Prout Stuns Clippers; Rebels Play Tonight

Thanks to 23 points from wing Eric Ramieka, and 14 points and 14 rebounds from center Justin Bristol, the Prout Crusaders upset Division II champion Cumberland 61-57 in the Sweet Sixteen of the boys’ basketball state tournament.

The Providence Journal has a small write-up and a box score on its website. The South County Independent also provided updates via its Facebook page throughout the game.

With the win, No. 13 Prout will face No. 5 North Smithfield at 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Alumni Hall on the Providence College campus. It’ll be a Hoosiers-like story for either winner, with the “underdog” narrative in play for both the low-ranked Crusaders and the Division III Northmen.

The winner between Prout and North Smithfield will play in the Final Four on March 8 at the Ryan Center. A time has not been announced for these games yet. The state final is March 10 at the Ryan Center.

Rebels Look for Similar Upset Tonight

In the girls’ basketball state title tournament quarterfinals, No. 9 South Kingstown travels to Rhode Island College for a 6:30 p.m. game with No. 1 La Salle.

On Tuesday, the Rebels beat No. 8 Portsmouth at Portsmouth High School, thanks to 17 points from Mary Eden. That game setup the match-up with top seed La Salle (18-4, 17-1 Division I).

South Kingstown’s best weapon against the Rams might be the calendar. La Salle hasn’t played since its regular season finale on Feb. 21, a 63-34 thumping of No. 6 Smithfield. In the sole regular season meeting between the Rebels and La Salle, the Rams took home a 53-40 win at the McLaughlin Athletic Center on Dec. 20.

The winner will play in the semifinals 8 p.m. Tuesday at Rhode Island College against either No. 4 Westerly or No. 5 Bay View. The girls’ state title game is 4 p.m. March 10 at the Ryan Center.

The Rebels were Division II second place finishers in 2000-01, and 2001-02, and Class C champions in 1990-91. The Rebels had three winning seasons from 2007 to 2010, but didn’t finish as one of the top two teams in the state after the playoffs.

In contrast, La Salle has nine state titles in girls’ basketball, dating back to 1998-99. The Rams are looking for a third straight title this year, and have won five of the last six titles, with 2009-10 their lone slip-up in that time frame. Dating back to 2000-01, La Salle has only had a single .500 season, nevermind a losing year.