SPORTS

Falcons stay hot over break

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 1/3/23

The Cranston West girls basketball team continued to roll this winter by going 2-0 in its holiday tournament, beating Prout 55-21 and crosstown rival Cranston East 47-34.

Olivia Tedeschi-Moran led …

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SPORTS

Falcons stay hot over break

Posted

The Cranston West girls basketball team continued to roll this winter by going 2-0 in its holiday tournament, beating Prout 55-21 and crosstown rival Cranston East 47-34.

Olivia Tedeschi-Moran led the Falcons, scoring 27 points against Prout then 11 against the Bolts.

“She’s definitely stepped up into a leadership role. For her to score 27 points and build some confidence in that Prout game, that should work well for us moving ahead. To have her find that hot zone and build that consistency, that’s what we’re trying to do,” said West coach Nerson Santiago.

Maia Riccio scored 11 points in each game, while Kyla Buco continued to impress this season with 10 points against East.

After losing its first game against North Kingstown prior to the holiday break, Santiago and his staff were focused on defensive adjustments during the exhibitions.

“It was about keeping the momentum, settling down a bit and making sure our defense is working for us, getting better in our transitions. That’s what we wanted to accomplish throughout the week. Getting back on defense because North Kingstown hammered us. We really wanted to work on our defense and transition,” said Santiago.

After losing nine players from last year’s team, Santiago has also been thrilled with the contributions from freshmen newcomers Buco and Darien Kiernan.

“Darian Kiernan, we like to use her length and athleticism, she plays basketball the right way. She gets back on defense, is a good rebounder, has a good field goal percentage. Buco is a different type of player. She’s a freshman but plays at a 12th grade level. She hits big time shots and works her butt off. I couldn’t be happier with those additions,” said Santiago.

The Falcons got back to work this week against their league opponents, facing Juanita Sanchez on Monday and East Providence on Wednesday.

Juanita Sanchez rolled to a 61-33 win over West on Monday. Riccio led the Falcons with eight points scored in the loss.

Friday night will be the team’s rematch against the Skippers, and Santiago expects another tough battle.

“You always have to gameplan for North Kingstown, that’s going to be a challenge,” said Santiago. “They play at a fast pace, they have length, they’re disciplined. We’re going to have to do all the little things right if we’re going to compete with them.”

Falcons, basketball

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