Hawks, Pats set to open state tournament play tonight

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 3/3/16

The Bishop Hendricken and Pilgrim basketball teams didn’t close their respective division tournaments in ideal fashion.

The Hawks, after earning a trip to the finals with a 10-point victory …

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Hawks, Pats set to open state tournament play tonight

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The Bishop Hendricken and Pilgrim basketball teams didn’t close their respective division tournaments in ideal fashion.

The Hawks, after earning a trip to the finals with a 10-point victory over Smithfield, lost to Classical, 82-71, at Brown University on Sunday. The Purple got 56 of their 82 points from guards Rodney Theodore (30 points) and David Duke (26 points), as Theodore was skipping rocks into the ocean from beyond the arc, drilling eight 3s.

Pilgrim, on the other hand, lost by three to eventual Division III champion Chariho in the semifinals.

But Pilgrim and Hendricken will get a second lease on life starting tonight, with both earning spots in the exclusive 16-team open state tournament.

The Hawks have been awarded the No. 2 seed and will play No. 15 Johnston at 6 p.m. at CCRI-Warwick.

Following the loss to Classical, Hawks’ coach Jamal Gomes was pleased with his team’s effort. Ultimately, it’s tough to win when guys are shooting the lights out like Theodore and Duke were. But heading into the state tournament, Gomes believes that his team’s defensive intensity and effort will be key.

“I think it’s always defense and it’s always rebounding,” Gomes said of what the Hawks will work on heading into the open tournament.

As for a head-to-head matchup, Hendricken should cruise to a first-round victory over Johnston.

The Panthers entered the D-III tournament as the top seed after a 16-1 regular season, but would go on to lose at home to Warwick Vets in the quarterfinals.

The Panthers have standout guards in Ryan Yankee and Nas Vasquez, and those players will have to score early and often if Johnston hopes to keep pace.

But a small Johnston lineup should have no answer for Hendricken’s length and athleticism.

Preston Santos, Justin Mazzulla, Trevor Lawton and Isaiah Mylers will have sizeable mismatches inside, and look for Hendricken to take the ball hard to the hoop and get as many layups as possible tonight.

If Hendricken were to win, it would play the winner of No. 7 Portsmouth and No. 10 North Kingstown on Sunday at Brown in the Elite 8.

After failing in its quest to repeat as D-III champion, Pilgrim will get a clean slate tonight.

The Pats earned the No. 12 seed and will draw No. 5 seed and Division II champion Narragansett. The two teams will square off at Bryant University at 8 p.m. tonight.

Pilgrim could have its hands full with a Mariners team that has played extremely well in recent weeks.

But, overall, this isn’t a terrible draw for Pilgrim.

The Pats have proven this season that they can play up a division or two and compete in a big way.

They defeated Division I West Warwick and lost by two at East Providence – a team that earned the No. 5 seed in the Division I tournament.

The Mariners have been awfully impressive this winter, though, going 15-2 in the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed in the D-II tournament. And they definitely earned their title, defeating No. 2 Portsmouth in the semifinals and No. 1 Westerly in the finals.

Pilgrim will have to look to its best perimeter defender, Matt Woods, to lock down Mariners’ senior guard Jason Palmer, who averages just south of 20 points per game – good for fifth in the state.

Tyrone Weeks will also have to be the best player on the floor, as he has been for the majority of games this season. Additionally, staying out of foul trouble will be key for Weeks after fouling out in each of his last two games.

If Weeks isn’t on the floor down the stretch, it’ll be tough for the Pats to pull out a close game.

The winner of the Pilgrim/Narragansett matchup will play the winner of No. 4 Smithfield and No. 13 Mount Pleasant, also on Sunday at Brown.

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