Prout, Mount St. Charles Battle for D-II Basketball Championship Saturday

KINGSTON – Unlike past years, the 2010-11 girls’ Division II bracket went to form, as top seeds the Prout School and the Mount St. Charles Academy meet in the finals 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Ryan Center.

Call it a form of karma. Last year, Mount was the No. 3 seed, but was upset in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Westerly. The Bulldogs upset No. 2 Prout in the semifinals, won last year’s Division II championship, and this year, they are in the Division I championship game.

Without Westerly and other miscast Division II teams like Chariho and Portsmouth, Prout and Mount have both had successful regular season and playoff runs.

Prout is 21-4, and finished 16-2 in Division II-South play, earning the top seed. Mount St. Charles is 22-1 overall, and went 17-1 in Division II-North action. The two teams did not play each other during the regular season.

How Prout Plays

The success of the Crusaders hinges almost solely on one player, Emily Caswell. She averages a state-best 19.6 points per game, according to The Providence Journal.
Even labeling her with a position is folly – The 5’10” senior can initiate the offense as the point guard, play off the ball as a wing and spot-up shooter, or crash the boards for put-back points. She is widely considered to be the best player in Division II this year.

For Prout to be successful, Caswell usually has to score a bit early, which opens her teammates up for shots. Caswell is not just a scorer, as she will eagerly pass the open teammates, and plays great, foul-less defense, whether it is inside as a shot-blocker or on the perimeter as a one-on-one stopper.

The rest of the Prout rotation is primarily full of solid role players who don’t make mistakes. Center and senior Jordan Oswinkle typically swats two to four shots per game. Underclassmen Madeline Hagerty and Victoria Jedson are solid, maturing players who can capitalize if left open. Forward Jacquelyn Tousignant provides energy off the bench.

How Mount St. Charles Plays

If there is a clear advantage the Mounties hold for Saturday’s championship game, it is size. Most of Mount’s lineup is taller and stronger than the typical Division II player.

The Mounties feature a balanced attack, led by senior Maria Saia. She averaged 16.4 points per game, good for 9th in the state, according to statistics kept by The Providence Journal.

The other Mount starters and reserves – Adriana Maurano, Alyssa Rossi, Noreen Mulledy, Lauren Mallon, Nicole Grinsell and Paige LaBreche – can also score if left open. The Mounties can score from the inside and outside, and while they lack the signature talent of a Caswell, they are better prepared to handle her defensively thanks to its depth.

Other Notes

• Prout has won one girls’ basketball championship, the Division II title in 1984-1985. From the 2000-01 season to this year, they did not play in a championship game, per records at RIHSS.
• Mount St. Charles won a Division III championship in 2000-01. They last played for a Division II championship in 2007-08, but lost to Barrington 37-30. Barrington is also now in Division I.
• will be live blogging the finals, if you can’t make it for some reason. Check on Narragansett Patch or Woonsocket Patch on Saturday afternoon around tip-off for the link, or click the “follow-up” button below to be e-mailed when it goes live. This will be followed up with photos, video and a game story from .