January 2009

Watch CCRI basketball players and coaches featured in game promotion videos.

The No.19 ranked (NJCAA Division II) CCRI Lady Knights basketball team was upset by the Rams of the Naval Preparatory School (Navy Prep) of Newport, RI 65-64. The loss drops the Lady Knights to 15-6 on the season while the Rams improve to 8-1 on the season.

There is a saying in college basketball that anything can happen when you step out on the court and that was the case Thursday night when the Lady Knights played Navy Prep. Having already beaten Navy Prep earlier in the year by 21 points the Lady Knights were suppose to go into a weekend off with a win. The game started out quickly as Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) won the tap to Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) and threw a quick pass to Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who converted a lay up for the first basket of the game. Navy Prep would score the next six points to grab a 6-2 lead. The Lady Knights would take its next lead after back-to-back baskets by Tonisha Tate (Lynn, MA) to make the score 12-11. With the score tied at 18-18 with seven minutes remaining in the half the Lady Knights would go on a 6-1 run to obtain its largest lead of the first half at 24-19. However, the Rams would out score the Lady Knights 9-4 to close out the half to tie the game at 28.

The second half was a pure shootout as both teams had a hard time stopping each other. The first five minutes saw the two teams exchange baskets each time down the court. Every time down the court the Lady Knights scored to take a two point lead the Rams of Navy Prep had an answer. The Rams would take there first lead of the second half on a three point field goal by Jazz Pitts, however, that lead was short-lived as Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) would knock down a 3-pointer of her own to give the Lady Knights a lead once again at 41-39. Pitts would not be denied as she answered with her fourth three pointer of the game and that was followed by a three point play by Katie Lintz. The six-point run would give the Rams a four point lead with 13 minutes to go. The Lady Knights would respond with a run of their own over the next three minutes. The Lady Knights Taylor Simmons and Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) each dropped in back to back 3-pointers which sparked a 9-0 run to give the Lady Knights a 50-45 lead with just nine minutes remaining. The Rams would tie the game back up at 50-50 on there seventh and final 3-pointer of the game by Chantel Lavender. The two teams would exchange baskets with neither one taking more then a two point lead over the rest of the game. Down two with 1:16 remaining the Lady Knights Sharniece Williams would cut the lead to one point as she would make 1-2 free throws. The Lady Knights would then get a much needed defensive stop and a Taylor Simmons lay up to but them up 63-62 with one minute left in the game. Neither team would score for the next 45 seconds but the last 15 seconds were very exciting if you were a Ram fan. Still down one the Rams Symone Woody would make a 15 foot jump shot to go back up one. The Lady Knights then rushed the ball down court and found Rachel Murray who got fouled and would tie the game up at 64 with 10 seconds left. The Lady Knights then forced a turnover to get the ball back. The Lady Knights would then isolate Simmons however she would get stripped by Pitts. Pitts then went streaking down the court and would get fouled by Girard. Pitts went to the line and missed the first free throw however regained her composure and knocked the second one down. The Lady Knights had one last attempted as Simmons half court shot came up just short and the Rams survived with a 65-64 victory.

Despite the loss the Lady Knights had some great efforts. Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) led the Lady Knights with 13 points five rebounds and three assists. Also in double figures were Tonisha Tate (Lynn, MA) with 12 points, and five rebounds and Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who had 11 points and two offensive rebounds. Playing another 40 minutes of solid basketball Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) scored six points dished out a season high nine assists and pulled down a season high six rebounds. Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) did everything in her power to help control the back boards for the Lady Knights as she pulled down 10 to go along with five points.

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the difficult loss, “The most important part about tonight is that we need to learn something from this game. Just because you but on the CCRI uniform does not guarantee victory, you have to go out for 40 minutes and earn it. We will get back at it tomorrow in practice and continue to get better everyday.”

The Lady Knights’ next game will be next weekend when they travel to Maryland to play Fredrick CC on Sunday the 7th at 5:00pm and Sunday the 8th when they play Cecil CC at 1:00pm.

Knights’ late comeback not enough to beat Navy Prep as they fall 87-79

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team lost to the Rams of the Naval Preparatory School from Newport, RI 87-79. With the loss the Knights fall to 14-8 on the season.

The Knights and Rams were in an epic battle in the first half with the Knights’ Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) and the Rams’ Todd Salter trading baskets in two distinctly different styles. Nared used an aerial assault on the rim that included two forceful dunks and Salter burying three 3-pointers and carving into the Knights defense to create additional scoring opportunities. At the Half the Knights trailed the Rams 33-30. Nared finished the first half with a tam-high nine points while Salter scored 11 for the Rams.

In the second half the Rams stated with an by exploding for an 18-4 scoring run in the first four and a half minutes to take a 51-34 lead with seven of those points scored by Todd Salter. However, the Knights were not going to go quietly as the battled back to get within four points led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) who scored eight points during their run and capped on a basket by Tyrone Nared that made the score 66-62 with 7:24 left. The Rams answered the Knights’ run and extended their lead to 11 points on a basket by Pete Banos making the score 76-65 with 4:39 left. The Knights had one more run in them as they went on an 8-2 run caped by an Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) foul shot making the score 78-73 with 1:29 left but that is as close as they would get with the Rams converting 9-10 foul shots down the stretch to win by a final score of 87-79.

The Knights were led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) who scored a team-high 22 points followed by Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) who charted his eighth Double-double of the year with 18 point san 10 rebounds adding four blocked shots. Also having an excellent game was point guard Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) scoring 13 points ands dishing out a game-high seven assists with three steals and Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) scored 11 points with four rebounds and three blocked shots. The Rams’ Todd Salter led all scorers with 30 points including six 3-pointers and 19 points in the second half and Francis Geubelle added 21 points including 16 in the second half.

Head Coach Rick Harris Commented after the game: “It seemed like we were running in quicksand all night. We were a step slow in all areas, picking up loose balls, team rebounding, and making the extra pass. Our bench was inspiring in the second half when the five substitutes cut the lead from 17 points to nine points. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish the job. The game was an example that ‘the game is 40-minutes long’ and the team that can play more quality minutes than the other will always come out ahead. Fortunately we have an opportunity to redeem ourselves on Saturday. I know the young men find our effort unacceptable and will come out strong on Saturday.

The Knight next home game will be Saturday at 2:00pm when they host the Lions of Nassau County CC at the Vincent A. Cullen Field House on the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick followed by “The CCRI New England Hoop Shootout.”

Coaches vs. Cancer “CCRI New England Hoop Shootout”

Following the Nassau CC versus CCRI men’s game, be sure to stay for some exciting High School basketball action “The CCRI New England Hoop Shootout.” As part of the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend the CCRI New England Hoop Shootout will feature: at 4:00pm Cranston East versus Durfee HS (MA.), at 5:30pm East Providence versus Fitch HS (CT.), at 7:00pm Rogers HS versus New Bedford(MA.) and at 8:30pm Central HS versus Classical. The event is being coordinated by CCRI men’s Head Basketball Coach Rick Harris and Jim Psarus who are both members of the National Association of Basketball coaches (NABCA). Each game will begin with a jump ball using an official pink and white commemorative ball to acknowledge awareness to Coaches vs. Cancer. The Event will hope to raise donations during each game which we will then present the America Cancer Society to help in the fight against cancer.

Lady Knights extend win-streak to three games defeating Mercer County CC 67-46!

The CCRI Lady Knights ran its win streak to three on Sunday and have won seven of its last nine games with its win over Mercer County Community College of West Windsor, NJ. With the 67-46 win the Lady Knights improve to 15-5 on the season.

