March 28, 2024

H.S. Basketball: Seekonk bounces back at home

Boys Basketball: Seekonk 72, Prout 55

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SEEKONK - There’s no place like home.

A game on Arcade Avenue was just what the doctor ordered for the Seekonk boys basketball team. After two straight road losses in which the Warriors were plagued by poor shooting, Seekonk responded with a complete team effort in Saturday’s 72-55 home victory over Prout.

“It was a good bounce-back game for us,” said Seekonk coach Alex DaLuz, whose Warriors dropped road games to Old Rochester and Norton after opening the season with a win at home. “I thought we did what we wanted to do, to dictate the pace early. We got out in press and got some stuff in transition that made life a little easier for us offensively.”

The teams battled to a 14-14 tie after the first quarter, but the Warriors raced out on an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the second quarter behind back-to-back three-pointers from Nathan Clarke and Elijah Leonard and a bucket by Kyle Blanchard to take a 22-16 lead. Later, the Warriors ended the first half on a 13-5 run to give them a nine-point halftime lead.

Seeonk kept the momentum going after halftime as Blanchard opened the half with two straight buckets before a Prout timeout less than two minutes into the third quarter. The Warriors pulled away for good later in the third with four straight three-pointers from Clarke, Kam Casala (two) and Kevin Moszkowicz as Seekonk led by 20 (57-37) going into the fourth quarter.

“We do shoot better here,” DaLuz said. “I thought we did a better job today sharing the ball. We were passing up good shots for great shots, and a lot of them were open.”

Seekonk got back to .500 (2-2) with the win and will be back in action Monday at North Smithfield, R.I.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: Casala scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half on four three-pointers and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The senior guard was also instrumental in helping the Warriors get through Prout’s press. “Kam’s our pulse,” DaLuz said. “He keeps plays alive. He can play point guard or shooting guard. In my five years here, no one has more assists than him and he has the ability to known down threes. He’s also our best defender. We want him to have the ball in his hands. He’s certainly not afraid of the moment.”

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE: Clarke had another big game for the Warriors with 18 points. The forward hit a trio of three-pointers and used his size and length to control the boards as he led the team in rebounding. One of his three-pointers also should have been an opportunity for a four-point play but the officials missed a foul as he was knocked to the floor after drilling the shot off the glass. “He does a great job on the glass and a great job on the press, getting a lot of steals and deflections,” DaLuz said. “He’ll knock down the open shot if they give it to him or he’ll take it to the hoop.”

PROUT COACH DEAN FELICETTI: “Seekonk played with a lot of effort and a lot of heart. They’re a very well-coached team with clean sets and they do a great job at communicating.”

CASALA DELIVERS THE DAGGER: Prout battled back in the fourth, opening the quarter on a 10-2 run thanks to six points from sophomore guard Alexis DelGiudice, who led the Crusaders with 20 points. DaLuz called a timeout with 5:06 left, and Casala came out of the timeout with two three-pointers to widen the cushion as the Warriors cruised to victory.

UNSUNG HERO: Senior center Elijah Leonard hasn’t been making headlines but he continues to do a little bit of everything to help the Warriors. He finished with seven points on Saturday afternoon, including a three-pointer. “He’s our glue guy,” DaLuz said. “He hits some threes and always makes the right pass. I have a hard time taking him off the floor. What he’s done this year kind of goes under the radar because he hasn’t scored a lot but he’s almost a double-double every time out.”

QUICK HITS: The Saturday 1:30 p.m. matinee was a result of a weather postponement from Dec. 17. … Junior guard/forward Kyle Blanchard finished with 16 points for the Warriors. “He has the skill set of a smaller guard who can explode to the rim,” DaLuz said. “Because of his height (6’2), he has to guard guys bigger than him and he does a great job.” … Prout is located in South Kingstown and plays in Div. 2 of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League. It was the second RIIL team the Warriors faced this year after beating Blackstone Valley Prep a few weeks ago. “I thought there were spurts when we played pretty aggressively, but on defense, there were spurts when we were just frantic and that’s when Seekonk made a run,” Felicetti said. “Overall, the effort was there, but there were just three- or four-minute spurts when we were just too frantic and Seekonk took advantage.” … Seekonk won the junior varsity matchup 75-49 before the varsity game. It was the first win of the season for the JV Warriors. … Moszkowicz continues to deliver quality minutes off the bench, finishing with seven points. … Seekonk has scored 143 points in its two home wins and 83 in the two road losses at Old Rochester and Norton. “We played two very good programs,” DaLuz said. “Norton and OR are teams expected to make states every year and they do. We have to travel better, our defense needs to travel better.” … After Monday’s game at North Smithfield, the Warriors will have 13 straight contests against South Coast Conference teams starting with a home game against Wareham on Jan. 3.

SEEKONK 72, PROUT 55
Prout     14 12 11 18-55
Seekonk 14 21 22 15-72
Scoring
Prout: Michael Bogosian 9, Adam Kurtz 6, Alexis DelGiudice 20, Mairella 2, Luke Slom 7, Timmy Clarke 6, Maxwell Fiore 5.
Seekonk: Kyle Blanchard 16, Will Smith 1, Jake Barreira 5, Kam Casala 18, Kevin Moszkowicz 7, Nathan Clarke 18, Elijah Leonard 7.
3-point goals
Prout: Michael Bogosian 3, Adam Kurtz 2, Alex DelGiudice.
Seekonk: Kam Casala 4, Kevin Moszkowicz, Nathan Clarkw 3, Elijah Leonard.

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