The Cranston East boys basketball team is battling for a Division II playoff spot and helped its cause when it completed a 58-49 comeback win over visiting Cumberland last week.
The Clippers would mount a six-point lead midway through the third quarter, but the Bolts would catch fire down the stretch to run away with the much-needed win. The Bolts were led by Alex Fernandez, who scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers. Mohammed Guey added 15 points and Darien Peterson scored 11 in the win as well.
After a slow first half, the Bolts would clamp down on defense and see their shots begin to fall in the second half to turn things around.
“We had to pick it up. We had to play defense and execute,” said Fernandez, who found his rhythm as a shooter late in thee third quarter. “I just had to warm up, I warmed up and the plays started working.”
“We had to turn up the defensive intensity. It all starts on the defensive end. We had to turn it up on defense and be physical,” added Guey. “It’s a game of runs. They were more intense and physical in the first half and then we were more intense and physical and the second half.”
Although the East trio of Fernandez, Guey and Peterson led the way, the team got some key contributions from the guys behind them. Jeremiah Sainristil added five points while Angel Cabrera hit a big 3-pointer deep in the fourth quarter which put the game out of reach for the Clippers.
“Having the subs, having everyone with different roles on the team, having that depth on the bench, it helps us play harder. It gave us the momentum we needed in the second half,” said Fernandez.
The team fell to Tolman the following day and took on Johnston on Tuesday night, but the results were unavailable at press time. The top eight teams in the division make the playoffs, with teams seeded 9-12 competing in play-in games for a chance to reach the postseason. The Bolts sat at 13th prior to Tuesday’s game and will likely need to win multiple contests in the final week of the regular season to clinch the 12th spot. East will be taking on Cranston West, North Kingstown, Bishop Hendricken and Scituate to wrap things up.
“This win is great and will take us far. We just need to continue to execute,” Fernandez said.
Guey added: “We felt like this team couldn’t beat us, this was our playoff game and that lit a fire in us.”