The Lady Knights jumped out quick on the Vikings as Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) and Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) scored back-to-back baskets to give the Lady Knights a 4-0 lead. After a basket by Astrice Michael the Lady Knights got back-to-back baskets by their two All-Americans: Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) and Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) for an 8-2 lead. The Lady Knights would take their largest lead of the first half at the five minute mark when they used a 9-0 run capped by a Rachel Murray lay up to expand its lead to 14 points. However, the Vikings did not quit as they would hold the Lady Knights to just one more field goal the rest of the half. The Vikings outscored the Lady Knights 9-2 to close out the half, but the Lady Knights still held a 31-24 lead at halftime.

The Vikings would continue there run at the start of the second half as they scored the first four points of the half to cut the Lady Knights lead down to three at 31-28. However, that would be as close as the Vikings would get as the Lady Knights used their defense to fuel their offensive. The Lady Knights used runs of 10-4 and 17-4 during the course of the half to push their lead to as large as 20 points with two minutes remaining in the game. The Lady Knights largest lead of the game would come as the buzzer sounded as the beat the Lady Vikings 67-46.

The Lady Knights were led by their two All-Americans Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) who scored 14 points, pulled down six rebounds, and had two steals and Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who also scored 14 points, pulled down three rebounds, and had two blocked shots. Also in double-figures for the Lady Knights was Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) who recorded her third Double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) finished the game with eight points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) finished another solid weekend with eight points, seven assists and only one turnover. On the weekend Girard played magnificently racking-up 12 points dishing-out 13 assists with four steals and allowing only one turnover.

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the game “This was another great defensive effort, especially when we needed it as the offense sputtered at times. This was a nice win against a district opponent. In spite of some early foul trouble and some minor injuries we were able to battle through and pull away nicely down the stretch to finish out the weekend the way we wanted to”

The Lady Knights wrap up there seven game home stand in the month of January on Wednesday as they play host to Navy Prep at 6:00 PM.

Lady Knights Overpower Orange County CC 69-30!

The CCRI Lady Knights cruised to a 69-30 victory over the Colts of Orange County Community College from Middletown, NY. The Lady Knights improve their tremendous home record to 8-1 and their overall recorded to 14-5 on the season.

The Lady Knights came out of the gates on fire and put the game out of reach early scoring the first 29 points of the game. The Lady Knights used defensive pressure and trapping presses along with half-court man-to-man defensive to stifle and overwhelm Colts. The Lady Knights held the Colts scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the first half. The Colts got on the scoreboard when Carmen Milian made a basket making the score 29-2. The Lady Knights would outscore the Colts 13-6 to close out the half and walk into the halftime up 42-8.

The Lady Knights were able to keep everyone well rested in the second half as they rotated through their reserves getting everyone equal playing time and rest as they cruised to a 69-30 victory.

The Lady Knights were led by sophomore power forward Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) who scored 12 points on perfect 6-6 shooting to go along with four rebounds, one steal and one block. Also in double-figures for the Lady Knights were Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) who scored 10 points with had four steals and two assists and Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who scored 10 points pulled down four rebounds, had three steals, two assists and two blocked shots. The Lady Knights have been getting consistent production from their bench and that trend continued on Saturday with Tonisha Tate (Lynn, MA) scoring nine points and Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) scoring eight points pulling down three rebounds with three rejections (blocked shots).

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the win “We had a great start to this game. We played today’s game with great intensity, effort and execution, usually those things lead to good results. We need to keep challenging ourselves to get better and improve as the season closes down and we get closer to the postseason.

Knights show no mercy downing Mercer County CC 74-60!

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team defeated the Vikings of Mercer County CC of Trenton, NJ 74-60. With the victory the Knights improve their record to 14-7 on the season while being 7-1 in Region XXI play.

The Knights and Vikings were in a dog fight early in the game as the Vikings Antoine Rogers sank a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to cut the knights’ lead to a point with the score 14-13 at the 12:22 mark. Back-to-back baskets by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) and Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) extended the knights lead to five points 18-13 at the 11:24 mark. The two teams were exchanging baskets until the Vikings’ Todd Jones cut the Knights’ lead to just 35-33 at the 1:33 mark then Nared ignited the crowd as he jumped over the entire Vikings squad to deliver a vicious slam-dunk follow-up off a missed basket that gave them a 37-33 lead. From there both teams would exchange a free throw before going into halftime with the Knights leading 38-34.

In the second half the Knights were able to solve the Vikings’ Princeton style offense which allowed them to quickly extend their lead to 12 points 48-36 just four minutes into the second half on a basket by Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) at the 16:05 mark. The Knights’ sweltering defense held the Vikings to just 24 points in the second half allowing them to extend their lead to as much as 20 points before winning eventually by the score of 74-60.

Leading the way for the Knights was Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) scoring 25 points with four rebounds and tow assists and Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) who backed-up his Triple-double versus Bunker Hill on Wednesday with a Double-double effort including 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Also having a big game was Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) scoring nine points with six rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots and two steals, Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) scoring 10 points, including nine in the second half with three rebounds and three assists and Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) added five points on two of two shooting from the floor.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented after the game: “This was a very gratifying win against a solid and very well coached Mercer team. Pleasing to see the kids following our game plan and executing defensively and offensively against Mercer’s Princeton Offense (Vikings’ Coach Howard Levy is a former Princeton Tiger and seven year assistant at Princeton). Kids are giving their all defensively. They are a treat to watch when they play that way.”

The Knights next game will be this Wednesday when they will play host to Navy Prep as a part of a doubleheader with the Lady Knights playing at 6:00pm and the Knights at 8:00pm at the Vincent A. Cullen Filed house located on the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick.

Knights’ Track Team shows improvement at Wesleyan Cardinal Meet

The CCRI Knights Men’s and Lady Knights Women’s track teams travelled to Middletown, CT to compete in the Wesleyan Cardinal Invitational a non-scoring indoor track meet of 18 Division III Junior College and NCAA teams.

The CCRI Men’s track team showed nice improvement in their second meet of the season led by Co-Captain Blest Norris (Pawtucket, RI) and Everett LaMountain III (Smithfield, RI) once again put forth great performances. LaMountain set the school record in mile run with his 13th place 4 minute 37.31 second effort. LaMountain was not done there as he came back in the 1000m run to place 10th with a time of 2:44.74 which missed the CCRI school record by.23 seconds. Blest Norris continued to improve with a second place finish in the 55m dash tying the CCRI school record tying time of 6.54. Norris came back in the 200m dash with a fifth place finish in a time of 23.24 seconds. Norris and LaMountain joined Adewole Akinbi (Providence, RI) and Edwin Jean-Louis (Providence, RI) in a great 6th place finish in the 4x400m relay in a time of 4:41.20

In the 400m run Adewole Akinbi and Anthony Manfredi (Warwick, RI) showed noticeable improvement with Akinbi taking over six seconds of his time from two weeks ago to finish 24th in 55.67 while Manfredi took two seconds off his previous time to finish 32nd in 1:01.13. Edwin Jean-Louis placed 16th in the 200m run in a time of 24.21. He was followed by Dennis LaFleur (Coventry, RI) who placed 22nd in 24.42, and Akinbi placed 33rd in 25.02. Co-Captain Chris Allegretta (Warwick, RI) placed 19th in the 800m run in a time of 2:17.86 and then came back in the 3,000m to run for 19th place in 10:39.91. In the 55m dash Jean-Louis placed 26th in 7.05 while LaFleur placed 28th in 7.09. In the long jump Corey Dozier (Blackstone, MA) placed 28th with a jump of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33m).

Three women competed for the Lady Knights led by Kayleigh Smith (Cumberland, RI) who ran a personal best 1 minute 13.76 second 24th place finish in the 400m run. First time track runners Shannon Young (Cumberland, RI) and Dinah Quintanilla (Lincoln, RI) ran the 200m dash and finished 52nd and 53rd respectively. Young’s time was 38.63 and Quintanilla ran a time of 38.97. Quintanilla also placed 43rd in the 55m dash in a time of 9.90.

