Hagopian
Abigail E. McKanna
Catherine A. Tierney
Maggie Salomone
Alicia L. Simeone
Ali O. Castrovillari
Ryan M. Goff
Hannah R. Maymon
Katie Farley
*PROUT ROSTER*
Ashley DiClemente Narragansett
Tori Jedson Wakefield
Maddie Hagerty Wakefield
Brittany Donovan Middletown
Jackie Tousignant North Kingstown
Olivia Hirst Coventry
Kate McCormack North Kingstown
Riley Martin Cranston
Morgan Medeiros Warwick
Katie Burke Warwick
Abby Lyons Charlestown
Caroline Oatley West Greenwich
*Division I – La Salle vs. Barrington*
Familiar foes in the Division I girls’ basketball suggest that a heck of a fight between No. 1 La Salle and No. 3 Barrington might be in store for the state title.
Tip-off is at 4 p.m. at the Ryan Center, on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus. We will be hosting a live chat for the game.
While the Rams (20-4, 17-1 Division I-North) are the tournament’s top seed, their lone loss this year was to Barrington (22-2, 16-2 Division I-Central). On Jan. 16, the Eagles beat La Salle 51-41 at Barrington High School in the lone regular season game between the two.
The rest of the year, La Salle outscored its Division I opponents by 385 points – an average of 21 points per game. After a bye in the preliminary round, the Rams beat South Kingstown 57-42 in the quarterfinals and Westerly 47-37 in the semifinals.
Somewhat ironically, La Salle also features three Barrington residents on its roster. Forward Priscilla Dunphy is a starter for the Rams and a major offensive option, while Ainsley and Michaela Burns provided bench depth.
However, La Salle will get most of its offense via defensive pressure from Davida Dale, and in the post from Coventry’s Alyssa Jacolucci. Dale is a Division I talent and just a sophomore, and splits time in a guard rotation with Wakefield’s Carmen Russo and Mikayla Murphy.
The overall depth of the Rams is stunning. While La Salle might lack the high-end, NCAA Division I talent it has had in past years, the Rams easily go about 10-deep in terms of Rhode Island Division I capable talent.
While the Eagles probably don’t have the depth of the Rams, they do arguably have as much, or even more, top-flight talent. Leading scorer Caitlyn Nolan is a commit for Division III Colby College. Junior Maura Kelty was a Providence Journal All-State Second Team selection in 2012, with Maggie O’Hayer named to Third Team for Division I-North in 2012.
Regardless of who wins, this isn’t the first time at the dance for either team, especially La Salle.
The Rams have nine state titles in girls’ basketball, including eight in the past 11 years, with one runner-up berth in that time span. Dating back to 1999, La Salle has not had a losing season.
Barrington won state titles in 1970 and 1971, prior to the establishment of the RIIL. Since then, the Eagles have not had a state title game appearance.
However, Barrington won Division II titles in 2007 and 2008, and were D-II runners-up in 2004, 2006 and 2009. The Eagles moved up to Division I for the 2009-10 season, and while this is their first title game appearance, the Eagles had an undefeated regular season in 2011 and have posted a gaudy .841 winning percentage in four years.
*LA SALLE ROSTER*
Davida Dale Providence
Carmen J. Russo Wakefield
Ashlynne F. Messier Providence
Tatiana M. Golditch Cranston
Mikayla E. Murphy South Attleboro
Molly Kelly East Providence
Alexandra N. Folgo North Providence
Kendall A. McCartney North Kingstown
Ainsley E. Burns Barrington
Michaela L. Burns Barrington
Alyssa M. Jacolucci Coventry
Priscilla C. Dunphy Barrington
Isabella D. Folgo North Providence
Audrey F. Herberger East Greenwich
Faith Osinaga Providence
*BARRINGTON ROSTER*
Sarah N. Middleton
Kimberly A. Hoyt
Maeve I. Gaffney
Kelly M. Thayer
Caroline C. Coleman
Katherine H. Clancy
Hannah J. Demers
Caitlyn G. Nolan
Amanda F. Andsager
Stephanie E. Ellicott
Annabelle M. Iserson
Maggie O'Hayer
Olivia C. Jannetta
Grecia E. Restituyo
Maura Kelty
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