SPORTS

Titans sweep Pats

Toll Gate gearing up for playoffs

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 2/15/24

The Toll Gate girls basketball team completed the season sweep over rival Pilgrim on Monday, beating the visiting Pats 48-35.

It was the second meeting of the winter between the two teams and …

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SPORTS

Titans sweep Pats

Toll Gate gearing up for playoffs

Posted

The Toll Gate girls basketball team completed the season sweep over rival Pilgrim on Monday, beating the visiting Pats 48-35.

It was the second meeting of the winter between the two teams and the Titans got the win at Pilgrim in the first matchup. Toll Gate continued to get the better of the Pats while also celebrating senior night in front of the home crowd.

The Titans took control early and never looked back and would hit their first three 3-point attempts to set the tone. Adeline Areson led the way with a game-high 17 points scored to go along with 10 rebounds while Pilgrim was led in scoring by Jenna Madden with 16. All six Toll Gate seniors scored in the win.

“It always helps to have senior night, they’re all excited to be there. We started really well. When the ball goes in the hole it helps them settle down. All the seniors scored so we couldn’t have drawn it up better,” said Toll Gate coach Jim Areson.

The Titans sit in fourth place in the crowded Division III field. Toll Gate will take on Burrillville in the regular season finale on Friday prior to having a week-long break leading up to the playoffs.

Although not official, the Titans are on track to take on North Smithfield in the opening round.

Adeline Areson and Dulce Garcia, as expected, have been the team’s top performers to this point in the season. The team has been seeing other players break through as of late, including Rihanna Tavares, who hit a highlight-reel 3-pointer in the first half on Monday.

“(Rihanna’s) been doing really well and as the season has progressed, she’s been getting more aggressive taking the ball to the basket. She’s gotten better throughout the year,” said Jim Areson.

Toll Gate has boasted one of the top defenses in the division but is still looking to gain some traction on the offensive end. Jim Areson hopes that the team will catch fire come playoff time and go on a run, and believes that his team is capable of doing so as long as it plays consistently.

“They’ve all been contributing throughout the season. Hopefully we go on a run and offensively, hopefully we go on a really good, consistent streak where everyone contributes. They always play good, they always play hard, it’s just about finding that offensive consistency,” said Jim Areson. “We can beat anybody and we play great defense, so it’s just going to come down to offensive execution.”

The Pats fell to 4-13 with the loss and took on Burrillville on Wednesday night, but the results were not available at press time. The defending champs will end their season without a playoff run, as the league rules require a 7-win minimum to qualify for the postseason.

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