Local Roundup

D-III South still up for grabs late into the season

Matt Metcalf, Assistant Sports Editor
Posted 1/29/15

In the South subdivision of Division III boys’ basketball, there isn’t much room for error at this point of the season. 

If it wasn’t enough for Pilgrim, Vets and Toll …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
Local Roundup

D-III South still up for grabs late into the season

Posted

In the South subdivision of Division III boys’ basketball, there isn’t much room for error at this point of the season. 

If it wasn’t enough for Pilgrim, Vets and Toll Gate to play in the same subdivision, all three of the teams are extremely close in talent and in the standings. 

Pilgrim and Vets currently sit atop D-III-South – each with a record of 6-3. 

Sitting behind the Pats and ‘Canes is Chariho, with a record of 5-4 – just one game out of a share of first place.

Bringing up the rear in the division are the Titans. But despite a slow start, Toll Gate has picked up its play as of late, improving its record to 4-6 in D-III. The Titans’ 4-6 record puts them just two and a half games out of first place. 

The Titans are winners of their last two league games, beating a pair of teams who are ahead of them in the standings – Vets and Burrillville – who are both 6-3. 

Toll Gate has two big games this weekend, however. It’ll likely need to win both if it hopes to keep pace. The Titans will host Mount Saint Charles at 7 p.m. on Friday, before playing at Masters Academy on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. Mount and Masters are both 5-4 in D-III action. 

All three of the Warwick schools played each other in the span of a week earlier this season and each team came out of their pair of games with a 1-1 record. 

Vets, Toll Gate and Pilgrim have looked to the leadership of some upperclassmen to get them to where they are at this point of the season. 

Vets has seniors anchoring its front court and back court. 

Josh Muto has been impressive at point guard, both offensively and defensively this season, averaging just south of 15 points per game. 

Kevin Martin has also been a leader on the court for the ‘Canes, chipping in offensively and he’s also been one of the top rebounders in D-III this season. 

For Pilgrim, senior guard Chris Duchesneau has been the team’s top scorer all season long. The sharp-shooter scored 21 points in a win over Toll Gate earlier this season and is averaging 14.5 points per game. 

The Titans have gotten some solid play from senior forward Adam Brice, making his presence felt on the glass and in the post. Toll Gate has also been led by juniors Austin Giard and Austin Ouimette. 

It’s clear that these players will have to step up for their respective teams down the stretch, as they’ll have a big say as to who wins D-III-South. 

Vets, Pilgrim and Chariho all have seven league games remaining, while Toll Gate has just six – leaving the Titans less room for error with the biggest gap to erase in the standings. 

All four of the teams in D-III-South have three games remaining against their subdivision opponents – one against each team. 

Last season, the three Warwick schools were trapped in the same subdivision as the eventual D-III champion, Juanita Sanchez. 

This year, Juanita Sanchez has departed for D-II, and the subdivision is truly up for grabs. 

Hawks bounce back after first loss

Behind a game-high 20 points from sophomore Justin Mazzulla, the Bishop Hendricken boys’ basketball team got back in the win column on Friday night, defeating Mount Pleasant, 55-45. 

The Hawks were coming off of their first Division I loss just three nights prior – a 59-46 loss at Hope. 

In addition to Mazzulla’s 20 points against the Kilties, senior Ira Lough also played a big role in the win, knocking down four field goals and converting six of nine free throws at the charity stripe, en route to a 14-point performance.  

Hendricken now sits at 8-1 in D-I and has a pair of crucial games remaining on its schedule in early February. 

Luckily for Hendricken, one of those games will be played on a neutral court and the other will be at home. 

The Hawks will play the only undefeated team remaining in D-I, Barrington, on Feb. 8 at Brown University. The Eagles made the move up to D-I after a 17-1 season in Division II last year. They’re led by Brown-commit Corey Daugherty, who is averaging 18.8 points per game, good for fourth in D-I. 

Hendricken will then host the only other one-win team in D-I, Smithfield, on Feb. 10. The Sentinels are led by three juniors – Joe Delricci, Lorenzo Fernandes and Steve Aiello. 

Despite recently losing its leading scorer, Delricci, to an injury, Smithfield will still be a tough team to beat. In Delricci’s absence, the Sentinels handed La Salle just its second loss of the season, defeating the Rams 64-51 last Thursday. 

First place is still attainable for the Hawks, but they’ll have to beat the other top contenders in D-I to clinch it. 

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here