Controversy? Possibly. Enjoyable basketball? Positively. Right here's 5 ideas from EWG's win over Lincoln Faculty – The Windfall Journal

WEST GREENWICH – If the RIIL Division III Women Basketball ultimate goes something prefer it did Tuesday night time, it’s going to be an electrical night time of hoops at The AMP.
Lincoln Faculty traveled west with revenge on its thoughts after Exeter-West Greenwich dashed its championship hopes final season. Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights ended the Lynx’ undefeated season after a 45-44 victory that felt extra March than January.
The sport was what you’d anticipate from a pair of title contenders – good, powerful robust basketball with a heck of a comeback and just a little controversy blended in. A championship wasn’t determined, however Tuesday’s sport could find yourself being one thing to circle again in case these two groups meet once more.
Right here’s 5 takeaways from some of the enjoyable video games we’ve seen in women basketball this season.  
It will be journalistically irresponsible to not open dialogue with the play that led to the game-winning factors.  
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After a depressing offensive efficiency for three-plus quarters – some introduced on by EWG, some self-inflicted – Lincoln Faculty battled again and Sarah Berube’s 3-pointer had the Lynx up 45-44 with 33 seconds left.
The Knights’ ultimate offense set was chaos, introduced on Lincoln Faculty’s defensive stress.
With the clock ticking down, EWG’s Brielle Frenette saved an airball to Isabella Tramonti, who handed it again to Frenette within the nook. Lincoln Faculty’s Maggie McDonald and Amy Vonklin had Frenette pinned, so she fired a desperation move to Olawuyi within the paint.
Olawauyi had house to make a play and as she lunged to make the catch, Lincoln Faculty’s Reign Whiteing got here barreling in to attempt to cease her and the 2 collided with the ball going out of bounds. A whistle got here in and because the officers mentioned the play, the decision was in – it was a flagrant foul on Whiteing, giving EWG two photographs and the ball with 11 seconds left within the sport.
Watching the replay, there isn’t a doubt Whiteing fouled Olawuyi. From a baseline video, it appears like a tough however frequent foul with Whiting impeding Olawuyi as they each attempt to make a play.
A video of the play despatched to the Journal from the other baseline tells the story of the decision – from the again, it appears like Whiteing wasn’t making an attempt to play for contact, not the ball. The official who blew the whistle was positioned on an analogous angle, which brings some readability as to why the decision – made with out the good thing about replay – was made in actual time.
For sure, Lincoln Faculty coach Cindy Blodgett was lower than enthused with each the decision and the timing of it.
“They each collided. Neither one was one another,” Blodgett mentioned. “I believed she was going to name a double foul and was like ‘OK, that’s honest.’
“You don’t make that decision once you clearly didn’t play.”
The decision was massive, however the sport was hardly over at this level. There was nonetheless a matter of the free throws.
EWG couldn’t have requested for a greater participant to be on the line than Olawuyi. The junior is aware of just a little one thing about performing below stress. She’s an All-Stater in observe and subject and understands what to do when all eyes are on you.
“The identical nerves come up,” Olawuyi mentioned. “Flustered, butterflies in every single place, however you’ve received to take a deep breath, settle down and know what you’ve practiced each single day and keep in mind that and exit and do it.”
She sank the primary one, drawing screams from her teammates on the bench and people standing behind her at midcourt. The second was additionally a no-doubter.
“I used to be very nervous, however I’ve numerous confidence in Nini,” Herbert mentioned. “She practices very arduous, she works very arduous and when the second comes, she locks in and is aware of what to do.”
EWG uglied up the ultimate 11 seconds, barely getting the inbound move in play earlier than turning it over with two seconds left, then surviving Berube’s last-second heave that was nearer to getting in than not.
Whereas the ultimate foul benefitted EWG, it wasn’t why it received on Tuesday.
Lincoln Faculty presents two main issues with what it might do offensively – Berube as an explosive scorer and Whiteing as a nightmare to defend inside – however the Knights are one of many few groups that may match up with the Lynx.
