By ALEX SPONSELLER The Toll Gate girls basketball team tipped off its winter season with a 46-33 win over visiting Central Falls on Monday evening.

The Lady Titans took an early lead and never looked back, rolling to its first win of the season. Junior Brianlys Simono led Toll Gate with 17 points scored while sophomore Adeline Areson added 10 and Sydney Perreault five.

“It was nice to get the monkey off our back right away. It was nice to be at home for our first game and it was a good team win,” said Toll Gate coach Owen Paquet.

Monday was Simono’s first game with the Titans after transferring from Woonsocket prior to the school year. Paquet has been impressed by her performance in the early going and was excited to see his leaders also step up on opening night. “(Simono) was a nice addition for us, she was a big part of the win. She along with Adeline, Sydney, Amanda (Preston), they all did a good job of controlling the ball, keeping the turnovers down. We were able to grab some rebounds which gave us the ball control that we needed throughout the game.”

Despite losing a few key pieces up front, Paquet is excited to see his young back court take control of the reins this year.

“We’re definitely going to miss those seniors (from last year), they were a great front court, but to have ball handlers back in the same positions they were in last year helps a ton for us to be successful,” said Paquet.

In particular, Paquet is excited to see Warwick Beacon 2021 Player of the Year Perreault stepping up as a leader, while Areson continues to emerge as a force in the division after a breakout freshman season.

“Sydney is our captain this year and has gotten the whole team together and gelling quickly, which is nice to see,” Paquet said. “(Areson) has matured a ton already from her freshman to sophomore year and she’s grown physically and mentally. Once she (reaches) her full potential, she will definitely have a big impact on Division III.”

The Titans will host Davies on Thursday, and they hope to use the opening night win as a jumping off point.

“It’s outstanding to have the first win of the year, so if we can keep that momentum and keep the turnovers down, that would be nice,” Paquet said.