What will Saturday's state hoops semifinals look like? Here's everything you need to know
2024 RIIL Boys Basketball State Tournament Semifinals
No. 1 Classical vs. No. 4 Lincoln
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, 4 p.m., at the Ryan Center.
LEAGUE RECORDS: Classical 18-0 Division I; Lincoln 18-0 Division II.
PREVIOUS MATCHUP: The teams did not play each other this season.
DIVISION TOURNAMENT RESULTS: No. 1 Classical beat No. 3 La Salle, 60-57, in the Division I championship game; No. 1 Lincoln beat No. 3 Tolman, 75-68, in the Division II championship game.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the quarterfinals, Classical beat No. 8 East Providence, 80-73, while Lincoln beat No. 5 Hendricken, 74-53.
TOTAL TITLES: Lincoln 5 (4 Division II, 1 Division III); Classical 8 (3 State, 3 Division I, 2 Division II).
LAST STATE TOURNAMENT FINAL: Classical lost to Hendricken in overtime, 71-68, in the 2022 State Tournament final. Lincoln has never played in a State Tournament final.
LAST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Classical beat North Kingstown, 57-52, to win the 2013 State Tournament. Lincoln has never won a state championship.
HEAD COACHES: Lincoln – Jeremy Wilner; Classical – John Kavanagh.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Lincoln – Josh Bergeron, G, So.; Ace Cote, G, Jr.; Camden DiChiara, G, Sr.; Gianni Pagios, G, So.; Wayne McNamara, F, Sr.; Classical – Abdul Evans, G, Jr.; Azzy Harrison, G, Sr.; Devin Sone, G, So. Eliezer Delbrey, F, So.; Jordan Duke, F, Jr.
KEY RESERVES: Lincoln – Nick Boudjouk G, So.; Ryan Fraize, F, Sr.; Austin Noel, F, Sr.; Classical – Ngulwe Mukama, So, F.
OUTLOOK: The day’s most interesting matchup because of how both teams play. Someone will be handed their first in-state loss of the season. Both teams play impressive team basketball and while Lincoln relies on its stars — DiChiara and McNamara — a little more, this game will be decided by the other players on the court. That’s where Classical’s advantage may be because there isn’t much that separates their starters in terms of talent and ability. The Purple can sacrifice one or two players and let their other three win a game for them. Lincoln might not have that — but it will have the best player on the court in McNamara, who could take over this game with his ability to get to the hoop and the foul line. Both teams want to run, neither team is particularly deep, but this is the game the state’s been waiting for and it’s going to be a fun one to watch live.
RUEB’S PICK: Classical.
No. 2 Barrington vs. No. 3 La Salle
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, 6 p.m., at the Ryan Center,
LEAGUE RECORDS: Barrington 17-1 Division I; La Salle 15-3 Division I.
PREVIOUS MATCHUP: Barrington hosted and beat La Salle in overtime, 70-64, on Jan. 4.
DIVISION TOURNAMENT RESULTS: No. 2 Barrington lost to No. 7 Portsmouth, 79-61, in the Division I quarterfinals; No. 3 La Salle lost to No. 1 Classical, 60-57, in the Division I championship game.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the quarterfinals, Barrington beat No. 10 North Providence in overtime, 64-61, while La Salle beat No. 6 Tolman, 57-41.
TOTAL TITLES: Barrington 2 (2 Division II); La Salle 8 (4 State, 4 Division I).
LAST STATE TOURNAMENT FINAL: Barrington lost to La Salle, 61-51, in the 2015 state championship game. La Salle lost to Hendricken, 67-61, in the 2023 state championship game.
LAST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Barrington has never won a state championship. La Salle beat Barrington, 61-51, to win the 2015 state championship.
HEAD COACHES: Barrington – Mike Raffa; La Salle – Mike McParlin.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Barrington – Owen Pfeffer, G, Jr.; Quinn Murphy, G, Sr.; Matt Raffa, G, Sr.; Nick Scandura, F, Sr.; Evan Anderson, F, Sr.; La Salle – Lucas Gillis, G, Jr.; Timoy Stitchell, G, Jr.; Jacob Marcone, F, Jr.; Liam Simpson, F, Jr.; Rex Zadrozny, C, Sr.
KEY RESERVES: Barrington – Colin McDermott, G, So.; Caleb Satisfield, G, So.; Ryan Realejo, G, So.; La Salle – Jodmar Duarte, F, Sr.; Thomas Malloy, G, Jr.; Nicholas Tarro, G, So.
OUTLOOK: The Eagles almost didn’t make it here, but if they’re going to pick a time to play their best basketball now would be it. Barrington is the superior shooting team — led by Raffa — and it will need to hit shots and play disciplined defense to handle a La Salle team that can score in a few different ways. The state’s best big men — Scandura from Barrington and Zadrozny from La Salle — will battle in this one, but watch for Simpson to be a difference maker for the Rams with his size and athleticism. Turnovers and transition points will win this game and that’s an advantage for the Rams provided they can play team basketball for a full four quarters.
RUEB’S PICK: La Salle.
2024 RIIL Girls Basketball State Tournament semifinals
No. 1 Barrington vs. No. 5 Bay View
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, 12 p.m., at the Ryan Center.
LEAGUE RECORDS: Barrington – 15-3 Division I; Bay View – 15-3 Division I
PREVIOUS MATCHUPS: Bay View hit the road to beat Barrington, 52-49, on Dec. 21, then hosted the Eagles and won again, 39-38, on Feb. 16.
