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CF edged in OT, 92-91 |
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Tuesday, 08 January 2008 |
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By BRENDAN MCGAIR Sports writer NORTH SMITHFIELD – By no means was Derek Sullivan downplaying his noteworthy accomplishment. Relief might best describe the emotional spectrum North Smithfield shooting guard was going through after safely tucking away point No. 1,000 of his career.
Once the milestone was recorded – which transpired at the 3:21 mark of the first half on a free throw – Sullivan was glad to focus just on the task at hand.
“I just wanted to get it over with so I could go back and focus on the game,” said Sullivan.
On a night when Sullivan became just the fourth schoolboy in school history to join the 1,000-point fraternity, it was the senior’s final seven points of his final total of 31 that helped bring the Northmen back from the brink and into the winner’s circle. Sullivan finished overtime with a flurry in what turns out was the latest ultra-competitive chapter between North Smithfield and visiting Central Falls High, this one resulting in a 92-91 squeaker for the Northmen.
Crazy and unpredictable are usually the storylines whenever the Warriors and Northmen step on the hardwood. The two met three times last season with NS grabbing both regular season contests. Central Falls, however, enjoyed the last laugh thanks to upsetting the top seed in the Division III tournament in last March’s quarterfinals at CCRI-Warwick.
“Whenever we do battle with the Northmen, we expect something like we got,” said CF head coach Brian Crookes.
“Last year we were fortunate to win both regular season games. We built a huge lead in the playoff game, but they didn’t give up and fought right to the end,” recalls North Smithfield head coach Steve DeMeo. “That’s what we did tonight.”
North Smithfield did just that, even though at one point of the extra session its prospects did not appear so hot. Still riding high after George Carle forced OT with two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Central Falls spurted out to 87-79 lead with not even two minutes gone by in the extra session.
That’s when the tide turned in favor of the Northmen. Two Sullivan free throws trimmed the deficit to 89-83 with 1:04 to go. The two teams seemed to get in a tie-up near midcourt, but the ruling was a CF turnover.
A free throw made it a five-point game with 51 seconds to go. Once again, another jump-ball situation arose, but the Northmen were awarded the ball. Sullivan canned a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to make the score 91-88 CF.
Then came the third heartbreaking turnover for the Warriors. North Smithfield’s Matt Chiccarelli, who was hobbled by a high ankle sprain, picked off a pass in front of the Northmen bench, a la a wide receiver carefully working the sideline.
“He was in a lot of pain. He was very close to stepping out of bounds, but I was ready to call timeout,” said DeMeo. “He’s more known for his shot-blocking than his pass stealing.”
There was no question who was going to get the shot to play hero for the Northmen, and Sullivan delivered. He drove the lane where he was sent to the line with 2.6 seconds remaining. Two made free throws later, North Smithfield had its first lead since 77-74.
“It was Derek Sullivan’s night to shine,” said DeMeo. “He’s as cool as they come under pressure.”
With one final chance, CF inbounded the length of the floor, sending a home run pass that connected with Carle. The Warriors junior never got a shot off as the horn sounded. North Smithfield, tied for first in D-III with Prout at 5-1, finished up on an 11-3 run to close out overtime.
Both teams slugged their way through regulation. CF’s Henry Goncalves drained a trey just before the halftime buzzer sounded, giving the Warriors a 45-37 cushion. A 3-point play from Edwin Rivera extended it to a 11-point CF (5-2) just moments into the second half.
The Warriors were forced to play minus one of its top players in Rob Alers after the sophomore was whistled for his fourth foul with three seconds melting off the clock in the second. That was greeted with open arms by Sullivan, who scored 18 points in the second half and overtime.
North Smithfield played just six players with all but one of them hitting for double figures. Chiccarelli hobbled his way to 19 points while Zachary Dobson and Kyle Yearby each finished with 16.
Carle poured in 26 points to lead CF while Bryan Brown came off the bench to score 15. Alers notched 16 before fouling out while Henry Goncalves (12 points) and Luis Pena (11) each found double figures.
Just for those that are interested, Central Falls hosts North Smithfield on Jan. 25.
“We’ll see them again and it will be a battle in our gym,” said Crookes. “We’ll keep our heads up and bounce back.”
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CENTRAL FALLS (91): Rob Alers 7 1-2 16, George Carle 9 8-10 26, Luis Pena 4 2-2 11, Henry Goncalves 5 1-5 10, Edwin Rivera 2 1-2 4, Antonio Mena 2 0-0 4, Bryan Brown 5 5-8 15, Angel Gonzalez 1 0-0 2. Totals: 35 18-28 91.
NORTH SMITHFIELD (92): Zachary Dobson 5 6-9 16, Tom Denomme 0 0-0 0, Derek Sullivan 9 11-14 31, Kyle Yearby 6 4-6 16, Matt Chiccarelli 7 5-8 19, Chris Nasuti 4 1-2 10. Totals: 31 27-40 92.
Halftime: CF 45-37.
End of Regulation: 77-77.
Three-point field goals: CF 3 (Alers, Pena, Goncalves); NS 3 (Sullivan 2, Nasuti).
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 January 2008 )
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