Avengers Advance to Division 3 State Semifinals

The East Greenwich High School boys basketball team, playing at home as a number 3 seed, beat the North Smithfield Northmen in a quarterfinal playoff game Monday night.

From the opening tipoff the Northmen came to East Greenwich ready for a battle and definitely showed that they did not want last night's game to be their final one of the season. The Northmen controlled the majority of the first half with both great offense and defense. North Smithfield was simply playing all-around good basketball, leading the Avengers for most of the first half. 

"We didn't panic when we fell behind," starter Sam Payette said after the game. Although EG was trailing in the first half, they improved as the game progressed and didn't let the deficit discourage them. With just seconds left in the first half, Evan Walsh got fouled behind the three point line. After he sinked the three free throws, the score was tied up 26 going into halftime. 

The Avengers opened up the second half showcasing great intensity on both ends of the court. After a few minutes the Avengers gained a lead that would stay with them for the rest of the game. As the second half went on the Avengers were proving themselves to the crowd that they were still the team to beat. They were beginning to look like the dominant team they have been all season, outplaying the Northmen. 

"We played great defense, especially in the second half we held them to only 14 points," power forward Danny Caron noted after the game. "We need to improve on running our sets and looking for the second and third option off them. 

Caron led the Avengers in scoring last night with 16 points. 

Point guard Nick Messier said, "We stayed composed but we need to start out playing well."

In order to win the division-three state tournament and make it far in the statewide tournament, the Avengers definitely do need to start the game off stronger as they move on to play tougher teams.

With EG's tough win they will advance to the semifinals Friday night at 6pm at CCRI-Warwick.