Division II Girls' Basketball Quarterfinals Live Blog

8:25 p.m. – This will be our final post for the night, folks. The matchups for the semifinals on Wednesday, March 9 at Rhode Island College:

• 6 p.m., Johnston vs. The Prout School
• 8 p.m., Rogers vs. Mount St. Charles

Of course, Patch will also have coverage of those games, so check back then. Thanks for following along today!

8:22 p.m. – The second and third strings are now in for both teams to whittle down the last minute. Our final score tonight:

Mount St. Charles 56, Mt. Hope 34.

Leading scorer for the Mounties was Maria Saia with 21 points, 15 in the second half. Mara Newland led Mt. Hope with 11 points.

8:06 p.m. – Mount St. Charles is still in full control with 6:51 remaining. The Huskies trail 47-28.

7:55 p.m. – The Mounties call a timeout with 10:33 remaining. This game looks in-hand for them though; they’re leading 43-20.

7:51 p.m. – Mt. Hope calls a timeout with 12:36 left in the second half. This half has followed that script from the first so far: The Mounties beating up the Huskies down low with size. They trail 38-20.

An added wrinkle though is the lack of free throw shooting from the Huskies though. They’ve struggled from the line this half, shooting 2-for-8.

7:34 p.m. – It’s a balanced attack for the Mounties, as six different players have scored. Newland is trying to get the Huskies back into it, going baseline for a tough two, but Laura Mallon answers right back on the other end with an up-and-under for two.

Because of fouls on Crystal Leitao and Brittany Terra, the Huskies have had to go deep into their bench. This has had a cascade effect of reducing the defensive intensity.

After one half:

Mount St. Charles 34, Mt. Hope 18.

For the Mounties, LaBreche leads with eight points. For Mt. Hope, Christie Ribeiro has 10, and Newland has eight.

7:25 p.m. – Mt. Hope is forced into another timeout. Mara Newland has kept them close with a pair of 3-point shots, but the sheer size of Mount St. Charles is overwhelming the Huskies.

With 3:27 left, the Mounties lead 25-14.

7:18 p.m. – Right after I filed that last update, Mt. Hope rallied, with a pair of buckets by Christie Ribeiro and another from Brittany Terra. We’re tied at 8.

It doesn’t last though. For the Mounties, Paige LaBreche nails a 3-point shot. She hits another about four minutes later, causing Mt. Hope to call another timeout. With 7:10 left, the Mounties lead 18-8.

7:08 p.m. – We’re on to the final game of the night, as the Mt. Hope Huskies try to pull off a major upset against Mount St. Charles.

So far, it’s not looking good for the Huskies. At the 12:08 mark, Mt. Hope trails 6-2, and even that score is a little deceptive. The Huskies hit a quick basket to start the game, and since then, they’ve gotten in foul trouble and given up three baskets.

6:28 p.m. – Rogers could just dribble out the clock, or force EG to foul them, but they instead swing the ball down low to Morgera. She decides to shoot and missed badly, leading to a rebound by EG.

However, the Avengers can’t get a shot off to tie the game up. Their first attempt results in a deflected pass that leaves 1.5 seconds on the clock. And the second pass is swatted away by Benson. Ballgame, Rogers.

Rogers 54, East Greenwich 51.

Tia Cromwell led Rogers with 15 points. And Tracey Mason had a career day for the Avengers with 18 points on nine field goals.

We have the final game of the day, Mt. Hope vs. Mount St. Charles, coming up at 7 p.m.

6:22 p.m. – Out of the timeout, Benson goes the length of the court in about 10 seconds for a layup. However, she’s matched by Anderson, who does practically the same thing. EG takes another timeout to stop the clock, down 54-51 with 24.9 left.

6:20 p.m. – Rogers draws up a great play out of the timeout that gets a clean look at the hoop, but they miss the shot. Mason gets fouled on her ensuing drive, but misses both shots. And Rivon fouls out with 1:38 remaining, trying to clear out an EG defender in the paint on a fastbreak attempt.

Brianne Morgera picks a great time for her first basket, getting a follow-up to a shot in the paint to extend Rogers’ lead to six. However, they foul Powers with 1:10 left as she drives to the basket. She hits the first free throw, misses the second, but hits a jumper from outside the paint after the rebound.

EG calls timeout with 51.7 left. The Avengers trail 52-49.

6:15 p.m. – Settipane swats a shot by Rivon in the lane, and it leads to another layup for Mason. The Avengers then play tough defense for 19 seconds, but Rivera commits a touch foul on Morales 30 feet from the basket. She sinks both free throws.

EG gets a couple good looks at the basket on their possession, but can’t hit any. And on the other end, Mason picks up her fourth foul with 2:46 left, trying to guard Morales. She misses both, and Mason sets Powers up for a layup on the other end.

