Middletown High School Boys Basketball Team Loses to East Greenwich, 55-53

It was Senior Night as the East Greenwich Avenger boys basketball team took on the visiting Middletown Islanders Friday, and the seniors shined helping the team to beat the Islanders by one basket, 55 to 53.

The Avs opened up the game poised to bounce back from their loss earlier this week against division rival Prout.

trailed the Avengers the entire first half due to the impressive play by the senior leaders, especially Evan Walsh. Walsh caught fire late in the second quarter nailing two consecutive three pointers and then another jumper to lead the Avengers to a 32-24 lead at halftime. 

The Islanders came out of the locker room in the second ready to upset the Avengers to spoil their senior night. Middletown opened up the second half with a 6-0 lead to quickly cut the Avenger lead to only two points. 

After the early run by Middletown in the second half, the Avs came out of a timeout trying their best to steal the momentum away from the Islanders. For the rest of the game the momentum was constantly switching back and forth between the two teams. Both teams were exhibiting strong defensive skills, forcing numerous turnovers to create simple baskets. 

With one minute left, the intensity rose after an Islander got a steal which created two fast break points to tie the game up. The game was knotted at 51 with Nick Messier taking the ball up calling out a play for the Avenger offense. Messier swung the ball over to Evan Walsh on the wing and Walsh sunk another three pointer in an Islander's face to make the game 54-51. Middletown responded with a smart play to create a layup for them. With only seconds left the Avengers kept breaking the Middletown press and hit a free throw to seal the victory. 

The victory over Middletown last night improved the Avengers record to 14-2 on the season. Middletown High School's league record falls to 5-10. The Islanders next host the Prout School at home on Monday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.