The Cranston West girls basketball team flew under the radar in Division I heading into last basketball season but would wind up being one of the state’s best teams.

In sports, the best teams are the ones that get progressively better each game, and that was the goal of first year coach Nerson Santiago. Midway through the regular season, the Falcons struggled to maintain a .500 record and at times were out of the playoff picture.

However, West would turn the corner and win six of its final seven regular season games, then reach the semifinals in the Division I tournament. West would stay hot and shock the league by grabbing wins over Rogers and East Providence in the state tournament, and nearly beat Juanita Sanchez in the Final Four showdown.

Santiago’s presence allowed the Falcons to stay focused when the going got rough, while his leadership allowed the team to beat some of the elite programs in the process.

Best of the rest: Jeremy Sherer, West; PJ Bessette, West; Jhamal Diggs, East