The Knights and Lady Knights next meet will be this Friday January 30th when they compete in the Rhody Open Meet at the University of Rhode Island starting at 5:00pm.

CCRI Knights men’s basketball game to be aired on Cox Sports Channel 3

For the third straight year, the CCRI Knights men’s basketball team will be featured as part of the “Cox on Campus” men’s basketball schedule. The CCRI Knights men’s basketball game versus Region XXI opponent Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology scheduled for Monday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m., will be taped by Cox Sports Channel 3 and aired on Friday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. The game can be seen on Cox in Demand Free Zone during the month of February.

Nared’s Triple-double highlights Knights’ 103-70 beating of Bunker Hill CC!

The CCRI Knights men’s basket ball team defeated the Bulldogs of Bunker Hill Community College of Boston, MA 103-70. With the victory the Knights improve their records to 13-7 overall, 7-1 in Region XXI and 2-0 in Division II Region XXI play.

The Knights were able to take out their weekend frustrations, (a 95-71 loss to Monroe College) by bullying the Bulldogs of Bunker Hill Community College. On the very first basket the Knights served notice that this was going to be their game as Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) lofted an alley-oop pass as he fell out of bounds on the baseline to the high-flying Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) who was cutting to the basket hr caught the ball behind his head and delivered a thunderous slam dunk that left the Cullen field house crowd with their jaws on the ground. From there the trio of Nared, Bueno along with Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) would lead the Knights on a 22-6 run to extend their lead to 18 with the score 24-6 just five minutes into the game. In that run Bueno scored nine points including a 3-pouinter and a driving one-handed tomahawk fast break dunk, Storti scored five including a 3-pointer, and eight points from Nared, including another thunderous two-handed slam. From there the game was never in question as the Knights would extend their lead to 29 points by halftime going in leading 62-33. Bueno led all first half scorers with 19 points, followed by Nared with 15 points and Storti with 13 points.

The second half was much of the same as the Knights would extend their lead to as much as 40 points allowing for their reserves to get some action. The Knights would go on the win by a final score of 103-70.

Leading the way for the Knights was Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) who charted the first Triple-double for the Knights this season with these amazing statistics: 17 points, 13 blocked shots and 11 rebounds and swiped four steals, the 13 blocked shots was one off the CCRI record set by Chris Rooney in 1995. Also having a career night were Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) scoring a career-high 25 points and Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) scored a career-high 20 points. In addition, Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) ran the point extremely well with a career-high 10 assists to go along with seven points and four steals Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) scored 10 points with four assists, and Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) added 11 points.

Head Coach Rick Harris Commented after the game: “This was a much needed game for us. It was an example of how our schedule, which I believe has to be one of the toughest in the country, prepares us for Region XXI play. I was pleased that all eleven players displayed intensity and the desire to make the extra pass for a full 40 minutes. This attitude allows us to get a little better each day and will put us in position to have the best chance possible of being the best we possibly can come tournament time.”

The Knights’ next game will be this Sunday the 25th when they host Mercer County Community College at 3:00pm following the Lady Knights who will play Mercer at 1:00pm. In other Cullen Field House action CCRI will play host to “RI/MA High School Hoopla” Mt. Pleasant HS (RI) will play Doherty HS (MA) at 5:00pm and Cranston West HS (RI) will play Lincoln HS (RI) at 6:30pm.

Lady Knights hand No. 1 Monroe College first loss of the season 68-56!

Having played there third game in three days the Lady Knights look a little tired and a little sluggish. However, the Lady Knights overcame those obstacles and found something deep inside them to battle and pull out a 68-56 victory over Monroe College from the Bronx, NY. Monroe came into Monday’s game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country in NJCAA Division III.

The two teams play totally contrasting styles which made yesterdays game a very interesting match up. The Lady Knights were by far the bigger and stronger team with five players standing taller then 5-foot-11 and wanted to pound the ball down low while Monroe played mostly with no player over 5-foot-10. The contrasting styles caused problems as the Lady Knights dominated the backboards but the Lady Mustangs’ pressure caused numerous Lady Knights’ turnovers. The first half was closely contested with neither team attaining a double-digit lead. The Lady Mustangs would take its largest lead of seven in the opening minutes of the contest jumping on top of the Lady Knights 9-2. The Lady Knights responded with an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game 10-9. The two teams would play nip and tuck basketball the rest of the half as the Lady Knights would trail 28-26 going to halftime.

Trailing by two at the half and obviously tired from the long weekend of basketball the Lady Knights knew they were going to have to dig deep and impose their will on the Defending DII champion Lady Mustangs. The Lady Knights responded by starting the second half with a 21-12 run to take their largest lead 47-40 with 6:40 left in the game. The Lady Mustangs showed why you “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion” (Rudy Tomjanovich 1995), as they showed their championship muster applying tenacious full-court pressure and quickly regained the lead 52-51 with 5:00 left on a basket by Shakeena Halsey. With 4:17 left Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) sank two free throws to give the Lady Knights the lead again but soon after, fouled out with 3:58 left in the game. Aminah Davis would sink two free throws to give the Lady Mustangs the lead again 54-53. Now it was Lady Knights’ All-American guard Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) time to shine as she would lead the Lady Knights on a 15-2 run over the final 3:30 to close the game. Simmons would score nine of the Lady Knights’ last 15 points with assistance from Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who added three points and Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) who sank her second 3-pointer of the game with a little over a minute left to put the game out of reach securing the 68-56 Lady Knights’ victory.

The Lady Knights were led by sophomore All-American Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) who scored a game-high 22 points, a game-high five assists and six rebounds to go along with three steals. Also in double-figures for the Lady Knights was guard Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) who had 11 points, two assists and two steals. However, the key in this game was the Lady Knights’ frontcourt who dominated the backboards with 51 total rebounds. Leading the rebounding charge was sophomore forward Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) who ripped-down a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with four points and Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) came off the bench to pull down 10 rebounds scoring three points. The Lady Knights’ leading scorer in the frontcourt was Tonisha Tate (Lynn, MA) who came off the bench to score eight points including six key points in the second half with six rebounds. Rounding out the frontcourt attack was Jackie and Rachel Murray who combined for 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after Monday’s win "That was a nice way to finish a game! We took advantage of the opportunity to beat a No. 1 ranked team. It was a struggle physically and mentally and at times and we really accepted and handled the challenge. When things got tough, we buckled down and finished as a team. We really had to rely on a couple of key players off the bench. Tonisha Tate's solid play and Sharniece Williams’ control of the backboards were critical to our victory. This team has the opportunity to be really special, but there are no nights off, no practices off, and no plays off. If and when we play with this passion we do great things!

The Lady Knights have some much needed time off after there stretch that saw them play four games in six days with a record of 3-1. The Lady Knights are back in action this weekend when the play host to Orange County Community College on Saturday at 1:00 PM and Mercer County Community College on Sunday also at 1:00 PM.

Knights’ might not enough to beat Division I Monroe as they lose 95-71

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team lost to Division I power Mustangs of Monroe College from the Bronx, NY 95-71 in the Championship game of the 2009 CCRI Invitational. With the loss the Knights fall to 12-7 on the season.

The Knights were trying to beat their second Division I opponent in two days as they went into their game with the high powered Mustangs losing 91-74 back in November they knew they would have to play nearly perfect to secure a victory. The Knights stayed toe-to-toe with the Mustangs through the first seven minutes with Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) converting a basket with 13:20 left in the first half to give the Knights the 17-16 lead. The Mustangs would close the half with a 29-17 run to go into halftime leading 45-34. The Knights’ Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) led the way for the Knights scoring 10 points in the first half while Providence College recruit Kyle Wright led the way for the Mustangs scoring 12 points in the first half.

