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Wednesday, 31 December 2008 |
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By TERRY NAU Sports editor WOONSOCKET — St. Raphael Academy nearly ruined Woonsocket’s Division I opener on Tuesday night.
The Saints played a crisp first half while building up a 28-21 lead over last season’s state finalists, who lost three starters from that 26-3 squad and looked the part, showing a lack of cohesiveness while repeatedly turning the ball over against SRA’s trapping defense.
Woonsocket then turned to its ace in the hole — 6-foot-8 center Nathan Geter — who scored 11 of his 16 points in the first three minutes of the second half as the Novans pulled even. Still, this game would come down to the final 20 seconds when Avery King missed a three-pointer from the corner under heavy defensive pressure from the Novans.
Woonsocket emerged with a 57-51 victory over the Saints in a game that had spectators, players and coaches catching their breath after the final buzzer sounded.
“Avery got knocked over on his last shot,” Saints coach Tom Sorrentine said, speaking of a non-call by the officiating crew on a play where King, who finished with 26 points, ended up on the seat of his pants. “That was big.”
The officials, who had fans and coaches shaking their heads on several occasions, were only a footnote to this game, though, as the defensive pressure applied by both sides contributed to numerous turnovers.
“This was our first test,” Woonsocket coach Kyle Ivey-Jones said. “It was a major test, and it was good to get the win. I have a lot of respect for Tom Sorrentine and his team. My guys pulled together in the second half.”
Woonsocket went on a 13-5 run to start the second half, making a conscious effort to get the ball inside to Geter, who eventually fouled out Saints center Chris Symonds.
“We just ran out of bodies,” Sorrentine said. “Our center fouled out. Jean-Daniel (Roussel) got hurt. Woonsocket did the right thing by getting the ball inside to their big guy. But I liked the way we competed tonight. We’re getting better each time we play.”
After Woonsocket pulled ahead 34-33 with 10:25 left in the game, the two teams exchanged baskets, steals and turnovers over the next few minutes. King hit a three-pointer from the corner for a 38-34 lead at the 8:42 mark, only to see Antjuan Jones (18 points) answer with a three-pointer of his own at the other end of the floor.
The Saints went ahead 46-43 on a short jumper by Ray Johnson, who finished with 14 points, but Jones then drained a 22-footer to tie the game with 3:20 left on the scoreboard clock.
Not to be outdone, King hit a step-back three over Jones’s defense for a 49-46 lead. Geter rebounded a Jones miss and dropped in a layup but Johnson stole the ball on Woonsocket’s next possession and tossed in a layup for a 51-48 Saints lead, only to see Jones drill a gutsy three from the corner to tie with game with 1:38 left.
Jones deflected a Saints pass to teammate Tron Griffth but then missed a three. King followed with a missed three of his own as the two gunslingers seemed to be tiring after playing every second of this frenetic contest.
With 55 seconds left, Woonsocket forward Semir Hasukic, who had a strong game, finishing with 14 points, got fouled and made one of two free throws. The Saints now had accumulated 10 fouls in the second half, giving Woonsocket two free throws every time it went to the line instead of one-and-one.
Jones then harassed King into a missed shot at the other end. The ball came back out to Jones, who had a step on the field. King grabbed his jersey but no foul was called. The ball went in to Hasukic, who got fouled again and again made one of two freebies for a 53-51 lead with 32 seconds left in the game.
That’s when King dribbled down into the left corner of the court and launched another three. The speedy guard with the shooter’s touch watched the ball miss from the seat of his pants. No whistle could be heard. That’s life on the road.
Hasukic made a layup with eight seconds left for a 55-51 lead and added two free throws with one second left to wrap up the scoring. The senior forward scored six of his 14 points in the final minute.
“It was a good game,” Sorrentine conceded. “Avery and Antjuan are great players. They play to win every time out.”
Antjuan Jones thought he knew the answer to why Woonsocket came out on top.
“Defense,” he said, looking to his coach for affirmation. “The difference was our defense. We just tried to get some stops at the end of the game and we did.”
Woonsocket’s defense got an added lift from Griffith, a 6-foot-1 junior who got more playing time with guard Lee Vazquez in foul trouble for much of the game. Those two guards teamed with Jones to totally harass the perimeter of SRA’s offense in the closing minutes of the game.
Woonsocket is now 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Division I-North. The Saints are 4-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 January 2009 )
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