HS Sports: Townies Blank Cougars, A New 1,000-Pointer?

That makes two.

On Saturday night, Feb. 4, the East Providence Townies made the trek over the I-Way to Smithfield and handed the Johnston-North Providence Cougars their first loss in 13 months, and only their second in two years. [Link goes to Rhode Island High School Hockey website.]

Townies Kevin Hall and Troy Derrick scored in the second and third periods, respectively, and goalie Marc LaValley shoved aside 22 Cougar shots en route to the shutout.

With four games to go, the defending state champion Cougars still hold a solid first place in Division III, with EP in second with a 9-4 record.

This weekend, the Cougars are in for two home games in as many nights, first hosting Cranston East on Friday, followed by a Rage of the Regionals match-up against West Warwick-Exeter/West Greenwich on Saturday night. Both games are scheduled for 9 p.m.

Boys Drop One, Win One

Gian Bianchi scored 17 and senior Ryan Anderson, who is within 23 points of the 1,000-point mark of his Johnston High School career, tacked on nine more as the Panthers secured a 59-55 victory over East Greenwich on Monday night.

The Providence Journal reported the score on its high school sports website.

Johnston rebounded from a 61-50 loss to The Prout School on Feb. 3, where the Panthers spotted Prout a 10-point lead after the first half.

Next up for Johnston is a 7 p.m. home contest against Mount St. Charles Academy tomorrow night.

Girls' Streak Stopped

The Lady Panthers had their six-game win streak halted with a pair of losses, the first to The Prout School in a non-league contest on Jan. 31, and the next to Division II leading Moses Brown by a score of 57-44.

Isabella DiRaimo led Johnston with 16 points, helped by Karina Mattera's 11.

In an odd schedule quirk, the girls travel to Mount St. Charles tomorrow night for a 7 p.m. contest and another crack at securing a playoff spot.

More articles on high school sports:

• Hockey Squad 10-0; Panthers Score Hoops Wins, Jan. 24, 2012
• Cougars Cruise; More Wins For B-Ball, Jan. 31, 2012
• Can The Cougars Go 12-0? Feb. 4, 2012