This past week offered two of the most exciting events of the entire winter season and it was a nice reminder of why I love covering local sports.

The two events that I am referring to are the Division III boys basketball semifinal matchup between Toll Gate and Times2 Academy and the boys swimming state championships at Brown. The Titans fell in a wild showdown while Hendricken took home the state title in dramatic fashion, and I felt fortunate to have a front row seat to each.

Let’s start with the basketball game.

Times2 came out firing and would take an early lead by sinking five 3-pointers in the first quarter. It looked like it would be a long night for the Titans as Times2 was rolling and appeared to be the more athletic group as well.

However, by halftime, it was anyone’s game as the Times2 lead shrunk. The Titans kept chipping away at the deficit and took their first lead with 5:41 remaining in the fourth. The team traded leads, with the Titans also finding an advantage with 3:37 left, but Times2 star Yomy Garcia took over in the final minutes to help the team advance to the finals. 

Toll Gate’s Damola Oremosu kept the team in it in the first half, then Brayden Healey and Jack Colvin caught fire in the second half to help the Titans overcome the deficit. Oremosu and Healey proved yet again that they were a top-flight front court duo in DIII while Colvin also cemented his place as one of the most clutch shooters in the division as well. Toll Gate’s versatility and experience shined through.

The Titans were battle tested, having completed a fourth-quarter comeback against Central Falls in the quarters before ultimately erasing this deficit as well. Sometimes, teams get too used to playing from behind and need that adversity to click. I don’t think this was the case with Toll Gate, I just think it faced a few good clubs that came out swinging. 

Toll Gate had the deeper lineup and was better coached, more disciplined. Sometimes in basketball, though, one star can be the difference, and last Thursday was Garcia’s night. He is one of the most feared players in DIII for a reason, and he was just too much to stop late in the game when he put the team on his back.

I’ve covered far too many great games in my career to come up with a definitive list of the best, but I can at least say that this was the best basketball game I’ve covered this season. Two teams that were totally different but of equal quality, battling it out, exchanging shots, leads, clutch plays from start to finish. This game wasn’t ever until the clock hit zero. 

The Toll Gate players were devastated and nothing can be said to cheer up competitors in a loss like that. I hope in hindsight that the players look back on that game fondly. Win or lose, those games are exactly why you play the sport. That was an atmosphere that could only be appreciated in person and for the kids to be the ones on the floor, it is an opportunity that few ever get. The Titans played a hell of a game, too. There were no moments that they truly botched the game, Times2 just simply made a few more plays to win.

Let’s shift gears to swimming.

This year’s field was wide open heading into the big day on Sunday. Between Hendricken, South County, North Kingstown and Barrington, there was no clear favorite and all four of those teams beat up on each other in the regular season.

Six state records were broken on Sunday, but none of them were Hendricken and it looked like South County was grabbing control late. When the final event, the 400 relay got started, the Hawks needed to win to leapfrog SCOOP and get its 35th championship and it did just that.

Not only did the Hawks get the win, but anchor Tristan Jordan would hold off the competition and win by 0.28. It was a photo finish in the final event to win the whole dang thing. It couldn’t have been drawn up any better.

It’s been awhile since I can recall a state championship coming down to circumstances like those. Sure, there are individual races that are close, but team scores are usually pretty set by the time the final event begins. That was far from the case this time, and the race itself was epic.

Playoffs always bring out the best of teams and every season there are games and events that get the juices pumping as a spectator. To witness two of the best competitions of the season within a few days of each other, it was a great week to be a sports writer.