Hawks stunned by 10th-seeded Novans in D-I quarterfinals

Matt Metcalf
Posted 2/26/15

Anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament.

The 10th-seeded Novans of Woonsocket High School came in to Tuesday night’s quarterfinal game at Hendricken with nothing to lose and …

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Hawks stunned by 10th-seeded Novans in D-I quarterfinals

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Anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament.

The 10th-seeded Novans of Woonsocket High School came in to Tuesday night’s quarterfinal game at Hendricken with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If they were to lose to Hendricken, it would’ve been largely expected. If they were to win, it would make Woonsocket’s season and potentially propel it into the state tournament.

The Novans’ care-free style of play certainly worked in their favor on Tuesday, out-scoring the Hawks 26-10 over the final eight minutes of play to defeat second-seeded Hendricken, 76-71, and stun a packed Pepin Gymnasium.

Woonsocket guards Elijah Vazquez and Osadolor Izedonmwen were dominant down the stretch, pacing the Novans’ comeback.

Down by two with just over a minute remaining, Vazquez collected an offensive rebound off of his own miss and converted on his second try to tie the game.

He then leaked out after a Hendricken miss with 30 seconds left and went coast-to-coast for a layup to put Woonsocket up, 73-71.

Vazquez scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, while Izedonmwen deposited a game-high 23 points.

“Woonsocket played fantastic,” Hendricken head coach Jamal Gomes said. “There’s just no quit in those kids. They were playing for their basketball lives. All of the credit goes to Woonsocket – they made shots when it mattered.”

However, Gomes was frustrated with his perimeter defense, as Vazquez and Izedonmwen were able to get to the rim at will.

“They were able to penetrate at will and create,” Gomes said. “That’s when Woonsocket is dangerous – when they can get up and down and fire it up. When you have shooters on the perimeter and allow penetration, that’s when you’re in trouble.”

Hendricken point guard Kyle Henseler had a good look to tie the game, but the shot hit the back of the rim and Vazquez collected the rebound.

Vazquez was fouled and hit one of his two free throws, putting the Novans up, 74-71.

Hawks’ freshman Preston Santos had another good look from beyond the arc to tie the game, but the shot went halfway down and rimmed out. Woonsocket again collected the rebound and Jaquan Guerrero calmly sank a pair of free throws to put the game away.

Gomes believes that this will serve as a lesson for his team, who will now gear up for the state tournament.

“I don’t see this as a bad thing for us,” Gomes said. “I’ve been telling our guys for the past month and a half that, if we don’t fix our defense, when it comes to the playoffs, you can go down at any time. This was a tough lesson.”

It was evident that the Hawks were in for a battle right from the opening tip.

The Novans were able to put together a tremendous first half on the road. But thanks in large part to Hendricken guard Dimitri Rosa, the Hawks took a 41-36 lead into the half, as the junior came in off of the bench and knocked down his first five 3-pointers. Rosa led all scorers in the opening half with 16 points.

In the second half, the two teams came out trading baskets.

It wasn’t until about five minutes into the half that the Hawks were able to create some separation on the scoreboard.

Justin Mazzulla made a layup in transition to give the Hawks a 54-45 lead, before Dan Flaherty nailed a 3 from the right corner a minute and a half later to give Hendricken an 11-point lead.

But it was all Woonsocket down the stretch, as it was able to gradually chip away at its deficit – ultimately taking the lead in the final minute.

Hendricken was paced by Rosa’s team-high 21 points, while Mazzulla compiled 16 and Trevor Lawton scored 15.

The win earned Woonsocket a semifinal match-up with third-seeded La Salle on Friday.

Despite being visibly disappointed after the loss, the Hawks still have their sights set on their ultimate goal – a state championship.

“Hopefully this loss will resonate with our guys over the next few days in practice and we can make a run in the state tournament,” Gomes said.

The Hawks will now wait to see who their first round opponent will be for the state tournament.

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League will hold a selection show to announce the 16-team field for the boys’ and girls’ state tournaments on Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Warwick Mall.

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