CCRI ROUNDUP

UCAP hands Knights first region loss of season

Posted 11/21/13

The CCRI Knights traveled to Groton, Conn. to play the Pointers of UConn-Avery Point (UCAP) Tuesday night in a Region XXI non-league game. The Knights fell to the Pointers 93-79. UCAP took …

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CCRI ROUNDUP

UCAP hands Knights first region loss of season

Posted

The CCRI Knights traveled to Groton, Conn. to play the Pointers of UConn-Avery Point (UCAP) Tuesday night in a Region XXI non-league game. The Knights fell to the Pointers 93-79. UCAP took advantage of their speed on their home court to defeat the Knights. With the loss the Knights’ record fell to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Region XXI play. UCAP’s record improved to 4-0 with the victory.

The Knights were never really in the game, as The Pointers jumped out to quick 9-3 lead after only three minutes of play. Every time CCRI got close, UCAP put another run together. The closest CCRI got was four points on a couple of occasions in the first half, the second one being at halftime 47-43.

The second half started better for CCRI, as it took its first lead of the game 48-47 at the 19:17 mark. But UCAP made another run to regain the lead 54-48 within the next two minutes. CCRI held its last lead of the game 58-57 with 14:30 to go before UCAP put another run together to go up 69-64 with 10:50 to play. It was able to keep the lead at five points or more and increase it as the half closed out.

Leading the effort for CCRI was sophomore Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.) with 18 points and eight steals. Also helping the Knights was sophomore Kevin Marmolejos (Queens, N.Y.) with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the three-point arc and sophomore captain Pat Marchand (Cranston) added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

“Every game is a learning experience and tonight we learned that every opponent on our schedule is capable of beating us,” CCRI head coach Rick Harris said. “You have to credit UCAP as they brought their ‘A’ game tonight and we didn’t match their intensity.”

The Knights take on Orange County Community College from Middletown, N.Y. Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Vincent A. Cullen Fieldhouse in Warwick.

Lady Knights beat Bees of Bristol CC

The CCRI Lady Knights’ basketball team traveled to Fall River, Mass. to play the Bees of Bristol Community College for a Region XXI non-league game on Tuesday. The Lady Knights defeated the Bees 96-46. With the victory, CCRI improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Region XXI play.

The Lady Knights dominated the game from the opening tip, taking a 29-point lead into halftime with the score 53-24. They kept the pedal to the metal in the second half to cruise to the victory.  

Leading the way for the Lady Knights was freshman guard Jesse Ossian (Chandler, Ariz.), who shot 50-percent from the floor in making 8-of-16 shots, and made four of her five free throws for a game-high 21 points to go along with seven assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. Also helping the Lady Knights was captain Lexi Barros (New Bedford, Mass.) who also scored a game-high 21 points, shooting 53-percent from the field on 9-of-17 shooting, with two three-pointers, nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Captain Ahnyyah Jackson (Hackensack, N.J.) added 17 points, including a game-high three three-pointers while shooting 50-percent from the field with eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot. 

Rounding out the attack for CCRI was Jessica Patalano (Exeter) with 12 points, nine steals and nine rebounds while Amber Edwards (Boston, Mass.) added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The next game for the Lady Knights will be Saturday when they will travel to Newport to play the Rams of The Naval Academy Preparatory School at 2 p.m.           

 CCRI’s Giusti inducted into West Warwick

Athletics Hall of Fame

CCRI’s longtime equipment manager, Billy Giusti, received a prestigious honor this month, being inducted into the West Warwick Athletics Hall of Fame.

Giusti, who has worked as the Knights’ equipment manager for nearly 35 years, proved to be quite the athlete himself as a Wizard at West Warwick High School.

Giusti starred in both basketball and baseball. He was an All-Division selection in basketball and led the state in free-throw percentage during his senior season.

As a three-year varsity baseball player, Giusti batted over .300 each season, was tabbed an All-Division selection, and was invited to try out for the Yankees following his senior season.

After his high school graduation, Giusti began playing in the Kent County Basketball League for the West Warwick Elks, where he led the league in scoring two seasons in a row and still holds the record for points in a game with 44 – all two-pointers at the time.

However, Giusti isn’t just known for his playing abilities. He coached C.Y.O. basketball for 12 seasons—Sacred Heart Parish (three seasons), and St. Anthony’s Parish (nine seasons)—winning league championships for the boys Intermediate Division in 1964 and 1975. For his outstanding service and dedication, Giusti was labeled C.Y.O. Man of the Year in 1979.

Giusti was overwhelmed by the turnout at his induction ceremony, expressing his appreciation for everyone who attended that he worked with over the years. 

“I find it to be quite an honor because West Warwick has had a lot of great athletes,” Giusti said. “To be recognized by them, unexpectedly, was awesome. All in all, I was very surprised and honored. I’ve always been proud to call myself a West Warwick Wizard.”

Deservedly so, Giusti has become accustomed to prestigious awards, however, noting that his favorite memory in his tenure at CCRI was receiving the ‘Green Jacket,’ which is presented to select individuals for distinguished and long-term service to the school. There have only been a handful of these jackets handed out, and Giusti was the last individual to receive one on January 14, 2005. 

Giusti claims that there’s no better place to work in New England than right here at CCRI.

“I’m working with the best people in the state,” Giusti said. “I could’ve gone elsewhere at times and I was offered other positions, but I wouldn’t leave CCRI. It’s been a second home to me.”

Lady Knights’ basketball runs away from Allegany

The CCRI Lady Knights’ basketball team continued their play in the Frederick Community College Tip-off Tournament on Sunday by playing the Trojans of Allegany College of Maryland. The Lady Knights defeated the Trojans 84-40. With the victory, the Lady Knights improved to 3-0 on the season.

For the second game in a row the Lady Knights led wire-to-wire. CCRI took a commanding 44-22 lead into halftime. In the second half, the Lady Knights kept the pedal to the metal and outscored the Trojans 40-18. The Lady Knights thoroughly dominated the game shooting almost 50-percent from the field on 34-of-69 shooting and almost 40-percent from the three-point arc, making 12-of-31 from long range. In addition, CCRI out-rebounded Allegany 42 to 26 while sharing the ball with 20 assists.

Leading the way for the Lady Knights was captain Alison Littles (Holyoke, Mass.), who charted a triple-double. She scored 14 points with 24 rebounds and 10 blocked shots, while adding three assists for good measure in her finest game in a Lady Knights’ uniform. Captain Ahnyyah Jackson (Hackensack, N.J.) scored over 20 points for the second straight game with 23 this time around, including three three-pointers, five assists and two steals. Captain Lexi Barros (New Bedford, Mass.) had 21 points, including a game-high four three-pointers and two assists.  

Also helping CCRI was Amber Edwards (Boston, Mass.) with nine points, seven rebounds and two assists. Jesse Ossian (Chandler, Ariz.) added six points, three assists and three steals. Ashley Malloy (Kensington, Conn.) scored six points with three rebounds and two assists.

“This was a really big weekend for us,” CCRI head coach Brittany Brown said. “Our chemistry is building and our sophomores are playing consistently. I really cannot ask for for anything else.”

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