Schools
Girls Basketball: Wizards 20-Point Run Propels them Past Bolts
The Bolts went on a shooting drought for almost ten minutes in the first half, watching their one-point lead transform into a 19-point deficit, ultimately leading to their defeat.
Cranston East traveled to West Warwick on Wednesday evening to take on the Wizards in a Girls Division II South matchup. West Warwick went on a 20-0 run in the first half and coasted to a 43-26 victory.
Kelsey Evje and Emely Ramirez combined for nine points in the opening four minutes of play for the Thunderbolts, while the Wizards scored eight in the same span of time. The game then swung in the direction of West Warwick, as their size and sound rebounding helped them take the lead and create some cushion between themselves and Cranston East.
The Wizards did a good job limiting the second chance opportunities of the Thunderbolts and were able to get out in transition during their 20-0 first half run. Cara Genest had 8 points in the scoring streak, as West Warwick forced the Bolts to take bad shots and were able to get some easy baskets on the break. The streak lasted almost ten minutes and proved to be the difference in the outcome.
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"We had some offensive dry spells. We were stuck on nine for it seemed like ten minutes. And that was our Achilles heel," East Coach Richard Glover said.
The Thunderbolts were missing Zoeigh Rodrigues in this game due to personal reasons and this hurt them offensively because the Wizards were able to focus their defense on Ramirez and Evje.
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"She's one of our three scorers. And when you only have three and you're missing one that kind of hamstrings you a little bit," Glover said, speaking of Zoeigh Rodrigues.
The ability the the Wizards had to force those two players into difficult shots, coupled with the size and and shooting of West Warwick would prove to be the difference.
Cranston East had a six-point spurt to bring their deficit down to nine at the start of the second half, but that's as close as they would get, falling 53-35 to West Warwick.
West Warwick remains undefeated on the season at 3-0 in league play and 5-0 overall. The Wizards will compete in the Coventry Credit Union Holiday classic next Wednesday, looking to keep their streak alive.
The Thunderbolts are now 2-2 in league play and 3-3 overall. The Bolts will compete in the Centreville Bank Holiday Classic on Wednesday, trying to get their record above .500 again.
Top Scorers
East
Evje (15)
Ramirez (14)
West Warwick
Ramsay (12)
Genest (9)
Moretti (8)
