Woonsocket Girls Lose to LaSalle, 61-33

Woonsocket’s reign as champion came to an end Saturday at the Murray Center, where the fourth-seeded Villa Novans lost to the first place Rams of LaSalle Academy, 61-33.

Senior Ashley Dubois poured in 19 points for Woonsocket and junior Michelle Brayboy added 13, but three Rams netted at least 10 points apiece, and seven more chipped in offensively to secure the win for LaSalle.

“The kids we had worked their tails off, but we don’t have their kind of depth and overall talent,” said Woonsocket head coach George Coderre. “They do a great job with their kids and we were just overmatched.”

The Rams applied overwhelming pressure to Woonsocket’s ball-handlers Saturday, and the Villa Novans struggled to generate offensive opportunities without the help of junior Kailey Fugere.

“We knew the second play of the game [Fugere] couldn’t go,” Coderre said.

“She had an awesome game the other night. She scored 32 against South Kingstown injured, but today she was in so much pain.”

Fugere did not score Saturday, and Woonsocket trailed throughout most of the contest. The Rams outscored the Villa Novans, 37-16, prior to intermission, despite eight first-half points from both Dubois and Brayboy.

“Without all of our pieces, we have absolutely no chance to compete with a team like that,” Coderre said.

“We’d struggle anyway. They’re good. They’re well-coached…They’re going to be hard for anybody to beat.”

Woonsocket’s campaign for a championship in 2011 ends with Saturday’s loss. The 12-8 Villa Novans must now part ways with Dubois, a senior who helped Woonsocket win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

“We’ve seen her grow over four years. We’ve seen her mature over four years,” Coderre said.

In 2009, the Villa Novans secured Woonsocket’s first Division II title with the help of Dubois, subsequently earning a promotion to Division I. They proceeded to defeat LaSalle in the 2010 Finals, ending the Rams’ three-year run as champions.

“There’s still a ways to go. She’s capable of more. Sometimes her game is inconsistent, but it’s not for lack of effort. Wherever she goes to play, the increased competition is going to help her to develop a consistency in her game,” Coderre said of Dubois.

LaSalle is now 19-1 in league play, and will return to Rhode Island College Tuesday, March 8 for a semifinal meeting with the second-seeded Bengals of St. Mary Academy-Bay View.

The Villa Novans, however, must wait for a new season to begin before they can compete again.

“I always plan to return,” Coderre said. “Obviously, I’ve got to see how it affects everybody, but I enjoy what I’m doing, and we’ve got a good group of kids, and I’ve got great coaches I enjoy working with and a good athletic director.

“Why wouldn’t I want to?”