Sports
Slow Start Dooms Vikings in 56-42 Loss to Townies
The Rogers High School girls' basketball team surrendered the first 13 points of the game Wedneday afternoon, and never caught up, bowing to East Providence High in a first-round game of the Barrington Boosters Holiday Tournament.
Slow out of the gate.
The East Providence High girls’ basketball team scored the first 13 points against in the Wednesday afternoon, first-round game of the 2011 Barrington Boosters Holiday Tournament. The EP Townies never trailed, ultimately securing a 56-42 victory against the Vikings.
Brittany Crosby scored a game-high 19 points, Alyssa Dias tossed in 15 points (including three three-point baskets) and Taylor Wiggins added 11 points as the Townies pulled away midway through the second half and evened their season record at 3-3. Ny’Jah Rivon netted 17 points and Sienna Benson finished with 14 points for the Vikings, who slipped to 4-2.
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Performing with superior aggressiveness, intensity and energy, EP held Rogers scoreless for the first 6:55 of the contest and never trailed. The Vikings narrowed their deficit to four points late in the first half and to six points midway through the final chapter until the Townies produced a 10-4 streak to settle the outcome.
“We had a very slow start, but we also played too fast on offense at times,” said Rogers Coach Frank Brow. “We had too many foolish turnovers today. When we got into our offense sets, we were better off.”
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Rebounding was another key in the game's outcome. Despite a size disadvantage, the active Townies out-rebounded the taller Vikings by an unofficial margin of 48-33.
“We’re bigger than East Providence,” Brow said. “That is unacceptable.”
After their quick start, the Townies committed a rash of turnovers, missed several easy shots and were guilty of dubious shot selection, while Rogers regrouped nicely on both ends of the floor to make it a game. East Providence held just a 25-19 advantage at halftime and led by only a 40-34 margin with 7:03 remaining.
At that point, Dias swished a three-pointer, Wiggins connected on turnaround jumper, Crosby sank a free throw, Bianca Vails converted an offensive rebound and Thomeeka Speaks hit a runner from the right baseline that opened a 50-38 bulge with 3:12 left. The Vikings came no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
While Rogers appeared to be mired in a post-holiday funk at the start of the game, East Providence hit the court running. Wiggins banked in a give-and-go lay-in just 23 seconds after the opening tip to put the Townies ahead to stay and the barrage continued with a Lindsee Allienello runner, a Dias trey, a Crosby baseline jumper, a Wiggins lay-in and two Wiggins charity tosses, opening a 13-0 cushion before Rivon banked in an offensive rebound from the lane to snap the Vikings’ scoring drought.
Sparked by Benson, Nifaty Morales, Elizabeth Jackson and Rivon, Rogers gradually crept back into the contest, drawing to within seven points (22-15) with 3:31 to go in the first half and to within four points (23-19) with 2:25 to play after Benson banked in a drive and Morales converted a layup. The Vikings, however, went scoreless during the rest of the period and Crosby’s put-back at the 1:11 mark gave EP its six-point edge at the break.
“When we ran our offensive sets, I thought we did a good job today,” Brow said. “I thought we competed well. They (EP) are a Division 1 team and a solid team. We just turned the ball over too many times and didn’t get enough good shots.”
Rogers returns to Barrington on Thursday at 2 p.m. to face Mt. Hope High of Bristol.