DIVISION TOURNAMENT RESULTS: No. 3 Barrington beat No. 1 North Kingstown, 50-40, in the Division I championship game. No. 2 Bay View lost to No. 7 La Salle, 59-57, in the Division I quarterfinals.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the preliminary round, Bay View beat No. 12 West Warwick, 53-29. In the quarterfinals, Barrington beat No. 8 Chariho, 62-41, while the Bengals beat No. 4 Ponaganset, 44-43.
TOTAL TITLES: Barrington 6 (3 Division I, 3 Division II); Bay View 3 (3 State).
LAST STATE TOURNAMENT FINAL: Barrington lost to St. Raphael, 43-38, in the 2021 Division I (state) championship game. Bay View beat North Kingstown in overtime, 42-40, in the 2023 state championship game.
LAST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Barrington has never won a state championship. Bay View beat North Kingstown in overtime, 42-40, to win the 2023 State Tournament.
HEAD COACHES: Barrington – Stephen Lenz; Bay View – Dawan Robinson.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Barrington – Riley Graveline, G, Jr.; Liv Morrissette, G, Jr.; Janaya Prince Baquero, G, Sr.; Maddie Gill, F, Sr.; Isys Dunphy, F, Sr.; Bay View – Sofia Moreno, G, So.; Gianna Paolino, G, Sr.; Amelia Polichetti, G, Sr.; Qiana Sumner, F, Jr.; Ava Wasylow, F, Sr.
KEY RESERVES: Barrington – Ellie Donato, G, Jr.; Lauren Kilpatrick, G, So.; Faith Van Ness, G, So.; Bay View – Jacqueline Buffery, F, Sr.; Madison Gomes, G, Sr.
OUTLOOK: In the quarterfinals Bay View proved how hard it is to beat a team three times; now it has to prove it can do just that against Barrington. On paper, this should be a big win for the Eagles — their big three of Dunphy, Gill and Prince Baquero is a matchup nightmare. If the defense is running and they find pace, Barrington is tough to beat. But playoff Bay View is not regular-season Bay View and expect to see the Bengals play disciplined team defense and try to turn this game ugly. If Bay View takes care of the ball, it wins this game; if Barrington creates turnovers and turns those into points, it flies away with the win. But if the game gets tight, don’t discount the Bengals’ previous Ryan Center experience.
RUEB’S PICK: Bay View
No. 2 North Kingstown vs. No. 3 Moses Brown
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, 2 p.m., at the Ryan Center.
LEAGUE RECORDS: North Kingstown – 16-2 Division I; Moses Brown – 18-0 Division II.
PREVIOUS MATCHUP: The teams did not play each other this season.
DIVISION TOURNAMENT RESULTS: No. 1 North Kingstown lost to No. 3 Barrington, 50-40, in the Division I championship game. No. 1 Moses Brown lost to No. 2 Pawtucket, 58-40, in the Division II championship game.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the preliminary round, Moses Brown beat No. 14 Hope, 63-36. In the quarterfinals, North Kingstown beat No. 7 La Salle, 44-30, while the Quakers beat No. 6 Pawtucket, 52-44.
TOTAL TITLES: North Kingstown 5 (4 State, 1 Division I), Moses Brown 2 (1 State, 1 Division II).
LAST STATE TOURNAMENT FINAL: North Kingstown lost to Bay View in overtime, 42-40, in the 2023 State Championship game. Moses Brown beat Barrington, 55-51, in the 2018 State Championship game
LAST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: North Kingstown beat Barrington, 41-39, to win the 2014 state championship. Moses Brown beat Barrington, 55-51, to win the 2018 state championship.
HEAD COACHES: North Kingstown – Bob Simeone; Moses Brown – Tamara Tardy.
PROBABLE STARTERS: North Kingstown – Maya Bigelli, So, G; Brooke Faunce, G, So; Finola Gately, G, Fr.; Jaelyn Holmes, G, Jr.; Courtney Brochu, F, So. Moses Brown – Jaelynn Perez, G, So., G; Vivian Stone, G, Jr.; Hannah West, G, Sr.; Lauren Bousquet, F, So.; Addy Prescott, F, Sr.
KEY RESERVES: North Kingstown – Erin Hanrahan, F, Jr.; Mya Macchioni, F, Fr.; Moses Brown – Jane Belsito, F, So.; Abigail DeWolf, G, So.; Ava Giardino, G, Sr.; Elise Kurtis, G, Jr.; Marielle Nassiff, G, Fr.
OUTLOOK: Two teams with a massive chip on their shoulders make for a semifinal that should be fun to watch. North Kingstown has better basketball players at guard, but Moses Brown has superior athletes at the other positions. Common sense says MB’s Perez will shadow NK star Holmes around, but don’t be surprised if Stone — a field hockey and lacrosse star — tries to tire her out. If the Quakers can stifle Holmes and Faunce, it could take NK’s offense out of whack. North’s going to have to find a way to slow Bousquet, who could have a big day in the paint. Bousquet should see double teams all game, but if she can muscle through or distribute when the doubles hit — watch for Nassiff to have a big game — it will be a good day for the Quakers. North is still the favorite in what should be a low-scoring game, but if Moses Brown’s guards stay out of foul trouble, this is a winnable game.
RUEB’S PICK: Moses Brown.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Who is playing in the RIIL Boys and Girls Basketball State Tournament
