By ALEX SPONSELLER The Cranston West girls basketball team ran away with a 69-52 win over visiting East Greenwich on Saturday’s Senior Day showdown.

The Falcons held a slim lead for the first three quarters, but would surge in the final eight minutes to put the game out of reach. Catherine Albizu led West with 28 points scored while Maddie Alves added 12 and Amanda Degnan 10. Kaitlyn Antonucci also added nine points in the win as well.

Although the West offense took off late in the second half, it was set up by its tight press defense which created multiple turnovers in the final minutes. West also created turnovers in transition to stifle the Avenger attack.

“It was amazing to see the energy there in the second half. We ended the first half by going on a big run and creating pressure. So, going into the second half we decided to keep that pressure which worked well for us. We work on our press breaks every day in drills, so that’s something we need to execute. We work on our transition to make conversions. We played well,” said West coach Nerson Santiago.

Alves and Antonucci each finished with six steals in the win, while Antonucci hauled in nine rebounds. Albizu blocked four shots on defense as well.

The team improved to 10-8 and will be tipping off postseason play in the coming days. The Falcons were set to take on St. Ray’s in the season finale on Monday, but the game was moved to Wednesday. The results were not available at press time.

After a shaky start to the season, the Falcons got hot in the second half and has won four of its last five games. Santiago hopes the team will maintain its rhythm entering the postseason.

“We need (momentum). The second season is coming up so it’s good to get this win here today on Senior Day. We’re hoping that it picks us up and carries us into the playoffs,” said Santiago, who has appreciated the leadership from his senior class. “I couldn't have asked for a better situation to come into. They’re very kind, welcoming, the effort is always there, they believe in the team. I came in and that was the type of welcoming that I received from them. It was an easy transition and in the second part of the season we turned it around and have played some good basketball.”

The Falcons reached the semifinals last year and will be looking to take the next step this time around. Santiago hopes that last year’s postseason run will pay dividends this time around.

“Experience is important. We have some good underclassmen that will be filling in off the bench, but with the senior leadership, we will be relying on them,” said Santiago. “I told them going into the season that we would be looking to them to help get us to the playoffs.”