State Tournament Previews

With loss in D-I playoffs behind them, Hawks ready to make a run

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 3/5/15

Less than 10 days ago, the Bishop Hendricken basketball team was forced out of the Division I basketball tournament after a 76-71 loss at home to Woonsocket in the quarterfinals.

But knowing that …

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State Tournament Previews

With loss in D-I playoffs behind them, Hawks ready to make a run

Posted

Less than 10 days ago, the Bishop Hendricken basketball team was forced out of the Division I basketball tournament after a 76-71 loss at home to Woonsocket in the quarterfinals.

But knowing that they had already earned a spot in the state tournament, the Hawks put that loss to the Novans in their rearview mirror and began to mentally prepare for the stretch run.

Head coach Jamal Gomes has been warning his team for months, that if they don’t buckle down on defense, they would be sent packing when the playoffs roll around.

The Hawks learned that tough lesson the hard way last Tuesday night, but it also taught them to not take teams lightly, particularly in a single-elimination tournament.

“I think our guys took that loss to heart,” Gomes said. “I think the suddenness of the game sent a powerful message to our players and coaches. We don’t want that feeling again.”

Gomes made it clear that the loss was very disappointing, but believes that his team has regrouped, and will be playing their best basketball of the season over the next two weeks.

“I think we learned a lot as a team and about ourselves,” Gomes said of the loss to Woonsocket. “But our ultimate goal is to play our best at this time of the year. This is what we’ve been working for.”

A loss is never a good thing, particularly for a Hendricken program that has built a tradition of excellence. If there is a positive to the loss, though, it just might be that the Hawks have been able to rest up after a long, taxing season. In the grand scheme of things, only three teams in the tournament will be entering the first round on a winning note. Other than La Salle, North Providence and Pilgrim – the three division champions – the remaining 13 teams are entering the state tournament after being knocked out of their respective division tournaments.

Hendricken’s first round opponent, Middletown, played its way into the state tournament, making it to the finals of the Division II tournament as the seventh-seed.

Despite a lopsided 66-31 loss at the hands of undefeated North Providence in the finals, Gomes is confident that the Islanders will come back strong in the state tournament.

“They have some good athletes and some good players,” Gomes said. “I’m sure they’ll bounce back after a tough loss.”

The state tournament is unique in the sense that teams play other teams that they don’t see throughout the course of the season.

However, the Hawks’ coaching staff has prepared well and knows quite a bit about Middletown, as they were able to watch them play earlier in the season.

But despite the mismatch on paper, Gomes knows that Middletown has been playing good basketball.

And, after all, anything can happen in one game. Just ask the Hawks.

“Everything goes out the window in the playoffs – stats, standings,” Gomes said. “We have to be better than the other team on that day, or we’ll be going home.”

If the Hawks are fortunate enough to get by Middletown, they will have a tough quarterfinal match-up, that will most likely be against North Kingstown.

The Skippers are one of the hottest teams in the field, upsetting top-seeded Barrington in the Division I semifinals, before losing to La Salle in the title game.

The quarterfinals will be played at Alumni Hall on the campus of Providence College.

The semifinals and finals will be played at URI’s Ryan Center.

Hendricken knows that it can’t look forward. The defending champions will take one game at a time and will no longer underestimate any opponent – they can’t afford to.

The Hawks and Islanders will tip at 6 p.m. tonight at CCRI in Warwick.

“We’re going to have to go one game at a time and we’ll give it our best on Thursday,” Gomes said.

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