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RAMS TAKE HOME STATE BOYS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The La Salle Boys Basketball team won the Credit Union's RIIL State Basketball Championship Sunday night at the Ryan Center on the campus of the University of Rhode Island. By defeating Barrington High School 61-51, the Rams became the first high school to win both the State Championship and the Division I Championship in the same year. Coach Eric Simonelli's team won 7 straight playoff games to win the two titles.
The La Salle Boys Basketball team won the Credit Union's RIIL State Basketball Championship Sunday night at the Ryan Center on the campus of the University of Rhode Island. By defeating Barrington High School 61-51, the Rams became the first high school to win both the State Championship and the Division I Championship in the same year. Coach Eric Simonelli's team won 7 straight playoff games to win the two titles.
There were heroes everywhere for the Rams. CJ Waite came up big on both ends of the court. He finished with a team high 17 points, but it was his defense in the second half on Barrington star Corey Daugherty that turned the tide in the Rams favor.
Michael Vallelli did yeoman's work in the paint. He battled underneath for rebounds, played tough defense, and ran the floor all night.
Lawrence Sabir, Jr. finished with 16 points and again made his presence felt on both ends of the court.
Senior Captain Brendan Nigro played like the general that he is. Never flustered, Nigro controlled the Ram offense and consistently got the ball in the rights hands. Those hands late in the game belonged to Michael McCourt.
McCourt nailed two 3-point baskets late in the game to turn a 1 point deficit into a La Salle lead that they would never relinquish.
Jimmy Pare went down late in the first half, and it looked like Pare was gone for the game. He not only took an elbow to the face, which unbeleivably he got called for a foul on, but he sprained his ankle going down. Athletic Trainer Rob Riebe worked on Pare throughout the halftime and Pare came out and hit a huge 3-pointer in the second half that had the crowd on its feet screaming.
Avien Peah and Henry Dunphy both tooks turns on Barrington's big man, and they made him work for everything he got. Jonathan Glickman-Tondreau, who hit a big 3-pointer ealier in the tournament for La Salle, stepped in and played some valuable minutes while Pare was being tended to.
Coaches Simonelli, Michael McParlin, John Palazzo, and David Heroux put together great game plans throughout the two tournaments,and made sure the boys executed them.
The state championship was the first for the Rams since Coach Ed Heroux's 1998 win.
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There were heroes everywhere for the Rams. CJ Waite came up big on both ends of the court. He finished with a team high 17 points, but it was his defense in the second half on Barrington star Corey Daugherty that turned the tide in the Rams favor.
Michael Vallelli did yeoman's work in the paint. He battled underneath for rebounds, played tough defense, and ran the floor all night.
Lawrence Sabir, Jr. finished with 16 points and again made his presence felt on both ends of the court.
Senior Captain Brendan Nigro played like the general that he is. Never flustered, Nigro controlled the Ram offense and consistently got the ball in the rights hands. Those hands late in the game belonged to Michael McCourt.
McCourt nailed two 3-point baskets late in the game to turn a 1 point deficit into a La Salle lead that they would never relinquish.
Jimmy Pare went down late in the first half, and it looked like Pare was gone for the game. He not only took an elbow to the face, which unbeleivably he got called for a foul on, but he sprained his ankle going down. Athletic Trainer Rob Riebe worked on Pare throughout the halftime and Pare came out and hit a huge 3-pointer in the second half that had the crowd on its feet screaming.
Avien Peah and Henry Dunphy both tooks turns on Barrington's big man, and they made him work for everything he got. Jonathan Glickman-Tondreau, who hit a big 3-pointer ealier in the tournament for La Salle, stepped in and played some valuable minutes while Pare was being tended to.
Coaches Simonelli, Michael McParlin, John Palazzo, and David Heroux put together great game plans throughout the two tournaments,and made sure the boys executed them.
The state championship was the first for the Rams since Coach Ed Heroux's 1998 win.
La Salle Academy is a high school rich in history and grounded in the person and teachings of Jesus and the Catholic faith, which are core to the school's life and culture. The De La Salle Middle School provides a strong holistic foundation for students to transition into high school. The high school and middle school provide students of diverse ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds, a community to foster growth in the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle’s ideals of faith, service, and community.
