'Bolts, Falcons set to face-off Thursday

Matt Metcalf, Assistant Sports Editor
Posted 1/22/15

It’s always a must-see when Cranston East and Cranston West play each other.

Thursday night will be no different, as the ‘Bolts and Falcons will take to the court at 7 p.m. at West. …

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'Bolts, Falcons set to face-off Thursday

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It’s always a must-see when Cranston East and Cranston West play each other.

Thursday night will be no different, as the ‘Bolts and Falcons will take to the court at 7 p.m. at West.

There’s a little extra incentive, however, as each team is in desperate need of a win.

After a hot start, East has dropped its last three Division I games to Barrington, St. Raphael and Hope. The ‘Bolts were home against winless East Providence on Tuesday night, but results were unavailable at press time.

Head coach John Smith isn’t too concerned, as his team played close games against the Eagles and Saints, and he’s hoping to have a full roster for Thursday night.

‘Bolts’ center John Maisoh has been injured as of late and Smith is optimistic that he will play, which would give East a considerable size advantage against West.

East really missed Maisoh’s presence in its 62-60 loss to the Saints on Friday night, as St. Ray’s forward Trevante Jones scored 21 points and grabbed 21 rebounds.

“We’re hoping to be healthy for Thursday night’s game,” Smith said. “I expect it to be a tough game and I expect West to play very well. Hopefully we’ll play well too.”

The ‘Bolts, now 2-4 in D-I after starting out 2-1, know that the two games against East Providence and West this week will be big in the long-run. East is hoping that it can bring its record back to .500 at 4-4.

“We could really use the two wins,” Smith said. “The things that we aren’t doing well are correctable things. We need to stop concentrating on the other teams and focus on what we’re doing.”

While East has hit a three-game skid, West has continued to struggle, as it’s still searching for its first win on the season.

The Falcons currently sit in last place in Division I at 0-8, after a 74-40 defeat at the hands of 6-1 Smithfield on Monday night.

West has shown glimpses of potential this season, however, losing by one to South Kingstown and losing by nine at 4-2 Coventry two weeks ago.

The Falcons and head coach John Macera are hoping that a rivalry game is just what they need to start trending in the right direction.

“We’re looking forward to the game,” Macera said. “I’m sure the kids will be excited. East is definitely a good team.”

West knows that a big key to its potential success is slowing down East’s top scorer, Jessy Taveras.

“Jessy’s tough,” Macera said. “He can shoot the basketball and

penetrate off of the dribble. We’re going to have to be smart and play good defense. We’ll see what happens.”

West may have its hands full on Thursday, as East will arguably

have mismatches in both the frontcourt and backcourt. But the Falcons are hoping that they can use their homecourt to their advantage.

“Fortunately the game is at our place,” Macera said. “I’m sure there will be a great crowd. I’m sure East will be ready to play too because they know what the game is all about. It should be interesting.”

Not only is it a rivalry game on Thursday night, but it’s a game that could swing one team’s season in the right direction, as the playoffs are quickly approaching.

“We’ve been struggling a bit, but we’re feeling good,” Smith said. “I’m expecting West to play at a very high level on Thursday night.”

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