Rivon picks up her fourth trying to guard Powers, who has a 1-and-1 opportunity. She misses the frontend though. After a crosscourt pass almost equals a turnover for Rogers, they call timeout. With 2:00 remaining, Rogers leads 50-46.

6:09 p.m. – The Avengers keep up with the full court pressure out of the timeout, but the Vikings break it. Chanel Neal hits a shot from the paint, but Anderson counters with a jumper, keeping it a three-point game.

Rivon gets fouled by Rivera on a breakaway attempt, but badly misses both free throws. Powers goes coast-to-coast and hits a layup down low, cutting the Rogers’ lead to one. And EG has the ball after a foul by Rogers.

However, the Avengers give it right back on an illegal screen by Anderson, and Cromwell hits another shot in the paint.

Rogers is regaining control of the game, as Morales hits a layup off a loose ball. The Avengers are having problems rebounding, as Rivon gets hacked in the paint while attempting a putback. She hits both free throws this time.

EG strikes quick though, as Mason goes baseline to baseline for a layup, with Settipane sealing off the paint. EG calls a timeout – With 3:56 remaining, Rogers leads 48-42.

6:00 p.m. – Out of the timeout, the Avengers run another pretty give-and-go play down low, which leads to a pair of foul shots for Lockhart. She sinks 1-of-2.

On the next EG possession, with the shot clock winding down, Lockhart gets hit on the arm by Benson while going up for a shot. She gets two foul shots, but only hits the second. EG trails by three.

After a couple of Rogers’ turnovers, we have a full timeout by the Vikings. They led 39-36 with 7:56 remaining.

5:54 p.m. – It’s a similar story for both teams to start the second half. Mason hits an open jumper, but Cromwell matches with a post-up down low. However, Mason one-ups her with another open jumper.

The teams trade turnovers, then a drive and layup by Settipane goes – she gets fouled in the process too. She sinks the free throw, but on the other end Benson hits a layup. Rogers is holding on to a three-point lead.

Morales drive hard into Megan Anderson, drawing a foul. She hits both free throws, pushing the lead to five. EG then turns the ball over, as Kiley Powers gets called for a forearm while dribbling.

Cromwell gets the ball down low again and easily sinks another layup, getting fouled in the process. She sinks the free throw, but Mason continues her hot shooting with a bucket on the other end.

We’re keeping with a quick, frantic pace, as both teams start pressing. It doesn’t seem to help Rogers much, as it leads to an easy layup for Rivera on a pretty give-and-go.

EG decides to slow the game down, and calls a full timeout. With 9:36 left, Rogers leads 39-34.

5:40 p.m. – Correction: Cromwell had eight points in the first half.

5:35 p.m. – Out of the timeout, Benson picks off a pass. Rogers works the ball down to Tia Cromwell, who finishes for a two. Rogers leads 19-17.

On the next play down, Rivon swats a shot by Ashley Rivera, but flattens her on the follow-through. However, Rivera misses both free throws, so it doesn’t end up hurting.

Likewise, Karen Lockhart steals a pass, but turns it right over. Rogers can’t score on that possession, but again, Rivon finishes a missed shot for another two points. Four-point Rogers lead with about three minutes left. Actually, make that six, as Chanel Neal hits a jumper.

It was a 13-0 run for Rogers, as Lockhart finally hits a shot down low. Tia Cromwell matches her, but Leah Settipane scores again for EG.

Off a steal by Benson, Nifaty Morales goes through the lane and finishes with a layup.

With time running down, Cromwell hits another spin in the lane, but she is matched by Rivera. A heave at the buzzer is no good for Rogers, so at the half, our score is:

Rogers 29, East Greenwich 23.

It’s balanced scoring for Rogers, with Benson, Cromwell and Rivon each scoring six points. Mason leads the Avengers with eight points.

5:23 p.m. – Rogers pounds it down low with Ny’Jah Rivon, who gets fouled on the shot attempt. She sinks both free throws, getting the Vikings within five.

Mason gets too aggressive on a box-out on a 3 by Sienna Benson. The shot falls and she gets fouled. She misses the free throw though, and Rogers can’t score on the rebound. On the next possession though, Rivon scores on a putback, tying the game up at 17.

EG quickly calls timeout. It’s a 7-0 run for Rogers, and we have five minutes remaining in the first half.

5:17 p.m. – Rogers goes on a bit of a run, hitting two buckets to end a 10-0 EG run. However, Mason answers right back, hitting a layup on a great pass from Ashley Rivera.

After some choppy play that sees EG hit a free throw and the teams trade turnovers, Rogers calls a timeout. With 7:39 remaining, EG leads 17-10.

