The red-hot Cranston West girls basketball team picked up where it left off in league play last week as it rolled to a pair of wins against Scituate and Juanita Sanchez to improve to 5-1 and first place in Division I.

The Falcons returned from the holiday break by beating the Spartans 65-56. Senior captain Maia Riccio paced the West offense with 25 points while fellow captain Olivia Tedeschi-Moran added 15 and Kyla Buco 10. Tedeschi-Moran finished with nine assists while Riccio hauled in eight rebounds. Sinayya Chase led the team with nine rebounds.

The West offense continued to surge against Juanita Sanchez as it finished with a huge 87-49 victory.

Buco led the way with 37 points, including six 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Falcons run away with the win. Chase scored 12 points and led with 10 rebounds.

“(Buco’s) a different talent. She’s a leader as a sophomore, she’s a great person and a coachable player. She’s a different breed, cut from a different cloth. She turned it on in the third quarter. As soon as she started with us (as a freshman), I knew she was going to be special and give us something. I look forward to seeing her grow and be the future of this team,” said West coach Nerson Santiago of Buco’s impact as a scorer early this season.

As the Falcons rise to the top spot in the state, Santiago credits his seniors for setting the tone and feels that the team is peaking at the right time.

“The seniors have been great taking the younger players under their wing and showing them how things are done. This is my third year so I have been able to leave my imprint in the sand a little more, and you’re starting to see that camaraderie outside of the gym and them building bonds. That has a lot to do with our success,” said Santiago.

With such a strong start, Santiago and company are confident that not only will they be a factor in the divisional playoffs, but a contender in the open state tournament in March as well.

“It’s DI ball, so anyone can beat anyone on any given night. If we can keep scoring like this, then the ceiling is definitely high. Our goal is to get to the open tournament and take it from there,” said Santiago. “Keep working every day, keep getting better every day and trust each other. Coaches need to coach and players need to make the plays and execute.”