Whiz Kid: Alex DiRaimo, Johnston High School Varsity Girls' Basketball Team

Alex DiRaimo, grade 9, Johnston High School.

Accomplishment: Alex is a member of the Lady Panthers varsity basketball team that is set to play Prout in the Division II semifinals tonight at Rhode Island College.

Key To Awesomeness: Fearlessness. On a team that boasts a strong first line of five seniors, including captains Megan Macera and Gianna Mazzulla; hard-driving Samantha Maner; three-point sniper Victoria St. Angelo; and 1,000-point scorer Alaina DeNoncour, DiRaimo made an important contribution when the squad called on her during the second half.

She made key shots for the Johnston team in Sunday's match-up against West Warwick — including the one shown in the accompanying video, which put the game away for good.

Assistant Coach Chris Corsinetti credited DiRaimo with effort that's not typically seen in first-year players.

"For a freshman to show that she could get the ball and know what to do with it — that she could drive to the net and go for the score — that was impressive," Corsinetti said.