5:09 p.m. – And we’re back! In the early going, we’ve got a brisk pace, with the teams trading break opportunities. After two minutes, EG leads Rogers 6-5.

Although EG is much smaller than Rogers, they’re working their offense much better in the early going. The Avengers have four field goals, all coming on open looks.

Right on cue, as I was typing that, Tracey Mason hits another open look after the Avengers used 27 seconds on the shot clock. On another possession, Mason hit a bucket as the shot clock expired.

With about 11 left in the first half, EG leads Rogers 12-5.

4:19 p.m. – We’re into the bonus now. Caswell gets fouled and hits the frontend of the 1-and-1, but Hagerty gets the board and puts it in for two. Nine point Prout lead.

East misses on their own end, and after Caswell dribbles out the clock a bit, Donovan hits one-of-two. Jedson hits another two free throws, going up 12, but Reilly gets fouled and hits a bucket. She misses the free throw though, and Caswell gets fouled again, going to the line for two shots.

She sinks both shots, pushing the Prout lead to 12. Reilly hits a basket on the other end, and then an intentional foul is called. Donovan hits a free throw, and the teams trade free throws and baskets en route to the finish.

Prout 44, Cranston East 36.

Coming up next is Rogers vs. EG at 5 p.m

4:07 p.m. – At the line, Ramirez hits one of two. But with 4:06 remaining, she charges, and it’s her fifth foul. Who drew it for Prout? Caswell.

If East had hit all of their free throws, this could have been a game. Handler hits two shots and Cranston calls timeout. East is hanging in this, down 34-28, with 2:57 remaining.

4:02 p.m. – Caswell now has 21 points after hitting a 3-point shot around the six-minute mark. The Prout lead is at 11, which isn’t insurmountable, but feels like a lot more than it is. East hasn’t shown much since that initial run.

With 4:45 left, Prout leads 34-25.

3:55 p.m. – Early in the second half here, Cranston East has made a game of it. Reilly has four points and a steal in the second half, and Sannon has another bucket.

A timeout by Prout does nothing to stem the tide. East is on an 8-3 run in the second half, and the lead is four with about 12 to play. However, Emely Ramirez gets called for her fourth foul as East is driving in for a layup.

On the other end, Caswell hits a 3. So much for the run. She then nails a two from the baseline, pushing the lead back up to eight. After two missed free throws, East calls a timeout.

3:31 p.m. – At the half:

Prout 23, Cranston East 14.

Caswell leads all scorers with 13 points. She also has four steals. Jackie Tousignant is second-leading scorer with five points.

For the Thunderbolts, Kelsy Evje has five points.

3:25 p.m. – Prout is on a delayed run here. It’s currently 10-0, except it has taken place over the last eight minutes.

Prout’s game down low is hurting Cranston East for easy buckets. Oswinkle hits a shot from the baseline, pushing the Prout lead to 12. However, East finally breaks up the run with a bucket by Erinn Reilly. With 1:43 remaining, Prout leads 22-12.

3:17 p.m. – With 5:15 remaining, Prout extends their lead to eight. Caswell has added to her line: 13 points, four steals. Yikes.

3:12 p.m. – We’re now into the second game of the day, Prout vs. Cranston East. Emily Caswell is having another dominating game so far – She has nine of Prout’s 11 points, along with three steals.

However, East is sticking with Prout, and only trails 11-10 with 8:18 remaining in the first half.

2:17 p.m. – The Wizards go to a full-court press out of the timeout and immediately foul. At the line, Megan Macera hits both shots, extending the Johnston lead to 10.

Mackenzie Ramsay nails a 3-point shot, so the Wizards are clinging to life here, down seven. They almost force a turnover on the inbound, but Mazzulla comes up with it and is shooting 1-and-1.

She misses the frontend, but on the rebound, Garrick takes an out of control shot in the lane.

Johnston up seven with 43.5 left, Mazzulla now shooting the double bonus. She misses both, but Johnston gets the ball back on a jump. The Wizards get a rebound but miss a shot, and Johnston dribbles out the clock. Final score:

Johnston 53, West Warwick 46.

They will play the winner of the 3 p.m. game, either Prout or Cranston East.

2:08 p.m. – Out of the timeout, Garrick drives in the lane but can’t hit a contested shot in the lane. The Wizards are called for a reach-in on the rebound.

On offense, Mazzulla gets a pick, which Garrick fights through by pushing off with her elbow – a defensive foul is called. Mazzulla hits the frontend of the 1-and-1, and then the second shot, putting Johnston up 47-43 with about 2:30 to play.

The Wizards turn the ball over, and now the Panthers are into the clock kill mode. They work the shot clock down to about 10, at which point DeNoncour hits a shot from the post.