In the second half Wright and the rest of the Mustangs kept with their intensity and tremendous 3-point shooting to extend their lead to as much as 27 points. Though the score was not that close the Knights were still giving everything they had this was just a case where they faced a team playing at their best and they did not have an answer for them as the Mustangs would go on to win by the final scored of 95-71.

Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) led the way for the Knights charting a Double-double scoring 17 points with 14 rebounds adding three assists and two blocked shots and Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) added a team-high 18 points including 13 in the second half with three assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Also having a big game for the Knights was Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) scoring 11 points including three 3-pointers with eight rebounds and three assists, Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) played very well at the point scoring nine points dishing out six assists and swiping four steals and Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) added eight points including two 3-pointers with three assists. Leading all scorers was Monroe’s Kyle Wright with 24 points including a game-high four 3-pointers.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented after the game “Overall it was a great weekend for us though we were disappointed with the energy level against Monroe in the championship game. We understand though that it is a learning process and we will take from this game what we need to and move forward. Monroe juts had too many answers this evening with their 3-point shooting ability and their aggressive attacks of the basket. Our guys did not give up at any time but our tanks appeared to be out of gas. We will regroup and we excitedly look forward to our Region XXI game with Bunker Hill on Wednesday. The best is yet to come.”

The Knights next game will be this Wednesday at 7:00pm when they will host Bunker Hill Community College at the Vincent A. Cullen Field house located on the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick.

Lady Knights struggle against Undefeated Union County losing 63-50

Sunday had a match up that if you are a women’s basketball fan you marked it down on your calendar. The Community College of Rhode Island faced off versus Union County College of Cranford, NJ. The past two years CCRI has beaten Union County in the Northeast District championship. However, last season Union defeated the Lady Knights for the first time during the regular season and once again on Sunday they defeated the Lady Knights 63-50. Overall the Lady Owls improve to 15-0 on the season while the Lady Knights fall to 12-5 on the season.

The first half got off to an extremely fast start as Crystal Harris scored the games first four points followed by back-to-back baskets by Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA). With the game tied 4-4 both teams were pushing the tempo as the Lady Knights took its first lead of the game when Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) dropped in a 3-pointer to make the score 13-12 six minutes into the game. Both teams were playing the game close to the vest as neither team was able to garner a large lead. The first half saw the lead change six times with two ties. The Lady Owls were able to take a 30-27 lead into the half time locker room.

Usually the Lady Knights are the ones delivering a punch to start the second half, however this time they were on the receiving end as the Lady Owls outscored the Lady Knights 13-3 in the first six minutes of the half to extend their lead to 43-30. That would be just what the Lady Owls need as the two teams played the rest of the half evenly. Every time in the second half that the Lady Knights looked poised to make a run the Lady Owls responded and the Lady Knights would not get any closer than seven points in the second half. Union defeated the Lady Knights 63-50 to hand the Lady Knights their first home loss of the season.

Leading the way for the Lady Knights was Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) scoring 13 points, pulling down five rebounds with two steals. Also in double-figures was Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) with 12 points and six assists and Laruen Harrington (Exeter, RI) who had 10 points with six rebounds, and three steals. Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) also had a solid game with nine points, 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots.

Head Coach Kevin Monagle commented: “We let a great opportunity slip away. It’s the little things for us that make the difference between victory and defeat. We do not have any time to sulk as we get back at it right away Monday afternoon versus another great basketball team (Monroe College). Not too many schools have the opportunity to beat a team that is undefeated this late in the season we have that opportunity in back-to-back days and we look to capitalize on Monday.”

The Lady Knights on Monday will complete a stretch that saw them play four games in six days including back-to-back-to-back games. Monday does not get any easier for the Lady Knights as they will host Monroe College who is the number one team in the country in Division III NJCAA women’s basketball. Tip off is scheduled for 1:00pm.

Lady Knights Handle Harcum 85-46, look forward to showdown with Union County!

The CCRI Lady Knights got their fourth win in their last five outings on Saturday night when they defeated Harcum College of Bryn Mawr, PA 85-46. With the victory the Lady Knights go into Sunday’s showdown with undefeated and No. 15 ranked Union County College with a record of 12-4.

The Lady Knights got of to a terrific start led by sophomore Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) who scored 11 of the Lady Knights first 17 points making the score 17-7 to give the Lady Knights a 10-point lead nine minutes into the game. Already leading by 10, the Lady Knights would go on a 15-3 run over the next five minutes to take its largest of the half at 32-14. However, Harcum would not back down as it would close out the half with seven unanswered points to close the Lady Knights lead to 37-24. That run gave the Bears the confidence that they could hang with the Lady Knights in the second half.

Knowing that the Bears had the confidence the Lady Knights wanted to come out and deliver the first punch and that is exactly what they did. Over the first six minutes the Lady Knights outscored the Bears 15-6 to extend their halftime lead to 22. From that point the Lady Knights’ changing zone defenses was just too much for the Bears to overcome as the Lady Knights held the Bears to just five free throws over the next eight minutes, outscoring the Bears 21-5 to bring their lead to 71-35. The Lady Knights cruised to an 85-46 victory, the 85 points was the second highest for the Lady Knights this season.

For the second straight game the Lady Knights had five score in double-figures led by sophomore guard Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) who finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) who scored 15 points, three rebounds, dishing out six assists with had two steals and Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) scoring 14 points with nine rebounds and six assists. Also in double-figures for the Lady Knights were post players Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who had 11 points, seven rebounds, and one blocked shot and Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) who poured in 10 points and grabbed four rebounds. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Knights were Jackie Murray (Gloucester, MA) with seven points, Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) with six points and Michaela Lima (Cranston, RI) scored her first two collegiate points.

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the game, “This was a great team win. We were able to share the ball extremely well as evidence with five players in double-figures. We also played with great defensive intensity by holding a team 20 points below their season average. In addition, today we won the battle of all the little things. Those three things will almost always lead us to a victory. We look forward to the opportunity to play a team that is undefeated and a district rival on our home floor (tomorrow).”

The Lady Knights are back in action on Sunday at 4:00 PM when they play host to undefeated and district rival Union County College.

Knights battle adversity to beat Bears 83-79!

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team snapped a six game losing streak in impressive fashion by defeating Division I powerhouse Bears of Harcum College from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 83-79. With the victory the Knights improve their record to 12-7 on the season.

The Knights were playing in their second home game of the New Year employing their commitment to pressure defense which resulted in 18 steals and 10 blocked shots. In addition, the Knights got a key charge (foul) taken by Esaie Touze (Providence, RI) late in the game to sew up the victory. The Knights employment of the “40-minutes of hell” philosophy makes for some exciting and passionate moments on the hardwood as Head Coach Rick Harris said “Don’t blink or you’ll miss and exciting play.”

The Knights jumped out to a quick 16-11lead at the 15:12 mark on the back of Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) who had all eight of his points in that stretch but two seconds later Bueno was whistled for a foul, objected briefly and was quickly assessed a technical foul giving him three fouls less than five minutes into the game. This was a tough blow for the Knights with Bueno being their second scoring option over the last five games, you could almost feel the air come out of the hometown Knights’ crowd. The Bears would score the next seven points to take an 18-16 lead at the 14:35 mark. However, Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) would get the Knights’ crowd back into the game with an alley-oop dunk assisted by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT). The dunk definitely ignited the Knights players as well with Mitchell and Nared rattling-off 11 unanswered points to give the Knights a 27-18 lead with 12:53 left in the half. Included in that run was a dazzling three point play by Mitchell who was fouled taking the entire Bears’ frontcourt to the basket while converting the finger roll. The Bears’ Melvin Calhoun would tie the score 38-38 on two free throws with 4:04 left in the half. Antonio Bumpus would give the Bears a 43-41 lead with 50 seconds left but Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) would knock down a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to give the Knights the 44-43 halftime lead.

