Men's basketball kicks off postseason with quarterfinal showdown at No. 3 Quinsigamond

02/28/2024

The postseason is officially underway in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with the Community College of Rhode Island’s men’s and women’s basketball teams beginning their quest for regional supremacy this week.

The men’s team opens the playoffs tonight at 6 on the road against No. 3 seed Quinsigamond Community College in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region XXI Tournament. The Knights, seeded No. 6 in the tournament, beat Quinsigamond at home on February 20 on a buzzer-beater by freshman Jayden Upchurch (Providence, RI) and split the regular-season series with the Wyverns. Both teams won at home with each decided by two points or less.

Tonight’s game is available to stream live on Quinsigamond’s official YouTube channel.

CCRI earned the No. 6 seed and finished among the eight qualifying teams by winning eight of its final 11 regional games, including wins over the region’s second-, third-, and fourth-place teams. The Knights finished 13-17 overall, but 11-10 in the region, tied with seventh-place Bunker Hill Community College, whom they beat via tiebreaker to earn the sixth seed.

In addition to its two freshmen newcomers who debuted in January, CCRI’s 2023–24 youth movement also included freshmen big men Henry Robinson (Pawtucket, RI) and Kobe Fife (Providence, RI), who led the team in scoring with 14.4 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. 

The addition of two new players in January – Upchurch and fellow freshman Connor Chambers (Cranston, RI) – coupled with the consistency of freshmen big men Henry Robinson (Pawtucket, RI) and Kobe Fife (Providence, RI), who led the team in scoring with 14.4 and 11.3 points per game, respectively, anchored CCRI in its second-half surge.

CCRI’s women’s team begins its quest for a third consecutive Region XXI Tournament Saturday in the semifinals as the No. 1 seed facing fourth-seeded Roxbury Community College at 11 am at host school Northern Essex Community College. The winner faces the winner of the Northern Essex-Massasoit games in Sunday’s 1 pm championship game, also at Northern Essex.

The women capped another incredible season under head coach Doug Haynes by finishing 18-7 overall and 13-0 in league play. This marks the third year in a row they finished undefeated in Region XXI. In addition to their third consecutive regional championship, the Knights are also playing for a third consecutive automatic bid in the NJCAA Division III National Championships in Rochester, MN.

Led by sophomore guard Nysia Ortiz (Providence, RI) and freshman guard Angelisse Melendez (North Providence, RI), the women enter this weekend’s regional tournament having won an unprecedented 33 consecutive games within the region dating back to 2021–22.

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