Cranston’s eighth grade girls basketball team that comptes in the RI Metrowest League took home the league title recently after beating South Kingstown 45-42. This group has won the Division I Championship in all three years that it has been together.

Kyla Buco led the team with 20 points in the semis against Westerly, in a game that it won 42-26. Jaelynn Perez and Saniyya Chase led the way with 12 points each while Buco added 10 in the title clash.

Camille DeCosta and Ava Tedeschi Moran contributed with incredible defense and led the team in rebounding.  Ciana Catelli, Elle Kershaw and Gianna Castelli also contributed on the defensive end of the court. Darien Kiernan was missing from this weekend’s games due to injury.

Coach Jay Buco said, “This team was one of a kind and never once cared who scored the points. The way the girls played each game was a coach’s dream. Too many qualities to list but the best one being how unselfish they were. These girls will do great things on and off the court. It was an incredible experience to coach my daughter Kyla for the past six years. She brought me on an incredible ride and I’m lucky to be able to call her my daughter. So proud to have had this team call me coach for the past six years and lucky to have done it with Coach Ellen (Tedeschi Moran) by my side.”

Tedeschi Moran added: “This is a team that personifies what a team should be. Never, not ever, did I hear one of these girls that played tonight, speak of an individual accomplishment, always ‘we’. This is who they are. They also have that perfect balance of work and play. Make no mistake, they have worked hard, yet they  remembered to have fun along the way. Coaching alongside Jay was an absolute joy and as we told the girls, they needed very little coaching.  They bought  into the value of team play and showed it at every practice, game, their group chats, their team get togethers, always ‘team’ always equal, always inclusion.  If it was your first season or fourth, you were a ‘team’ mate from day one, What a ride! This is a team of winners, both on and off the court.”