Falcons are creating an identity for themselves in D-I

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 2/11/16

When the Division I girls’ basketball playoffs roll around in a couple of weeks, teams shouldn’t want to play Cranston West.

The Falcons, although just 4-10 in division, have given some of …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Falcons are creating an identity for themselves in D-I

Posted

When the Division I girls’ basketball playoffs roll around in a couple of weeks, teams shouldn’t want to play Cranston West.

The Falcons, although just 4-10 in division, have given some of the top teams fits this season.

And with the playoffs rapidly approaching, the Falcons are playing their best basketball of the season, winning three of their last four games overall and two of their last three division games.

But maybe no win was more impressive than the one that West pulled out on Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons handled second-place Coventry (10-4) on their home floor, 48-39. Sophomore MacKenzie Beyer poured in a game-high 17 points and senior captain Erin Blake scored 14 points and pulled down 12 boards, as the Falcons proved that they can beat any team in the state on any given day.

“It was a huge win,” West head coach Russ Ferri said. “We did a great job in the first half of holding Coventry to 11 first-half points – that was a key for us in the game. The offensive key was MacKenzie Beyer came off the bench and hit four 3s in the first half. Coventry came out in a zone and MacKenzie just lit it up. In the second half, Coventry came back with everything they could muster and we held them off.”

West is no stranger to big upsets, though.

Just earlier this season, on Dec. 23, the Falcons knocked off defending state champion Bay View, 53-40, to instill some confidence in a young West team.

The philosophy of not looking past any opponent and focusing on each task at hand has paid dividends for West.

“I know for a fact that most coaches don’t want to play Cranston West,” Ferri said. “I know it’s a coaching cliché, but we really look at one game at a time. With this program in its second year, we truly believe in one game at a time and let the chips fall where they may.”

When Ferri came in as head coach last season, he knew turning the program around would be a process, but he was confident that his team would make an identity for itself quickly.

And West certainly has.

Whether the other team has more talent or not, the Falcons have proven that they’ll fight until the very end – an attribute that could make West one of the top teams in the state maybe as soon as next season.

That’s because of the youth West has up and down its roster.

Junior point guard Abby Souza, as well as sophomores Marissa Cushman and Kathryn Sleboda and freshman Katie Blake, have logged a bulk of the minutes for West.

Throwing those players into the juggernaut that is Division I should only make West stronger and stronger from year to year.

“The girls are beginning to mature now,” Ferri said. “There is a confidence that’s building. There are some exciting things going on – we’re shooting the ball better and our defense has improved. But more than anything, our overall knowledge of the game has improved.”

West has certainly learned how to defend its home court, too.

The Falcons have compiled a respectable 8-11 overall record, with seven of those wins coming on their home court, sporting a 7-5 record in their home gym.

One of those non-league wins came against rival East – which sits at third in the state power rankings – in the Hank Orabone Holiday Tournament.

Most of West’s struggles have come on the road, where it is just 1-6 on the season.

And if the Falcons hope to make some noise in the playoffs, they’ll have to learn how to win on the road down the stretch.

As of now, they’ll host Smithfield in the preliminary round, but they would then go on the road for the quarterfinals and anything beyond that.

Luckily, West will have two more games on the road over the next couple of weeks – at La Salle and at Smithfield – as it tries to change its luck away from home.

That may just be the key for West, because as it has displayed, it has just as much heart as any team in D-I.

If it can gain some confidence away from its home gym, West will be a scary team to play in a single-elimination format.

And even if the Falcons bow out in the quarterfinals come playoff time, the season has been a successful one.

West has undoubtedly cemented an identity for itself going forward.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here