The Cranston West girls basketball team is in the throws of its Division I playoff hunt as it sits at 4-4 in league play and in seventh place overall. The team fell to undefeated, first place North …
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The Cranston West girls basketball team is in the throws of its Division I playoff hunt as it sits at 4-4 in league play and in seventh place overall.
The team fell to undefeated, first place North Kingstown on Monday but previously beat Classical at home last week.
Kyla Buco led the team with 20 points in the win against Classical while Talya Walker and Maggie Sjovall each scored 13. Buco scored 10 points in the loss to the Skippers on Monday.
The Falcons faced a tough test this season after graduating captains Maia Riccio and Oliva Tedeschi Moran from last year’s team. On top of the graduated seniors, the team has been dealing with injuries, most notably missing Saniyya Chase who has missed multiple games. Chase had led the team in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals per game prior to the injury.
Despite the roster turnover, the Falcons have managed to play.500 basketball and remain a threat in the postseason race.
Leading the way has been Buco, who leads the team with 15 points per game.
“She’s a born leader, she cares and she’s a sharp shooter. She can score from anywhere on the court. She’s all in, she’s intense, a good team player. Her attitude, effort and approach are second to none,” said West coach Nerson Santiago.
Having a new lineup this season has also made the Falcons’ coaching staff adjust its approach schematically, getting back to the basics in many ways.
“We’re trying to play more complementary basketball this season. We implemented a whole new system this year. We’re using Princeton, triangle, it’s not the most sophisticated offense but once the girls get more experience in that offense, we’ll benefit from it,” said Santiago.
New faces such as Darien Kiernan, Walker and Sjovall, a freshman, have given Santiago hope for not only the rest of this season but the future as well.
“The program is heading in the right direction. We’re competing and working hard and we have a good freshman class. The future looks bright for us, and I think if we were in any other division we’d be one of the top teams. I’m optimistic for the future,” said Santiago, who is looking forward to blending the newcomers with the veterans once they return from the injured list. “The effort is there. Getting healthy is the main goal right now, we haven’t had our main players on the floor together yet this year. The girls that are there are playing hard, they want it. Once we get our full personnel back, we’ll be fine.”
West faced South Kingstown on Tuesday night but the results were not available at press time.
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