By ALEX SPONSELLER

The No. 11 Cranston West girls basketball team fell to No. 2 Juanita Sanchez 45-41 in the Final Four round of the open state tournament on Saturday to end its season.

The Lady Falcons became the Cinderella team of the tournament after pulling off a pair of upsets over East Providence and Rogers to reach the Final Four. Although West hung in there and briefly held a fourth-quarter lead, the high-flying Cavaliers were able to make key shots in the final minutes to pull away with the victory.

“The experience was great for the kids. It didn’t end the way we wanted to end it. (Juanita Sanchez) had 24 free throws; their leading scorer had nine from the free throw line so you can’t win (playing) like that. It is what it is though, it was a great year,” said West coach Nerson Santiago.

The Falcons trailed throughout the entire first half, but junior guard Maylina Cotto-Santiago would get hot and score nine points in the third quarter to help West mount its first lead of the contest. West carried a 32-30 lead into the final quarter.

Juanita Sanchez would eventually regain the 36-34 lead with just over four minutes remaining and would roll the rest of the way to earn the trip to the finals, where it fell to Ponaganset.

Cotto-Santiago led West with 16 points scored while Maddie Alves added 11 and Catherine Albizu seven.

Juanita Sanchez boasted arguably the best offense in the state, while West had perhaps the best defense. Santiago was proud of the team’s defensive effort and shutting down some of the stars on the Cavalier roster.

“Defense has been our golden gem all year. We led the league in points allowed per game and our defense was the core of our team. This year we wanted to build a good defensive scheme and in the future we plan on being a better offensive team. This game, we wanted to shut down (Sabanna) Berrios, take away her rebounds and putbacks. We did a good job of shutting her down and we held (Genesis) McNeill to six points and she was a First Team All-Stater. Our game plan was working, but we overlooked a few of their other players that made some big shots. The game plan was executed perfectly, but the other girls made some tough shots,” Santiago said.

Santiago was proud of Cotto-Santiago, who emerged as one of the state’s most lethal shooters down the stretch this winter.

“She puts in the work and what was in the dark came to light in the second half part of the season. I knew she had it all along. It was really nice to see that skillset come out under the big lights,” Santiago said.

West will now look toward 2022-23. Although players like Alves, Kaitlyn Antonucci and Albizu are set to graduate, the Falcons will look to return girls like Cotto-Santiago, Kiley Abendroth and Maia Riccio. Santiago will miss the outgoing seniors and appreciates the help they provided him in his first year as coach.

“They set the culture, they’re exemplary in teamwork and sportsmanship. I caught onto that and learned what it takes to be a leader,” Santiago said. “They taught the younger girls that you can be tenacious but still be a kind person and coachable. They built the other girls up around them. We have a bright future.”