The Bears would battle ahead of the Knights 61-57 on a three point play by Greg Avila at the 10:54 mark but Esaie Touze would bury back-to-back baskets to tie the score 61-61with 10:10 remaining. Micah Covert would sink a 3-pointer to give the Bears the 71-74 lead but Touze would answer back converting two free throws and Tyrone Nared would drain a clutch 3-pointer giving the Knights the 76-74 lead with 2:55 left. Nared would sink a free throw and layup to give the Knights the seemingly insurmountable lead of 79-74 with 2:01 left then Melvin Calhoun sank a 27-foot 3-pointer to cut the Knights’ lead to 79-77 with 1:45 left. A basket by Mitchell and two free throws by Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) would give the Knights the 83-77 lead with 13.5 left securing the eventual 83-79 victory for the Knights.

The Knights were led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) who scored a career-high 26 points, including 17 in the first half with five steals, five rebounds and two assists followed by Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) who scored 15 points including 10 in the second half with six steals, five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots and Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) scored 14 points five blocked shots and four rebounds. Also having a big game for the Knights was Esaie Touze (Providence, RI) scoring 15 points, 10 in the second half with four rebounds, two steals and a charge taken and Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) scored eight points and three rebounds in limited playing time.

Head Coach Rick Harris was excited after the game saying “This win was just what the doctor prescribed. Our guys have been working so hard it was nice to see them rewarded with a win against a quality opponent like Harcum College. The team has taken ownership in our new style and it is a treat to watch them up close each day at practice and with each game. Monroe (College) on Sunday, a perennial Division I power will be a tremendous challenge. But one we look forward to. As I told the team ‘we have not lost a game all year, we have been beaten score-wise but we have always been competitive and have never given up.’ The guys never quit or fail to give their best effort. A coach cannot ask any more of his guys.”

The Knights advance to the championship game of the CCRI Invitational where they will face nationally ranked Division I powerhouse Monroe College out of the Bronx, NY at Sunday 6:00pm at the Vincent A. Cullen Field House located on the CCRI Knights Campus in Warwick.

Lady Knights Cruise past the Lady Crusaders 78-47!

The CCRI Lady Knights continued their great play Wednesday night as they defeated the Lady Crusaders 78-47. This was the Lady Knights first home game since December 6th. The Lady Knights are a perfect 4-0 at home this season with there next six games coming in the friendly confines of the Vincent A. Cullen Field House. With the win the Lady Knights have start out the second semester winning three of its first four games. The win also improves the Lady Knights’ record to 11-4 on the season.

The Lady Knights jumped out quick on the Lady Crusaders and never looked back. The Lady Knights scored the games first five points until an O’Neal Sessions free throw made the game 5-1 the Lady Knights went on a 15-0 run to make the game 20-1. Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) led the charge scoring seven of her nine first half points during that Lady Knights run. However, Sessions was going to do everything in her power to keep her team in the game but did not have enough help though she would score the Notre Dame Preps’ next six points cutting the Lady Knights lead to 23-9. After the two teams exchanged baskets the Lady Knights would make another run putting the game out of reach. Starting with an Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) layup and finishing with back-to-back baskets by Tonisha Tate (Lynn, MA) the Lady Knights went on an 18-1 run to close out the half giving the Lady Knights a 45-14 lead.

The Lady Knights came out and got away from its game plan in the first few minutes of the second half that allowed the Lady Crusaders 6-foot-3 center Jennifer Blanding, who has already committed to St. John’s University nest year to score the first six points of the half 45-20. However, besides that little hiccup, the Lady Knights frontcourt did a very good job guarding her, holding her to just 11 points on the night. With the Lady Knights lead never getting below 20 points in the second half Head Coach Kevin Monagle was able to give key players valuable rest before their big weekend where they Lady Knights play three games in three days. The Lady Knights cruised in the second half to a 31 point victory 78-47.

The Lady Knights had a season-high five players score in double-figures. The Lady Knights were led by freshman Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) who finished the night with a Double-double with a career-high 20 points and career-high 15 rebounds becoming the first Lady Knight this season to post a 20 point, 15 rebound game. Williams, a high school star in Connecticut has done a great job accepting her role of coming off the bench and making and impact every time she steps on the floor. Also coming off the bench was Tonisha Tate (Lynn, MA) who dropped in 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds. The Lady Knights’ starting backcourt all scored in double-figures led by Laruen Harrington who celebrated her 20th birthday by scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and was a perfect 3-3 from 3-point land, Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) finished the game with 12 points and two assists while Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) finished the game with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the win, "This was a nice win on our own floor. It was nice to play at home again. Although the score indicated a lopsided game, I still think we have a lot to learn on how to play with intensity for 40 minutes and to be mentally tough throughout the course of a game...during the good times and the bad. We need to be able to execute a game plan, especially defensively throughout the entire game. Ashley Williams and Tonisha Tate played their best games to date which is outstanding, because it allows us to be able to maintain and even improve when we go to our bench. We have a big weekend ahead of us with three great opportunities, and I am looking forward to us really getting at it and accepting the challenge at hand.

The Lady Knights will put their perfect home record on the line three times this weekend as they play there annual CCRI Invitational and there annual Martin Luther King Day game versus Monroe College. The CCRI Invitational tips off Saturday at 1:00 PM when Union County College will play Genesee Community College. The Lady Knights tip off Saturday at 5:00 PM when they play host to Harcum College. Sunday’s action begins one hour earlier when Genesee Community College plays Harcum College at Noon and the Lady Knights play district rival Union County College at 4:00 PM. Finally, the Lady Knights cap-off the long weekend when they play Monroe College at 1:00 PM on Martin Luther King Day.

Knights nipped by Crusaders 92-86

The CCRI men’s basketball fans were treated to an exhibition of some of the best hardwood talent in the northeast when the CCRI Knights battled but came-up just short versus the Crusaders of Notre Dame Prep 92-86 in the most competitive scrimmage in recent history. The Knights record remains 11-6 on the season and 6-1 in Region XXI play.

The Knights knew they were going to be for a tough battle as the Crusaders came into the game with three Big East recruits: Johnny Lacey to Providence College, James Southerland to Syracuse and Sean Kilpatrick to Cincinnati. The Crusader “big three” combined for 60 of their 92 points which seemed to be little more than the Knights could handle.

The Knights never back down from a challenge and they used their own “big three” to stay right with the Crusaders in the first half led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) who scored 18 of his team-high 25 points in the first half, Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) who scored 10 of his 20 points in the first half and Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) returning from injury contributing eight of his 18 points in the first half. With the Knights’ “big three” answering the call they went into halftime leading the Crusaders 42-41.

In the second half the Crusaders started to find their stride extending their lead to 14 points on a basket by Southerland making the score 62-48 at the 15:30 mark. The Knights would get the lead below 10 points with 10:05 left on a basket by Sam Jones (New London, CT) making the score 70-61. The Knights would continue their charge tying the score 82-82 on two free-throws from Lee Mitchell with 2:17 left. The Crusaders’ Kilpatrick answered with a basket giving them the 84-82 lead with 1:58 left then Adalberto Bueno stuck a step-back 3-pointer to give the Knights the 85-84 lead with just 1:35 remaining. But the Crusaders led by Southerland outscored the Knights 8-1 in the last minute and a half to win by the final of 92-86.

