The sixth-seeded Cranston West girls basketball team throttled Classical 68-26 in the preliminary round of the Division I playoffs at home last week.

The Falcons roared to a 30-3 lead to begin the game and was digging into its bench by halftime to earn a statement win in the state’s best division.

“We definitely wanted to prove a point that we were here and we wanted to make a statement. A lot of people are rooting against us, thinking we’re going to lose to Barrington (in the quarters). This is the first step in proving that. We played with a purpose, we were making our plays, keeping the energy up,” said senior captain Olivia Tedeschi-Moran, who finished the win with 17 points including 12 in the first quarter. “It gives us so much momentum. Energy is everything for this team and it’s the difference between a loss and a win. As long as we keep that hype up, that’s going to be the key for us.”

Kyla Buco led the Falcons with 18 points while Maia Riccio finished with nine and Alyssa Robinson eight. Sinayya Chase hauled in 16 rebounds in the win as well.

Buco has been a force beyond the arc for West as a sophomore and continued to be one of the state’s best shooters in the opening round.

“When stuff goes through my mind, I miss. I just don’t think about it, that’s what my dad always tells me. My dad and my family are my biggest supporters, and my dad tells me, ‘Don’t think about it, just shoot.’ When I think about it, it’s a short shot. Going with the flow is my mindset,” said Buco of her approach.

The Falcons hit the road to take on Barrington on Tuesday, but the results were not available at press time.

Division I has been a battle at the top all season and the Falcons are prepared to use some of their tough losses as lessons and motivation heading into the quarters as underdogs to the Eagles.

“(The second North Kingstown loss) was a big game for us because when we played them earlier in the season, we lost by 25 points. Then to only lose to them by two, that made a huge impact on our team. That was a huge step up but not quite where we want to be. It gave us a huge drive to win, especially if we face them in the playoffs,” said Tedeschi-Moran.

Buco added: “Our loss against Juanita, our heads weren’t in it. Even though we beat (Classical in the regular season), we knew our heads had to be in it because they have some great players. We had to go into it like any other game. It’s going to keep us strong and it’s a great way to start the playoffs. Last year we lost in the play-in, so it’s better than last year.”