Matt Metcalf

McNulty leads Titans past ‘Canes on senior night

Posted 2/12/15

It’s getting close to playoff time in Division III girls’ basketball, making every win down the stretch that much more important.

Toll Gate took control of its own destiny on Tuesday night, …

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Matt Metcalf

McNulty leads Titans past ‘Canes on senior night

Posted

It’s getting close to playoff time in Division III girls’ basketball, making every win down the stretch that much more important.

Toll Gate took control of its own destiny on Tuesday night, rolling past Warwick Vets, 43-14, to secure a playoff berth.

“We had to have that game because, no matter what, that will put us ahead of Vets in the race for the playoffs,” Toll Gate head coach John Paolino said. “It was a great overall effort. The girls brought it tonight.”

The Titans were led by sophomore, Hannah McNulty, who scored a game-high 19 points, in addition to grabbing 12 boards.

With the win, the Titans clinched fifth place in Division III-South, leaving Vets to fight for the sixth and final playoff spot, which it currently occupies.

The ‘Canes certainly didn’t do themselves any favors on Tuesday night, turning the ball over 31 times in 32 minutes. The sloppy play made it tough for Vets to setup in the half-court and get good looks, while its turnovers continuously led to easy, transition baskets for the Titans on the other end.

Vets’ Emma Nason converted a layup to open the game, but the Titans would answer with a 10-0 run.

After a slow start, McNulty settled in, leading the Titans with 10 points and eight rebounds at the half, as Toll Gate took a 24-5 lead into the break.

“Hannah did a good job at the point pushing the pace,” Paolino said. “She had a couple of turnovers, but we told her not to worry about that. She settled in and she’s a fierce competitor.”

‘Canes’ point guard, Kat Raposo, had a team-high three points and four rebounds at halftime.

Overall, Toll Gate’s top defender, Taylor Jackson, did a great job limiting Raposo, as Vets’ leading scorer ended the game with just those three first-half points.

“Taylor Jackson really is our top defensive player,” Paolino said. “She did a tremendous job on Kat Raposo. She always gets assigned the toughest player. She wants to shoot, but she knows her role is to stop the other team’s best offensive player.”

In the second half, The Titans continued to dominate.

With 12 minutes remaining, Marisa Giard made a nice pass into McNulty in the post, who spun by a defender for an easy layup, giving the Titans a 29-7 lead.

Toll Gate’s key to success was limiting its turnovers. As a result, it was able to setup its defense in the half-court.

“Limiting our turnovers certainly helped us tonight,” Paolino said. “We were able to run in transition more than we usually do.”

Vets got some solid contributions from its bench in the second half.

Point guard Natalie Preciado came in and scored all of her team-high four points after the break, while Mackenzie Hough scored three points in the final minutes of the game.

Nason also had four points for Vets, scoring two in each half.

In addition to McNulty’s big night, Giard netted eight points, while seniors Amber Francois and Holly Gerber-George each scored four on senior night.

On a night where the Titans honored Francois and Gerber-George, they each factored in the win.

Besides getting four points apiece from the seniors, Francois pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, while Gerber-George grabbed six.

Vets will play at Rocky Hill at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in its final regular season game of the year.

The ‘Canes would be in good shape to earn the final playoff spot with a win. They wouldn’t clinch because the four teams below them all have four games remaining, but they’ll likely hang on.

Toll Gate, on the other hand, will look to finish its season strong.

It won’t catch Pilgrim for fourth place, but it wants to be playing its best basketball heading into the playoffs.

The Titans will have four games in a week to end their season due to recent cancellations because of weather.

They’ll play at Mt. Pleasant tonight at 7 p.m., before hosting Block Island at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

Toll Gate will then continue its busy week with a 12 p.m. game at home against undefeated Middletown on Saturday. It’ll cap-off the season with a 6 p.m. tip at Central on Tuesday.

The win, along with the senior festivities, made it a great night for Toll Gate.

“I’m very pleased,” Paolino said. “It ended up being a very good night.”

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