Archive - Feb 2013 - Sports Article
February 27th
CUMBERLAND â Basketball-wise, Tom Lazaras, Mitchell Baxter and Trent Vasey werenât going to teach Ben Bradley, Dylan Boisclair, Rob Reedy and Greg Joubert anything new. Yet in order to reach the championship destination that Cumberland Highâs basketball camp dropped anchor upon last weekend, the first group of Clipper triplets had to do some gardening.
February 26th
NORTH SMITHFIELD â About 26 hours after the North Smithfield High boys' hoop squad had received its R.I. Division III championship plaque inside the Pizzitola Center, head coach T.J. Ciolfi, assistant Brian Chuey and the guys congregated with parents, family members and friends inside the Gators' Pub reception room Monday night.
The fete wasn't so much a celebration of the Northmen's first-ever state basketball crown, one achieved with a perfect, historic 24-0 mark, but instead to learn which team it would face in the 16-team R.I. Open (or all-inclusive) Tournament beginning tonight.
February 25th
After the four, four-team regions that comprise the R.I. boysâ basketball open tournament were revealed, clever minds declared Region IV âThe Blackstone Valley Invitational.â
The folks at The Prout School may feel slighted with such a bold declaration, but look at the rest of the regionâs participants. Here you have two of the three division champions in Cumberland and North Smithfield along with Shea.
In other words, the moniker fits.
February 24th
PROVIDENCE â North Smithfield High head coach T.J. Ciolfi didn't arrive at school to take the team bus to Brown University's Pizzitola Center until approximately 1:40 p.m., Sunday.
In the interim, his Northmen hoopsters strolled around the gymnasium and locker room wondering where their chief could be. After all, they not only were about to face East Greenwich for the R.I. Division III Tournament championship, but also try to register the school's first-ever undefeated season.
Ciolfi admitted later it was all part of the plan.
PROVIDENCE â Winning has become contagious for Cumberland Highâs athletic department, spreading from one season to the next.
With the fall producing a Super Bowl champion along with the stateâs top male cross-country runner (Trevor Crawley), the pressure fell squarely on the Clippersâ winter sportsâ entries to keep the good times flowing. Crawley kept up his end of the bargain when the swift 12th grader captured the 3,000-meter run at the R.I. Indoor Track & Field Championships two weekends ago.
PROVIDENCE â Immediately after Lincoln High senior quad-captain Nik Zicuis had posted a 10-5 triumph over La Salle Academy senior John Georges in the 220-pound weight class, he hustled to the opposing coaches' corner and accepted congratulatory handshakes.
He then sprinted to the opposite side and leaped into head coach Mike Tuorto's arms; while hugging him and grinning at able assistant Anthony Turchetta, Zicuis threw his fist into the air, index finger pointing skyward.
February 22nd
PROVIDENCE â While this may appear to fall under the category of âmuch ado about nothing,â the idea of late night college basketball excursions and the effect they have on the participants seems a subject worthy of exploration.
February 21st
CUMBERLAND â As far as Cumberland High head coach Steve Gordon is concerned, the beauty of the Rhode Island Interscholastic Wrestling Championships is that anything can happen at any given moment; that you can toss all conventional wisdom aside due to the glory at stake.
BURRILLVILLE -- It looked as if Burrillville High would make the most of its Senior Night celebration after entering intermission behind Division II-North opponent North Providence by a mere five (24-19).
The Broncos opened the final stanza in style, with senior Ashley Spear canning a turnaround one-hander in the lane and classmate Emma Lapierre hitting a putback with only 2:21 expired. Actually, the tri-captain had been fouled on the bucket, and went to the charity stripe set to tie the contest for the first time at 24-all.
BURRILLVILLE -- It looked as if Burrillville High would make the most of its Senior Night celebration after entering intermission behind Division II-North opponent North Providence by a mere five (24-19).
The Broncos opened the final stanza in style, with senior Ashley Spear canning a turnaround one-hander in the lane and classmate Emma Lapierre hitting a putback with only 2:21 expired. Actually, the tri-captain had been fouled on the bucket, and went to the charity stripe set to tie the contest for the first time at 24-all.
