Hendricken basketball jelling at the right time. Here's how it advanced to the semifinals.
WARWICK — Perhaps more than in most other recent seasons, Bishop Hendricken's boys basketball team needed to create offense like this.
Mike Paquette is now playing college basketball. Eze Wali and Azmar Abdullah will join him next season after completing a prep year. That backcourt trio did more than its share of getting the Hawks out of trouble during their respective careers.
This remaining group has been vulnerable at times, but it appears to be coming together ahead of the biggest games in March. The latest example was a 68-39 victory over East Providence on Tuesday night, a rematch of a state tournament semifinal last year at the Ryan Center.
Bishop Hendricken netted 22 points off 14 turnovers by the Townies — 11 in each half. It was easier to score in transition than in tight spaces against East Providence’s length. The Hawks booked a weekend Division I semifinal date with top-seed Classical at Rhode Island College.
“That’s a part of our culture and what we do,” Hendricken coach Jamal Gomes said. “Our foundation is defense. It brings us energy at the offensive end.”
James Caldarella collected 18 of his game-high 22 points and finished 8-for-10 from the field in the second half for Bishop Hendricken, which blew open what was just a four-point game late in the second quarter. Mike D’Ambra added the bulk of his 15 points on four 3-pointers and Dylan Lynch chipped in 13. That balance was key for the hosts in front of a packed house at Pepin Gymnasium.
“You think about it all week,” D’Ambra said. “As soon as we won our last game, it was all I could think about.”
The Hawks (17-6) managed just one field goal between the 7:16 and 1:38 marks in the second quarter. D’Ambra connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing to break the ice and followed with another just before the halftime buzzer. The Townies (15-9) passed up a chance to take the last shot and opened the door for D’Ambra to stake the hosts to a 30-20 lead.
“Got to go out there and produce,” D’Ambra said. “Put points on the board and do what I can do to help the team win.”
East Providence erased nearly all of an early 10-point deficit but couldn’t sustain any offensive rhythm over the final 18 minutes. Kenaz Ochgwu hit double figures with 12 points but had no company. The Townies will regroup for the state field and could prove a difficult opponent — they had won eight of nine going into this one, including a victory over No. 2-seed La Salle.
“We had a good night tonight, I think, defensively and offensively,” Gomes said. “They’ll be back in the state tournament.”
D’Ambra was raised in this gym — the first-year left-hander's father, Matt, is Bishop Hendricken’s freshman basketball coach. Son missed out on a chance to play for dad in his debut season, and his growth is part of the reason why the Hawks have captured eight straight against league opponents. They’ll face a stern test against the Purple, who raced past North Kingstown in their own quarterfinal.
“I tell them, ‘You’re not inexperienced anymore,’ ” Gomes said. “We need to go out and do now. We need to play our best basketball when it matters most.”
EAST PROVIDENCE (39): Jaydason Barros 0 0-0 0, Tyler Gomes 1 0-2 3, Christian Torres 2 0-0 4, Levi Jacobs 1 3-4 5, Kenaz Ochgwu 6 0-0 12, Derrell Liggins 2 4-6 8, Franklin Carela Lopez 1 0-0 2, Braedon Ellis 0 0-0 0, Cam Evora 0 0-0 0, Brandyn Van Wagner 2 1-1 5, Antonio Varela 0 0-0 0, Colin Roche 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 8-13 39.
BISHOP HENDRICKEN (68): James Caldarella 10 0-0 22, Dylan Lynch 5 2-2 13, Luke Pignataro 0 0-0 0, Will Cary 2 0-0 4, Jakob Reyes 1 0-0 2, Will Mascena 2 0-0 4, Christian Butera 3 0-0 6, Mike D’Ambra 5 1-1 15, Jack Renza 1 0-0 2, Rushaune Vilane 0 0-0 0, Jeremy Redd 0 0-0 0. Totals: 29 3-3 68.
Halftime — BH, 30-20. 3-point field goals — EP 1 (Gomes), BH 7 (D’Ambra 4, Lynch, Caldarella 2).
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bishop Hendricken beats East Providence to reach semifinals
