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Tolman hoopsters hold off Ponaganset |
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Thursday, 22 January 2009 |
By BRENDAN McGAIR
Sports writer
PAWTUCKET – A win is a win is a win …
A feeling of relief washed over head coach Mike Kayata and Tolman High after surviving a pretty stiff challenge from winless Ponaganset High, 54-47, Wednesday night at the Donaldson Gymnasium. The Chieftains were thorns in the Tigers’ side for pretty much the entire way until the home team stepped its play on both ends during crunch time. Only then was Tolman able to shake free of pesky Ponaganset.
“Not playing well and winning a game is a real bonus for us at this point,” said Kayata, whose crew improves to 4-2 in league play. “A lot of the parts to the game were disappointing, but when you leave the floor with a “w,” you take it.”
Nick Fontaine led the Tigers with 13 points while fellow senior Allens Etienne added 11 points and eight rebounds. Chris DosSantos contributed 13 points. Now 0-6, Ponaganset got 12 points from Adam Babcock and 11 from John Peterson.
The Chieftains had plenty of height to disrupt the Tigers, one of Kayata’s chief worries of coming in. Tolman has just one true post player (Etienne) on its roster.
The problems Ponaganset posed were clear early. Tolman slogged its way to a 22-all game at the break after struggling to solve the visitors’ man-to-man defense. Kayata substituted often, trying to find the right combination of Tigers.
“We were trying to throw the press on them with the second unit guys, but they didn’t get the job done. We started out to a 13-2 lead, but it was 13-9 within a minute because they gave up easy baskets,” said Kayata. “On this team guys have to earn their spots, and you’re not going to earn it by giving up easy baskets. The last thing the starters want to do is watch the bench guys give away the lead. If that’s going to happen, then we’re not going to go to the bench.”
The teams were deadlocked at 29-apiece with 11:11 to go before Tolman went on a quick five-point spurt. A driving lay-in by DosSantos and a trey from Fontaine opened up a 34-29 lead with just under nine minutes remaining.
In keeping of its theme of not fading away, Ponaganset fought back. Babcock dropped in a shot that made it 39-38 Tolman, but Fontaine answered right back with a running left-hander off the glass. Fontaine was unable to complete the 3-point play, but all that matter was that Tolman was clinging to a slight cushion (41-38) with 4:32 left to play.
Both sides traded baskets before Tolman started to establish some breathing room. Rodney Bustillo nailed the biggest shot of the game, a 3-ball that vaulted Tolman to a 48-42 advantage, the shot coming exactly at the two-minute mark. Bustillo sealed the deal by finding Stephen Zetina (six points) for a pair of critical baskets and nailing two free throws with 14 ticks remaining.
Bustillo handed out eight assists to go along with five points. “Rodney’s our glue guy, he keeps everybody together,” said Kayata. “He settles us down and Nick does the same. Rodney runs the plays, Nick usually directs traffic and Allens takes care of the dirty work.”
A pretty important game awaits Tolman Friday when it travels to Scituate High. On the line is second-place in the division.
“I’m trying to make this as clear as possible that the best five guys are going to play,” said Kayata. “It’s getting to be crunch time and we need wins. We want to get into the playoffs and be the best we can be.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 23 January 2009 )
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