The Knights were led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) scoring a career-high 25 points with three assists followed by Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) with a Double-double scoring 20 points with a team-high 10 rebounds while adding three assists. The Knights welcomed back Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) who missed the last two games due to injury and provided tremendous energy contributing 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Also having a big game was Sam Jones (New London, CT) who came off the bench to contribute 10 points, four rebounds and two assists and Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) added five points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented “I was very pleased with our performance. We unleashed the style of ball we will play the rest of the season. We will press, run and press some more, from here on out. It is a style that will showcase our speed, athleticism and depth. I look forward to watching the kids myself in our next game Saturday versus Harcum.”

The Knights next game will be this Saturday at 7 pm when they will face Harcum College as part of the CCRI Invitational at the Vincent A. Cullen Field house located on the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick.

No. 8 Knights beat 77-75 on Buccaneer buzzer-beater

The no. 8 ranked CCRI Knights men’s basketball team suffers heartbreaking 77-75 loss on a last second shot by Deshawn Gibbons of Massachusetts Bay Community College. With the loss the Knights fall to 11-6 on the season and 6-1 in Region XXI play.

Playing in their seventh straight road game the Knights battled from beginning to end overcoming an early 12 point deficit 32-20. A 35-foot 3-pointer by Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) at the halftime buzzer would close the Buccaneer lead to just four points with the score 39-35. The second half saw the Knights continue to build their momentum as they took a 75-69 lead with just two minutes remaining in the game. However, the Knights would not score again as Mass Bay would hit back-to-back 3-pointers from Sam Young and Scott Moors to tie the game at 75-75. In the final seconds the Knights had a chance to win the game and called a timeout to set-up the game winning play. Mass Bay was able to force a turnover stealing the ball on a double team trap and advanced the ball to Deshawn Gibbons who sank the 18-footer as the buzzer sounded. This was a bitter pill for the Knights to swallow however, the Knights will now get some good old fashioned “home cooking” in the second semester with 12 of their 16 games to be played at the Cullen field house.

The Knights were led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) who scored a team-high 20 points with five assists followed by Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) who charted a Double-double with 18 points including four 3-pointers with 13 rebounds. Also having a big game for the Knights was Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) who also had a Double-double scoring 12 points with a team-high 15 rebounds while adding three assists and three blocked shots, Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) scored 10 points with five rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) ran the point well adding nine points with five assists and two steals.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented after the match “We are struggling with this last second loss right now because we controlled approximately 28 minutes of the game. But as we have learned, to win on the road in Region XXI you must play a full 40 minutes. This was tough for the kids as they had this game stolen from them in the last minute. We will learn from it and it will help battle-test us as we look to become the team we feel we can be come tournament time. In the long run a close win or close loss is what will propel us to bigger things right now. Overall I look forward to our next game our young men as we look to redeem ourselves.”

The Knights scrimmage against Notre Dame Prep Wednesday at 7pm before their next game versus Division I power Harcum College Saturday the 17th at 5 pm as part of the CCRI Invitational.

Knights off to Running Start at Yale Intercollegiate Track Classic!

On Saturday the CCRI Men’s and Women’s track team kicked off their season in Connecticut at the 27th Yale Intercollegiate Track Classic. The CCRI runners got the season off to a tremendous start.

The Knights were led by freshmen sprinter Blest Norris (Gross Point, MI) who placed 7th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.064 seconds and middle distance Evert LaMountain (Smithfield, RI) another freshmen who placed 21st in the mile run with a time of 4 minutes 40.90 seconds.

The Knights showed depth which was on display in the 400 meter race, the first Knight to cross the line was Jay LaRose (Pawtucket, RI) in 57.28 seconds finishing 53rd closely followed by teammates Adewole Akinbi (Providence, RI) running 59th in 1:01.45 and Anthony Manfredi (Warwick, RI) running 1:03.06 good for 60th place.

The men also had great success on Saturday in the field portion of the event as Cory Dozier (Blackstone, MA) finished in the top 25 in two events: finishing 16th in the triple jump with a jump of 38-9 1/2 inches and 24th place in the long jump at 17 feet 9 inches.

On the women’s side the Lady Knights had Kayleigh Smith (Cumberland, RI) finished the 400 meter race with a time of 1:16.46 which was good enough for 46th place. Sophomore Dinah Quintanilla (Lincoln, RI), competing in her first intercollegiate race, finished 49th in the 60 meter dash with a time of 10.81.

The Knights’ track team is back in action in two weeks on January 24th at 10:00 AM when they travel back to Connecticut this time to participate in the Wesleyan Invitational.

Knights Play Well but Fall Short versus High-Powered MDC Sharks 95-75

The CCRI Knights lost to #22 ranked Division I Powerhouse Sharks of Miami-Dade College (MDC) 95-75. With the loss the Knights fall to 11-5 on the season.

The Miami-Dade Sharks are one of the premier division I basketball programs in the nation with six players already committed to go to NCAA Division I programs next year and the possibility of nine total Division I players the Knights were facing their toughest test to date. However, the Knights never back down from a challenge and were excited and motivated to show that they were just as good.

The Sharks jumped out to an 18-4 lead at the 14:42 mark on a three-point play by MDC Center William Coleman. Coleman a 6-foot-9 255lb sophomore with a 40 inch vertical leap has already committed to play for John Calipari at the University of Memphis next year. The Sharks would extend their lead to 22 points by the 3:20 mark after a 3-pointer by Rico Pickett making the score 48-26, sophomore Pickett played 20 games for the University of Alabama last year and will also be returning to NCAA DI next year. But the Knights wouldn’t quit as they close the half with a 10-6 run led by Esaie Touze (Providence, RI) who scored seven of the 10 including two 3-pointers making the score 52-36 at the half.

In the second half The Shark’s Pickett and Coleman kicked into another gear and led them to a 29 point lead 78-49 with 12:23. But the Knights’ Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) was up for the challenge sparking a 13-2 Knights’ run with a nifty steal at half-court then drove to the basket to convert a twisting reverse lay-up. The Knights run was capped by a Sam Jones (New London, CT) finger roll to make the score 80-66 with 5:00 left. But the Sharks stole the momentum back scoring the next eight points to bring their lea back to 22 points with the score 88-66 with 3:28 left. The two teams traded baskets down the stretch with the Sharks eventually prevailing 95-75.

The Knights were led by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) who was outstanding scoring 14 points with a season-high seven assists, four steals and three rebounds followed by Esaie Touze (Providence, RI) who came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points with six rebounds and two blocked shots. Also having a big game for the Knights were Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) who scored 14 points with seven rebounds and four blocked shots and Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) scoring 10 points with four assists and a steal.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented after the game: “I think we played our best game of the week down here today. I have been preaching to our players that this road trip is not just about wins and losses but learning to play together as a team. I was very happy with the fact that we were able to hold our own against top NCAA Division I talent. In addition, I couldn’t have been more pleased with the passion and energy each and every player showed all week. If we can take this with us as we return back north it will put us in a great position to accomplish our goal of returning to the NJCAA National Championship.”

The Knights’ next game will be this Saturday the 10th when they travel to play Mass Bay Community College at 1 pm.

Go Knights!

Lady Knights fall just Short of Southern Sweep losing to MDC 57-53

Having already won two games in there southern swing the Lady Knights were not satisfied and wanted to become the first team in school history to win all three games. However Miami Dade College was just too big of an obstacle to overcome. The Lady Sharks defeated the Lady Knights 57-53 in an epic battle.

