'Bolts edge Falcons in Injury Fund

Meghan Mascola
Posted 12/18/14

The Cranston East Thunderbolts defeated the Falcons of Cranston West in a preseason Injury Fund game on Thursday night. The ‘Bolts hosted the game and finished the night with a 42-35 win. …

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'Bolts edge Falcons in Injury Fund

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The Cranston East Thunderbolts defeated the Falcons of Cranston West in a preseason Injury Fund game on Thursday night. The ‘Bolts hosted the game and finished the night with a 42-35 win.

Though the Division I Falcons dominated the scoreboard throughout most of the first half, the D-II ‘Bolts remained aggressive, which ultimately resulted in their favor.

New Falcons’ head coach Russell Ferri expressed his pride and contentment with the way his team has adjusted to a new style of play.

“It’s still early, so the girls are learning a new system, a third new system in three years and I can’t be any prouder than I am of them because they really put a great effort out there,” Ferri said.

The ‘Bolts were the first to get on the board with two points from sophomore Sarah Coutu at the foul line. However, just moments later, junior Erin Blake evened the score for the Falcons, also at the foul line.

Both teams continued to battle and in turn, received multiple technical fouls.

“I think all in all when you look at the stats, you’ll see that this game was decided on the free throw line and if we could’ve improved our free throw shooting, it could have had a different outcome,” Ferri said.

While the Falcons led for most of the first half, the ‘Bolts were able to regain control in the final minutes of the opening half.

A late scoring surge to end the half gave the ‘Bolts a 22-17 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Falcons buckled down defensively, with senior Lauren Salisbury and Blake leading the charge.

Coach Ferri noted that overall the Falcons had great momentum throughout the game, which was enhanced by specific players. “A few players stood out from our starting team – Lauren Salisbury did a great job,” Ferri said. “She hit some big threes in the clutch part of the game. We came back when we were down by eight and she got us down to two with a couple of free throws.”

However, the ‘Bolts responded well to West’s second-half surge.

“We were trying to play an up-tempo game and force turnovers, and Cranston East did a great job at handling the ball,” Ferri said.

The ‘Bolts played with great determination to show that they are a team to be reckoned with this season, which could be an effect of their recent change in division. Last season, the ‘Bolts played in Division I against some highly competitive teams. The ‘Bolts are looking to carry that competitive nature into a new season with their return to Division II.

“All the credit in the world to Coach Bochner and what he did with the Cranston East team, they did a really good job,” Ferri said. “They hit their big free throws and had some key steals towards the end of the game.”

The Falcons will use this experience to improve upon their free throws and increase their scoring chances.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board and we’ll get better,” Ferri said. “I think each and every game you’ll see us improve and improve.”

The Falcons will continue to work towards becoming more efficient from the foul line before their next game and hope to control the ball more. Ferri is also planning to work with the guards on handling the ball and shooting.

“You get into these close games and we’re down by four with two minutes to go and we get an opportunity, if we don’t hit those one-and-ones, it makes it very difficult,” Ferri said. “That means we have to rely again on getting another steal.”

The ‘Bolts were scheduled to take on West Warwick Tuesday in their season opener, with results unavailable at press time. Their next game is Friday at home against Chariho. The Falcons were scheduled to open their regular season on Tuesday as well, against South Kingstown, before hosting Westerly Friday at 7 p.m.

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