Saints are state champs
St. Raphael wins championship in overtime thriller
“This means a lot. The seniors, we’re relieved to win at least one state championship in our careers.”
— SRA senior Amaya Dowdy
PROVIDENCE – Tammy Drape was clapping as her St. Raphael girls basketball players retreated to the bench. Overtime in the state title game was looming after Barrington dialed up a game-tying three-pointer on the final play of regulation.
The sight of their head coach expressing optimism through hand gestures was exactly what the moment needed. So what if the Eagles ran a perfect play? There was still basketball to be played. Now was not the time to lower the shoulders or feel blue.
“We still had a chance,” said senior guard Liz Bruno. “I knew if we brought the intensity, we would win.”
Doomed to defeat? Not on SRA’s watch. The overtime session was one-sided as the top-seeded Saints pulled off a 43-38 win inside Rhode Island College’s Murray Center on Sunday night. The finishing statement that ultimately led to mission accomplished was the result of once again adhering to a simple creed that served as the Saints’ true calling card throughout this perfect season (11-0).
It starts and ends with defense, and that proved to be the case during the most important minutes. Barrington missed all seven shots in the overtime
as St. Raphael came through with stops on eight of nine possessions. The only point registered by the second-seeded Eagles in the extra session came at the free-throw line.
Talk about clamping down with the championship on the line.
“At the end of the day, defense wins games,” said senior Amaya Dowdy. “To be honest, we played a lot harder after Barrington made that shot. Our effort went up a lot.”
Added sophomore Genesis McNeil, “On the defensive side, I always thought we had a good chance.”
As for showing composure when the group needed it the most, Drape said, “They’re kids. It’s a big stage. I didn’t want them to lay down and give up. It was a brand-new game.”
Dowdy fought tooth-and-nail on her way to finishing with a gamehigh 20 points while McNeil added 13 points. Bruno came through with two winning plays in the fourth quarter to finish with six points. St. Raphael finished with 16 offensive rebounds while forcing Barrington into 16 turnovers.
The Eagles’ greatest asset was the three-point shot. They buried five of their six treys during the fourth quarter. The Saints hit from beyond the arc just once as Barrington made it a point to take SRA’s top shooter – senior Chloe Rayko – out of the equation.
Even though the shots weren’t falling, Rayko was a threat that needed to be respected. The senior captain finished with two points.
Both came at the free-throw line.
“It wasn’t really my game, but this is so rewarding,” said Rayko.
Like St. Raphael, Barrington carried a perfect record into the finals. Many of the players that head coach Steve Lenz relied upon were freshmen, so there’s a good chance the state will be hearing from the Eagles over the next few seasons. One of those ninth graders – Caroline McConaghy – had 14 points on four threes. Two more freshmen – Lindsay Lemay and Danielle Ceseretti – combined for 18 points.
“I’ll give Barrington all the credit in the world,” said Drape. “The play at the end [of regulation], they executed it perfectly.”
St. Raphael never truly lit it up offensively, though that wasn’t a problem as the Saints led 18-7 at halftime. Through two quarters, Barrington was 3-for-15 from the field.
Though the Saints still held the lead, the momentum clearly shifted to the Eagles. When McConaghy buried a three, Barrington trailed by four (20-16) after being down 11 a few moments earlier. A second-chance hoop from junior Victoria Adegboyega was followed by a steal and a three-point sequence from McNeil. The five-point swing opened things back up as SRA led 25-16.
The lead in the fourth grew to nine (29-20) with 6:54 remaining when the Eagles started to find the soft spots in St. Raphael’s zone. Barrington’s knocks on the door intensified after two threes and a layup off a turnover that made it a one-point game with five minutes left.
A three from senior Nina Gibbons gave Barrington its first lead of the game (31-30). A hoop from Bruno put the Saints back in front with Dowdy adding free throws that made it a three-point game with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Forced to go the length of the floor, Barrington zipped the ball into the frontcourt before getting the ball into the hands of Gibbons. Letting it fly from the left wing, Gibbons went glass just as the horn sounded to tie the game at 37-37.
The SRA team that was outscored 17-10 in the fourth was nowhere to be found during the OT. They rediscovered their groove on the defensive end with Dowdy coming through with a hoop before the help could rotate. McNeil added more points on the ensuing possession as the Saints built a five-point lead with 1:56 to go.
“We knew we still had to play our game,” said Rayko. “I knew we would be able to overcome.”
A year ago, the Saints never had the chance to participate in the playoffs after COVID-19 concerns gripped the school. Thanks to getting down and dirty for one final time, St. Raphael was able to get over a hump that’s been in their way since losing in the Final Four of the 2019 Open State Tournament.
“This means a lot,” said Dowdy. “The seniors, we’re relieved to win at least one state championship in our careers.”