Boys Basketball: Falcons' Defense Pushes them Past Eagles

The Barrington Eagles, who compete in Division II, matched up against the Division I Cranston West Falcons in a boys basketball game on Monday night at Cranston West. Barrington played tough all game long and almost stunned the Falcons. In the end West hung on for a nail-biting 38-34 victory in the non-league contest.

Points were hard to come by for both teams all night long. Each team displayed heart and intensity on the defensive side of the ball and struggled shooting from the field.

Konner Gershkoff's baseline three about four minutes into the game gave Cranston West a 7-2 lead. Gershkoff stole the ball at midcourt three minutes later, beat his defender with a behind the back dribble and finished the play with a layup, extending the lead to 11-4.

"Gershkoff played a great game and took it to the basket well," Falcons coach, Jim Moretti, said.

Over the final nine minutes of the first half, West's offense went cold and they could not find the basket. The Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead and a 12-2 run to end the first half gave them a 16-13 halftime advantage.

Barrington junior Ben Engvall scored eight of his team high 13 points, during the stretch. On the final possession of the half, Eagles junior Jesse Browne hustled for an offensive rebound and his layup barely beat the halftime buzzer. Browne finished the game with 10 points.

In the early portions of the second half, Barrington effectively used a full court press and forced the Falcons to commit several turnovers, which led to transition points for the Eagles.

Their biggest lead was 28-19 with about ten and a half minutes left in the game.

Cranston West began their charge with just under seven minutes remaining. Senior Eric Rosa began the run with a baseline jumper and followed it with two consecutive layups, giving his team a 32-31 lead. Gershkoff ended the 8-0 run with a fast break layup, pushing the lead to three with 5 minutes left in the game.

Engvall responded with a clutch jumper and free throw, tying the game at 34. Gershkoff, who led all scorers with 15 points, made the last field goal of the game, for either team, with two and a half minutes left, on a drive and finish in the lane. Cranston West took a 36-34 lead. Rosa, who finished with 10 points, hit two free throws in the last minute, to close out the scoring.

"My kids battled and they worked their butt off defensively in the second half," Moretti added, "We were able to extend our zone and pressure their guards in the second half."

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