Novans must slow down NK offensive juggernaut
Skippers have laid waste to first three Open opponents
KINGSTON – You want to enjoy the moment. After all, it’s not every day that Woonsocket plays for a state championship in boys’ basketball.
“It feels good. We’ve never been here before,” Novan senior guard Dwayne Robinson-O’Hagan said.
Still, when the date for the actual date with destiny is on the docket for the next day, there’s a part of you that has to quickly turn the page, correct?
That 58-51 win that Woonsocket achieved over rival Cumberland on Saturday … it has to be filed away ASAP because on Sunday at 6 p.m., a matchup for all the marbles is on tap against North Kingstown, which rolled to an 86-49 win over Cranston East in the other semifinal held at URI’s Ryan Center.
“I’m not going to enjoy (the victory over the Clippers) too much. (Sunday) is a bigger day,” Robinson-O’Hagan said after a 22-point performance that helped Woonsocket advance out of the Round of Four.
“Big game tomorrow,” said a smiling WHS senior guard Justo Colon, who netted 10 points against the Clippers.
There’s not much time for either the Novans or the Skippers to dive into a full-fledged scouting session where no stone is left turned. Yes, Woonsocket is familiar with NK junior Nick Sacchetti and senior Ben Masse. Yes, the Skippers are familiar with the Novans’ 1-2 scoring punch of Robinson-O’Hagan and senior Denzel Lyles.
It goes without saying that which side handles the short prep time the best will be critical.
“Does it worry me that we play on consecutive days? I’m a prep guy so I like to go back and review the tape. Now it’s going to be all rushed,” stated North Kingstown head coach Aaron Thomas, adding that he expects to rely more on his bench on the second night of back-to-backs.
On the flip side, Woonsocket relied on a six-player rotation to defeat Cumberland. Last Sunday against Barrington, WHS head coach T.J. Ciolfi mixed in reserves Marcus Harmon and Jacob Bissonnette. Both figure to be on standby against Skippers.
When North Kingstown and Woonsocket crossed paths during the regular season – January 11, to be exact – the Skippers defended their home-court in a 69-47 win. NK held Robinson-O’Hagan and Lyles to a combined 25 points. That night saw the Novans take the court minus Colon, who was out with an injury.
“They’ve got two powerful scorers, but (WHS junior Oumane Kourouma) is the type of kid who can create matchup problems for us inside,” Thomas said. “We saw them without Colon and played a triangle-and-two, but I’m not sure what we’re going to do this time.”
Saturday saw Kourouma pick up the scoring slack for his team on a day that saw Lyles go scoreless in the first half and end up with just eight points. The junior big man flashed a nice touch on a couple of occasions on his way to ending up with 12 points. A similar output will be needed against a North Kingstown outfit that’s averaging 94 points per game in the open state tournament.
“They can score, too. They can get up and down the floor,” Thomas said about Woonsocket.
North Kingstown is seeking to become just the second team to capture the Division I championship and the state championship in the same postseason; La Salle was the first to achieve the daily double in 2015. Standing in the way is a Woonsocket team that will be competing in the program’s biggest game since facing Bishop Hendricken in the Division I finals back in 2008.
“Going to the state championship game is pretty special,” said Ciolfi.