Rogers Falls to Prout 49-40

The Prout School girls’ basketball team held off a late charge from Rogers High School Thursday to take a 49-40 victory on senior night at the The Prout School.

“We executed on offense, and were able to get stops on defense, so this was a good win for us,” Prout head coach Phil Quinn said.

After falling behind by eight points early in the second half, the Vikings battled back to draw within three points with 5:07 remaining on a 3-pointer from junior Nifaty Morales.

The Crusaders fired right back, however, scoring nine unanswered points over the next three minutes to take a 48-36 lead and put the game out of reach.

“I said to the girls that they are going to make some plays, so we’re going to have to step up and make some plays right back,” Quinn said.

Interior defense was key for Prout all game, as Rogers had difficulty getting shots up in the paint over the length of senior Jordan Oswinkle and athleticism of senior Emily Caswell.

“She’s very good defensively, and I think her frame helps her out tremendously,” Quinn said of Oswinkle.  “She has really been a pleasant surprise this year.”

Oswinkle was dominant in the paint on the defensive side of the ball all game, an area where she feels most comfortable.

“I love playing defense, it’s my favorite part of the game,” Oswinkle said.  “Our defense is really the catalyst to everything we do.”

Caswell was often frustrated at the offensive end Thursday due to constant surveillance from the Vikings defense, playing a box-and-one defense on the Prout star and often double or triple teaming her.

“It is a little frustrating, the fact that everything I do is being watched and that they’re always calling out where I am on the floor,” Caswell said.

When teams overplay Caswell, like Rogers did, the scoring burden then falls to her teammates, who were able to step up and knock down shots. 

Sophomore Tori Jedson buried three 3-pointers in the first half as a part of her 12 points, while freshman Maddie Hagerty scored nine of her 11 points in the second half.

“It’s huge, we’ve been getting help from a couple of kids who have stepped up each game,” Quinn said.

Despite not being able to score at her usual high clip, it was still a very special night for Caswell.  Prior to the start of the game she was honored by McDonald’s as one of 12 nominees from Rhode Island for the McDonald’s All-American game.

“It’s really special, but it would not have been possible without my coaches and teammates helping me along the way,” Caswell said.  “This is really awesome, and it will be something I will remember forever.”

Caswell, who according to Quinn is the first player ever nominated for the award from Prout, is also joined by South Kingstown High senior Annie Lawler as a nominee.

The regular season now over, the Crusaders will look towards playoffs now after finishing with the top record in Division-II South at 16-2 and 18-4 overall.

“We’ve just got to keep playing defense,” Quinn said.  “This is a very good team, and we have to keep playing well together.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Prout 49, Rogers 40

ROGERS (40): Morales 5 4-4 15, Benson 3 3-3 10, Cromwell 3 0-0 6, Daquil 2 0-0 5, Rivon 1 0-0 2, Morgera 1 0-0 2; totals 15 7-7 40.

PROUT (49): Caswell 3 5-6 13, Jedson 4 1-2 12, Hagerty 4 3-5 11, Donovan 2 0-0 4, Tousignant 1 2-2 4, Oswinkle 1 1-3 3, Jackson 1 0-0 2;  totals 15 12-20 49.

Halftime: P 26-19.  3-pointers: P 5 (Jedson 3, Caswell 2); R 3 (Benson, Morales, Daquil).  Fouled out: none.