The Lady Knights knew going into the game that they could do something that no Lady Knights team has ever done and that was to go a perfect 3-0 on the Florida trip. The Lady Knights responded with the energy need to get this goal accomplished. The two teams battled back and forth the entire first half as the Lady Knights would take there largest lead of the half 16-10 with seven minutes to go on a Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) free throw. Miami Dade battled back behind All-American candidate Kquaneise Byrd. Byrd’s 15 first half points helped the Lady Sharks grab there first lead of the game at 22-21 with two minutes remaining. However a Kaitlyn Rachiele (Scituate, RI) up and under move that sent Miami Dade post players through the roof as she made a pump-fake to draw the defenders in the air and out of position allowing her to make the basket which gave the Lady Knights a one point halftime lead at 26-25.

The second half was duel between the Lady Sharks Kquaneise Byrd and the Lady Knights Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI). The Lady Sharks jumped on top of the Lady Knights in the second half as they outscored the Lady Knights 16-9 in the first seven minutes of the half to give the Lady Sharks the largest led either team would posses in the second half at six points 41-35. However that six point lead would not last very long as sharp shooting Lauren Harrington would drain back to back 3-pointers to tie the game back up at 41-41. The Lady Sharks would try to put the Lady Knights away one more time as they pushed there led up to 50-45 on a Byrd lay up. However the Lady Knights just would not led the opportunity to win three games in Florida slip threw the waste side as the a Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) lay up and another Lauren Harrington three pointer the Lady Knights were tied up back at 50 with just two minutes to go. In spite of the great play by the Lady Knights Byrd was just two much as she scored on a lay up, converted a free throw and then created for teammate Ruthie Martin with 17 seconds left to give the Lady Seahawks a 55-50 led. But Harrington was determined as she dropped in her fifth three pointer of the game with .2 seconds left making the score 55-53 but it would not be enough as the Lady Sharks survived a 57-53 win.

The Lady Knights were led by Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) who scored a season-high 18 points on 5-7 shooting from behind the 3-point arc to go along with four rebounds, four steals and two assists. Also in double-figures for the Lady Knights was Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) who scored 14 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out four assists and added three steals. Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) was once again about as solid as a point guard could be as she played all 40 minutes scoring six points, dishing out five assists and had four steals. Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) was solid in the low post for the Lady Knights as she dropped in seven points, pulled down 10 rebounds, blocked four shots and altered many others.

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the game, “We had a great opportunity to do something very special and we came up just short. However, the goal of this trip was for us to start playing together and playing as a group and that mission was accomplished. After this trip we should realize how important defensive and valuing the basketball is to victory. We need to be able to carry over the energy and intensity that we played with down here for the rest of the season.”

The Lady Knights are back in action again on Wednesday January 14th versus Notre Dame Prep. This game kicks-off a seven game home stand for the Lady Knights were they are 3-0 with and average margin of 44 points. The Florida trip wraps up a stretch were the Lady Knights played 11 of its first 14 games on the road.

Lady Knights Honor Fallen Student-Athlete

Shayla Llanos a 5’4” guard from Salem, New Jersey was Broward College Lady Seahawks’ best player. Averaging nearly 17.9 points per game and coming off one of her best weeks ever where she averaged 20.5 points 2.8 rebounds, three assists, and 3.3 steals per game over a four game stretch which earned her Florida Community College Athletic Association player of the week honors.

All that change in the Lady Seahawks last game with one minute remaining Llanos collapsed form an asthma attack, was rushed to the hospital and later past away due to other unspecified complications.

With their next scheduled game to be against annual northern rival Community College of Rhode Island the Lady Seahawks at first were not even sure they were going to play. However, this tragedy actually brought the team and entire Broward College community together. Which was evident with the t-shirts they all adorned with the phrase “We Play 4 Shay” (Llanos wore No. 4 jersey). In addition, the Lady Seahawks all had the number “4” emblazoned on their uniforms in her memory.

It’s about five minutes before tip-off when Broward College first year Head Coach Michael Shawe takes the microphone to say a few words about his fallen player. He also took the time to talk about the friendly rivalry between the Lady Seahawks and Lady Knights with Broward winning the last two epic battles in overtime. Then Lady Knights’ sophomore point guard Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) presented Lady Seahawks Captain Sarah Pasetsky with a shirt with the phrase “Play 4 Shay” signed by the entire Lady Knights team. From there Coach Shawe led all the players and coaches to the center-court to join hands in a moment of silence for Llanos.

It is moments like this that put sports into perspective. The game is not always about wins and losses, but more about good sportsmanship and respect for the game. You could see that before the game that all of the Broward players had a heavy heart but as soon as the ball went up for the opening tip it was like everything was normal again this game was a cathartic release for them. As the game wore-on the Lady Knights had a pretty good lead up by almost 20 points but could not put the Lady Seahawks way and down the stretch it seemed as if the Lady Seahawks were playing with six players to the Lady Knights five players as they had a tremendous burst of energy to finish the game. Down by a bunch with a few minutes left they could have packed it in but instead the found another gear with stifling full-court pressure. They closed the lead to nine points in the final minute but got no closer. Though the scoreboard may have said something different there were no losers today. At the end of the game the Lady Seahawks went back out to center-court to give on last cheer “Play 4 Shay!”

Lady Knights Stay Perfect on Southern Swing Beating Broward College 61-52!

The Community College of Rhode Island Lady Knights improved its record to 10-3 Saturday as they defeated Broward College (formerly known as Broward Community College) 61-52. With the win the Lady Knights have defeated their second straight Division I (DI) opponent and their third DI of the season. The 2008-2009 Lady Knights also became only the second team in to come to Florida play three DI opponents and win two games. Furthermore, with one more win on Monday the Lady Knights will become the first team in school history to sweep three games in their southern swing.

The Lady Knights knew going into the game on Saturday that to pull out a win it would not be easy as Broward County was dedicating there season to a fallen teammate that passed away about one week ago. The Lady Knights knew that they would have to match the emotion of the Lady Seahawks. The Lady Knights jumped on top early as they scored 16 of the games first 22 points giving themselves a 10 point lead eight minutes into the half. The Lady Seahawks would cut the lead to six points with nine minutes to go in the first half and that would be as close as the Lady Knights would let them get the rest of the game. After cutting the Lady Knights led to six points Head Coach Kevin Monagle turned to his energy girl Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) and she responded with five unanswered points over thirty seconds to push the Lady Knights lead up to 22-11. The two teams exchanged baskets the rest of the half and the Lady Knights found itself up nine points 31-22 at halftime.

The Lady Knights jumped out quickly in the second half as they outscored the Lady Seahawks 9-2 to start the half giving them a 40-24 lead. However the Lady Seahawks would not quit for there teammate as Tierra Allen who had only made five three pointers all year on hit back to back threes to cut the Lady Knights led down to 10 at 44-34 with 11 minutes left in the game. However, a Rachel Murray (Gloucester, RI) drop step and score would get the Lady Knights led back to twelve and the Lady Knights would cruse to a nine point victory over Broward County Community College.

The Lady Knights were led by their dominant frontcourt: Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) led the Lady Knights with 17 points and six rebounds while Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) provided tremendous energy off the bench scoring 12 points with five rebounds. Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) was the third of the Lady Knights in double-figures dropping 12 points with five rebounds and five assists. The Lady Knights were able to dominate the offensive glass with Jackie Murray (Gloucester, MA) ripping down eight offensive rebounds and Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) pulling down six offensive rebounds, both players added four points. Chipping in with six points each were Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) and Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT).

Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the game, “This was a great win for our program on a sad day for Broward College. Our defensive keeps getting better and because of that our overall play is improving. With this win we know have an opportunity to become the first women’s team to go undefeated in southern swing.”

The Lady Knights are back in action Monday night at 6:00 PM when they take on Miami Dade College. With a win Monday night the Lady Knights can become the first team in CCRI history to sweep Palm Beach Community College, Broward College and Miami-Dade College.

Go Lady Knights!

Knights Lose Battle with Broward College 80-65

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team lost to Division I Seahawks of Broward College 80-65. With the loss the Knights drop to 11-4 on the season.

