The Cranston East girls' basketball team's run to the Final Four of the state tournament was undoubtedly one of the top sports stories of 2016 in Cranston. Behind the inside-outside combination of Maia Caito and Sarah Coutu and the sharp shooting of
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The Cranston East girls’ basketball team’s run to the Final Four of the state tournament was undoubtedly one of the top sports stories of 2016 in Cranston.
Behind the inside-outside combination of Maia Caito and Sarah Coutu and the sharp shooting of McKenzie Richards, the ’Bolts earned the No. 5 seed in the state tournament after nearly running the table during the regular season in Division II with a 17-1 record.
East handled division foe Cumberland in the first round, 52-35, at East Providence High School, before holding off another D-II power, St. Ray’s, 51-41 at Providence College’s Alumni Hall in the state quarterfinals.
That set up a matchup with the top overall seed, La Salle, in the Final Four at The Ryan Center.
But, despite getting a game-high 18 points and six 3s from Richards, the ’Bolts just couldn’t get by the eventual state champion, getting eliminated via a 51-37 final.
Last winter marked the team’s second straight state tournament appearance, as East was ousted in the first round as the No. 12 seed against fifth-seeded La Salle in 2015.
For last season’s accomplishments, Coutu was tabbed Second Team All-State and First Team All-Division II-South. Caito was also named a First Team All-Division II-South selection, while Kyla DePina earned a Third Team All-Division II-South nod. Richards was recognized as an honorable mention.
The team’s recent success bumped it up to Division I for this season, and East’s returning core should have it primed for another state tournament appearance at the conclusion of the upcoming division tournaments.
- M.M.
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