On the next possession, the Wizards turn it over again, leading to a layup by DeNoncour. Things are falling apart for West Warwick, who turn the ball over again, leading to a timeout.

Johnston has the ball, up 51-43 with 1:13 remaining.

2:03 p.m. – Coming right out of the timeout, Mazzulla commits a silly foul, slapping a West Warwick player. She hits one of two, and on the next possession, Garrick drives for an easy bucket without DeNoncour in the game.

More importantly, it is Mazzulla’s fourth foul. She stays in though, and comes up with a loose ball, getting fouled in the process. She hits both free throws, extending the Johnston lead back to nine.

Most of the breaks are going Johnston’s way right now. Maner loses the ball in the paint, but it goes right to Alexandra DiRaimo under the basket for an easy layup.

Then things start to turn a bit for the Wizard. In three possessions, Nicole Chamberlain hits a 3, followed by two Garrick layups. Johnston is forced to put DeNoncour right back in because of the lack of interior defense.

It doesn’t help though – Cara Genest drives for a bucket. The Wizards are within two, 43-41, with 5:39 left. Dan Mazzulla is screaming at his team to play defense.

DeNoncour misses a pull-up jumper, which leads to a Garrick rebound and a coast-to-coast drive. Tie game. Things get worse for the Panthers as DeNoncour travels.

Garrick goes out at 4:45 to get some rest for the home stretch. Gutsy move by West Warwick, since they just got back in this.  They turn the ball over, but the Panthers can’t convert on an open 3-point shot. Garrick is back at the table to check in.

With 3:48 left, Mazzulla hits a runner in the lane, putting Johnston back up by two. Garrick gets back in at 3:36, and West Warwick also takes a timeout. The Wizards trail 45-43.

1:50 p.m. – With 10:50 remaining in the game, Johnston has opened up a 38-29 win, with DeNoncour at the line for more. She hits one-of-two, extending the Panthers’ lead to 10.

At the other end, the Wizards are struggling to hit from 3-point range this half. Johnston is also taking the air out of the ball and working it down low to DeNoncour. Unfortunately for her, her defender does a nice acting job though and draws a charge.

1:32 p.m. – Tyreese Garrick hits 1-of-2 from the line to momentarily put West Warwick up by six, but Johnston answers with buckets by Gianna Mazzulla and Alaina DeNoncour to get within two, 22-20.

After a timeout, Johnston ties the game on a two in the paint by Samantha Maner. The Panthers then rebound a Wizards miss from 3-point range, and Victoria St. Angelo hits her shot from the arc to put Johnston up 25-22.

Garrick then hits a long, almost-NBA range 3-point shot to tie it up. With about four seconds left, St. Angelo hits another long 3, which is changed to a two by another official. A West Warwick shot from the paint as the buzzer sounds clangs off the rim, so at the half:

Johnston 27, West Warwick 25.

As Dan Mazzulla predicted after the Panthers win against the Narragansett Mariners, it is a game of contrasting styles. Johnston is beating up West Warwick down low, but Garrick is hitting shots from the outside.

1:20 p.m. – Welcome from Rhode Island College! I’m here for the first round game between the Johnston Panthers and the West Warwick Wizards.

In the early going, it’s been back and forth between both teams. We’ve had a bit more scoring than you’d expect though. It’s not unusual for nerves to strike in a playoff game, but through eight minutes, West Warwick and Johnston are tied up at 14.

I’ll be filing updates every five to 15 minutes, depending on game situation and Internet connection.

5:45 a.m. – Later today, will be filing live updates from the Division II girls’ basketball quarterfinals at Rhode Island College. You can see a full bracket of the teams playing here.

The Narragansett girls were, unfortunately, .

However, the Prout (19-4, 16-2 Division II) is still alive in the playoffs. The Crusaders play Cranston East (14-8, 11-7 Division II) at 3 p.m. Prout beat Cranston East 47-30 on Jan. 4, and 36-31 on Feb. 9.

The day’s action starts at 1 p.m., as Johnston (17-6, 14-4 Division II) plays West Warwick (15-7, 12-6 Division II). The two teams did not play in the regular season.

At 5 p.m., Rogers (15-9, 12-6 Division II) plays East Greenwich (14-9, 11-7 Division II). The teams traded regular season victories at home – East Greenwich beat Rogers 57-47 on Jan. 11, and Rogers returned the favor on Feb. 15, 57-40.

To close out the day of basketball, the Mount St. Charles Academy (20-1, 17-1 Division II) plays Mt. Hope (11-11, 10-8 Division II) at 7 p.m. The two teams played way back on Dec. 6, with Mount St. Charles winning 50-39.