The Knights played evenly with the Seahawks over the first eight minutes of the game with both teams knotted at 10-10 with 11:52 left in the first half. The Seahawks extended their lead to 10 points at the 6:20 mark on a three- pointer by David Brown making the score 27-17. Broward extended their lead to 14 points by halftime going into the break up 39-25. Broward scored the first three baskets in the second half to extend their lead to 48-25 with 18:21left in the game. This would have been a perfect time for the Knights to pack it in and call it a night but they refuse to quit as the chipped away at the Seahawks’ lead and cut the lead to nine points with the score 56-47 with 11:27 left. However, Broward had another run left in them led by 6’10” center Kevin “Mutombo” Bristol who was unstoppable in the second half, battling tough a Knight defense with hands in his face and constant pressure, but he was unaffected scoring 16 of his game-high 27 points in the second half. Bristol led the Seahawks on that run extending their lead back to 19 points with score 68-49 with 7:00 left. From there they kept the Knights at bay winning by the 80-65 final score.

Having another great game for the Knights was Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) scoring a team-high 17 points with eight rebounds and three assists, followed by Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) with 14 points three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Also having a big day for the Knights were Pat Sturdahl (Exeter, RI) with 10 point and five assists and Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) had another great game scoring eight points with 11 rebounds six blocked shots and three assists.

Head Coach Rick Harris said after the game: “I was really happy with our effort intensity and enthusiasm today. Though we would always like to win, but this road trip is about is not just about wins and losses. We are getting better with each and every game we play down here and that is our main goal for this trip.”

The Knights have Sunday off but will face No. 22 ranked Division I powerhouse Miami-Dade College at 8 pm.

Go Knights!

Knights’ Effort not enough as they Fall to Palm Beach CC 68-57

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team lost to Division I Panthers of Palm Beach Community College 68-57. With the loss the Knights fall to 11-3 on the season.

The Knights as always play with tremendous intensity and effort but in this game they had to overcome a great deal of adversity that went beyond just playing a Division I power and being off for two weeks. The Knights come into the second semester down three starters: Apollos Wade (Taunton, MA) due to injury, in addition Co-Captains Alex Diaz (Providence, RI) and Jamal Johnson (Fall River, MA) academically ineligible. Luckily for the Knights, this is one of their deepest teams in recent history and that will provide opportunities for other Knights to step up.

The Knights took a while to find their rhythm with three new starters while playing a high octane and fast paced Palm Beach squad. Though both teams were racing up and down the court there were not that many made baskets but some intense defensive pressure. The Knights were down 20-12 with 10:03 left in the half when Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) converted a three-point play cutting the panther lead to five with the score 20-15. The big play sparked an 11 point Knights’ scoring run capped by Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) giving the Knights the 23-20 lead with 3:59 left in the half. The Panthers’ Paul Hagler answered with his fourth three-pointer of the half to tie the game at 23-23 with 3:45 left in the half. Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) answered Hagler’s sharp-shooting with some intense play of his own scoring the next three for the Knights adding another basket by Nared to give the Knight s the 28-23 lead, but Hagler sank his fifth three-pointer of the half to cut the Knights’ lead to two points at 28-26 with 2:12 left in the half both teams traded a few points as the Knights went into the half up 33-32.

In the second half the Panthers scored the first basket taking the 34-33 lead which they would keep for the rest of the game. The Knights battled hard but the fast paced Panthers led by diminutive point guard Tim Downs who forced the pace never giving the Knights a chance to catch their breath. The Panthers led by as many as nine points in the second half but the Knights did everything in their power to cut into the lead and had the lead down to five points with 4:09 in the game on a basket by Tyrone Nared making the score 60-55 but that is a close as they would get with Palm Beach pulling away down the stretch for the 68-57 victory.

The Knights were led by two freshmen who go their first collegiate starts: Adalberto Bueno (Providence, RI) charted a double-double scoring 10 points with a career-high 15 rebounds adding three assist and two blocked shots followed by Dave Storti (Exeter, RI) who scored a team-high 16 points with six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Tyrone Nared (Woonsocket, RI) moved over to center from power forward and had a great game with 12 points, an impressive six blocked shots, six rebounds and two steals. Also contributing for the Knights were Co-Captain Lee Mitchell (New London, CT) with seven points and two steals and Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) also scoring seven points with four rebounds and a steal. Paul Hagler from Palm Beach led all scorers with 17 points including five first half three-pointers.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented after the game: “Our inactivity showed at times, having not played a game since December 14th, but playing against Division I opponents you have to play almost perfectly. Though we want to win every game this trip is more about battle testing us for when we return back to the northeast where we have to take care of business. Our goal is to get back to the National Championship and playing against this top talent is an excellent way to prepare to achieve that goal.”

The Knights next game on their Florida road trip is Saturday at 4pm when they face Broward Community College at 4pm on the Kendall Campus of Broward Community College.

Go Knights!

19th Ranked Lady Knights Overcome Poor Shooting to Defeat Palm Beach CC

The 19th ranked CCRI Lady Knights opened there three game Florida swing in impressive fashion Friday afternoon as the defeated Division I Palm Beach Community College 53-43. With the win the Lady Knights snap a two game losing steak and improve to 9-3 on the season. The win also gives the Lady Knights its second win of the season versus a Division I opponent.
If you are a fan of a good defensive battle Friday’s game between CCRI and Palm Beach was the game for you. As both teams came out with high defensive intensity. However, each team did it differently. The Lady Knights used changing zone defensives while the Panthers played 40 minutes of in your face man to man. With the stifling defensives both teams struggled to score early on in the first half. However with six minutes left in the first half Palm Beach found itself up 17-11 after two free throws from Krystal Delph. The Lady Knights would not allow the Panthers to extend that lead any further as they would make a run of their own. The Lady Knights rattled off 10 unanswered points to pull ahead 21-17. The score was tied at 23 with 10 seconds left when Ashley Williams (Windsor, CT) took a power rebound and converted it and gave the Lady Knights a 2 point lead at the half 25-23.
The second half had everything that a college basketball fan would want, it was exciting, both teams played with energy and there were big shots made by both teams. In the second half there were four ties and five lead changes. With CCRI up 33-27 with twelve minutes Palm Beach dug in and made a 9-0 run to over five minutes to take a 36-33 lead. However the Lady Knights battled back to take a 38-37 lead, their run was capped off by a Taylor Simmons (Norwalk, CT) jump shot. This was the last time the lead would ever change hands as the Lady Knights used a 15-5 run to close the came out. The run was led by the Lady Knights All-American post player Rachel Murray (Gloucester, MA) who scored six points in the run and dominated the offensive glass.
On the offensive end the Lady Knights were led by Taylor Simmons 17 points, five steals, five rebounds and two assists while Rachel Murray had 14 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. The defensive leader for the Lady Knights was Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) who had eight steals, four rebounds to go along with six points. Sharniece Williams (Hartford, CT) chipped in with eight points and 12 rebounds and also made key free throws down the stretch of the game as she converted four of six. Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) was fantastic running the Lady Knights offensive as she played 38 minutes with five assists and only two turnovers.
Head Coach Kevin Monagle said after the game, “It was a nice win verses a Division I opponent after a long semester break layoff. This win gets us headed back in the right direction after two losses. Lauren Harrington’s defensive pressure really helped us pull away at the end with her eight steals. This was a great win but we have to move and on and prepare for a Broward team that will be playing with a heavy heart.”
The Lady Knights are right back in action on Saturday when they play the second of there three game road trip at Broward Community College at 2 PM.

Go Lady Knights!

January 2009

Watch CCRI basketball players and coaches featured in game promotion videos.

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