CCRI Roundup

Hopkins receives Amby Smith Award at Words Unlimited banquet

Posted 3/5/15

CCRI head baseball coach, Ken Hopkins, received the 2015 Amby Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Words Unlimited organization on Sunday evening at the 69th annual Words Unlimited Dinner, held …

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CCRI Roundup

Hopkins receives Amby Smith Award at Words Unlimited banquet

Posted

CCRI head baseball coach, Ken Hopkins, received the 2015 Amby Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Words Unlimited organization on Sunday evening at the 69th annual Words Unlimited Dinner, held at the West Valley Inn. Words Unlimited is the statewide organization of sports writers, sportscasters and sports publicists.

Others who received awards that day included: The Cumberland Little League all-star team, coached by Dave Belisle as Story of the Year, Providence College men’s soccer as Team of the Year, Bryce Cotton as Male Athlete of the Year and Roger Williams’ National Champion women’s rugby team with the Vin Cullen Small College Achievement Award. 

Hopkins, who has served as head coach of the CCRI baseball team since 2001, became the college’s baseball coach with the highest winning record when the Knights defeated Roxbury Community College, 11-6, in March of 2011. The CCRI graduate has compiled a record of 354-164-2 to date, surpassing his former coach, Harold “Whitey” Fell, who led the baseball team from 1966 to 1984.

Knights fall at Dean in Region XXI championship

The CCRI men’s basketball team traveled to Franklin, Mass. to take on the Bulldogs of Dean College in the Region XXI Championship on Saturday. The teams had split the season series, 1-1, with both teams winning their home games. The winner of the Region XXI tournament would move on to play in the district tournament. Dean used a strong second half to pull away with the win, 88-66, over CCRI. The Knights finished the season with a record of 14-14 overall and 10-3 in Region XXI play.

The Knights played a tough first half against the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs and went into halftime with a 40-38 lead. The Knights first-half surge was led by Marshall Nelson (Perth, Australia), who had 18 points, while knocking down three of the Knights’ six first-half 3-pointers. The second half was back and forth, until there was about 11 minutes left, when the Bulldogs went on a 10-2 run and took the lead for good. The Knights grinded to keep it close, but in the end, could never retake the lead. Dean kept their foot on the gas the rest of the half and won the game, 88-66. 

CCRI was led by Australian sharp-shooter Marshall Nelson, who finished an efficient 9-of-15 from the floor, including four 3’s, while also adding nine rebounds, three steals and two assists. Tri-captain Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.) also had a very efficient game by scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 from the field, while hitting two 3’s and dishing out three assists with three steals. Freshman Grant Gillis (Jamestown, R.I.) led CCRI with two blocks and also added eight boards, while sophomore Jerome Harris (Hartford, Conn.) added eight points, five rebounds and three assists. 

“We tip our hats to Dean for playing a very good game,” head coach Rick Harris said. “Our team competed well, especially in the first half, but their intensity on defense took us out of what we wanted to do and that was the difference. I’m proud of our team and the level of effort they gave throughout the season. They can carry their heads high knowing that they gave everything they had during the season.”  

Lady Knights fall to Monroe in Region semis

The CCRI Lady Knights’ basketball team traveled to Dean College in Franklin, Mass. to compete in the Region XXI/XV Tournament over the weekend. The Lady Knights faced-off against the No. 1 seed Mustangs of Monroe College from New Rochelle, N.Y. on Saturday in the Region semifinals. The Lady Knights lost to the Mustangs 75-48. With the loss, the Lady Knights end their season with an 8-18 record. In the other semifinal, Dean College beat Orange County Community College, 65-58.  

In the title game, Monroe beat Dean, 81-41. Both teams will advance to the district championships in New Jersey next weekend, with times and locations to be determined.

The Lady Knights knew they would be in for a tough test having already lost to the Mustangs, 77-46, and, 82-53, earlier in the season.  

Though the Lady Knights did not come out victorious, they played hard and kept the game closer than the previous contests. Monroe was in control for most of the game, taking a 35-17 lead into halftime. 

The Lady Knights played much better in the second half, but still could not cut into the Monroe lead, as the Mustangs went on to win by the final count of 75-48.  

Leading the way for the Lady Knights was tri-captain, Jesse Ossian (Chandler, Ariz.), with a team-high 15 points and two steals. Ossian was assisted by freshman Haley Beausoleil (Plainfield, Conn.), who scored 13 points, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Also helping CCRI was tri-captain Amber Edwards (Boston, Mass.) with eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while tri-captain LaShana Tolliver (Albany, N.Y.) added eight points and six rebounds. 

This was the final CCRI game for sophomore tri-captains Ossian, Edwards and Tolliver. In her only year at CCRI, Tolliver had 302 points, 264 rebounds, 55 assists, 38 blocked shots and 31 steals to help the Lady Knights. Over her two-year career, Edwards scored 594 points, ranking her No. 18 on the Lady Knights’ all-time scoring list, while adding an impressive 394 rebounds and 101 assists. During her two-year career, Ossian scored 622 points, ranking her No. 16 on the all-time scoring list. In addition, Ossian added 170 assists, 117 steals and 75 3-pointers. 

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