EWG’s protection had Lincoln Faculty fully out of rhythm. Olawuyi knew she what she was up towards with Whiteing and used her size and athleticism to disrupt the highly effective sophomore within the paint and hold her from crushing second likelihood factors.
“She’s a shot blocker and she will be able to get to the rim – she’s good,” Olawuyi mentioned. “I knew it was going to be a very good matchup. My coach was telling me I needed to put together … and simply going up towards her was superb.
“She’s within the weight room. She’s larger than me and I do know that and I do know I had a drawback. I’ve to make use of no matter else I’ve received to cowl her.”
The Knights threw the whole lot besides the kitchen sink at Berube. Their guards took turns within the man protection, with a assist defender close by. It prevented Berube from striping threes and took away the drive and dish, forcing Lincoln Faculty to depend on its different gamers for factors.
“It was most necessary that we work collectively as a staff,” Hebert mentioned. “If somebody was down, we decide them up and assist them. Protection was a staff factor for us – it wasn’t only one individual stealing the ball.”
Offensively, EWG scrapped collectively factors. Hebert and Cora Cranston took benefit of Lincoln Faculty turnovers and located buckets in transition. Teammates took turns discovering Olawuyi beneath, driving to the bucket and throwing a bounce move to her on the block when the protection collapsed. Between these and her putbacks, she led the staff with 18 factors.
The Scarlet Knights led 13-4 after the primary quarter, 21-16 at halftime and grew the result in as massive as 9 within the third quarter. Lincoln Faculty fought again, chopping the deficit to 32-28 when Berube hit a floater for her 1,000^th profession level. After a short hiatus for the second, EWG had time for one play and made probably the most of it, with Hebert racing up the court docket and making a layup simply earlier than the buzzer sounded.
It wasn’t Hebert’s final massive bucket. Lincoln Faculty lastly discovered one thing on offense within the fourth and at last tied the sport at 40 with 2:25 left on a basket by Whiteing. Olawuyi gave EWG the lead again, solely to have Lincoln Faculty’s Alivia Harris tie it with a jumper of her personal.
With lower than one minute left, Hebert discovered herself in transition and the one factor between her and the basket was Whiteing, who had thrown a block get together all afternoon. Hebert didn’t flinch, went arduous to the bucket and lofted a floater simply over her outstretched arm for the go-ahead rating.
“I’m undoubtedly scared [in that situation]. She’s an ideal participant,” Hebert mentioned. “… I actually had nothing going by way of my thoughts besides make the shot. I actually needed to make the shot and it was simply luck to have it sink.”
The Lynx have been clearly annoyed by how the sport ended and having that be their first lack of the season wasn’t straightforward to take both.
Lincoln Faculty did a terrific job with non-conference scheduling, selecting up wins towards D-II Smithfield and Rogers thus far this season. They’ve run groups out of gyms and had a few powerful video games, however hadn’t struggled in a single like they did towards EWG.
“This actually has nothing to do with the staff we simply performed,” Blodgett mentioned. “We underperformed right now and our children know that this staff desires to be coached in that manner and this staff understands that. They’ll look again at this and know we didn’t play our greatest sport.”
For those who’re going to take an L, dropping a troublesome one on the street in January is lots simpler to cope with than in The AMP in March. The struggles Lincoln Faculty had Tuesday – specifically the turnovers and the poor capturing – are fixable. Berube and Whiteing aren’t the kind of gamers who will take a loss like that sitting down. They’re one of the best 1-2 punch in Division III and anticipate them to play with a fireplace the remainder of the best way because the Lynx attempt to chase down the No. 1 seed for the postseason.
“For us, it’s thrilling to say we have been up one till a nasty name on the finish modified that,” Blodgett mentioned. “We saved preventing, saved preventing on the street and all of it is a win for us shifting ahead.”
After dropping two of their first three video games of the season, then dropping a 3rd at house to Prout on Jan. 16, EWG wasn’t reeling – nevertheless it wanted a win like this to really feel proper.
The Knights beat Lincoln Faculty in final 12 months’s D-III semifinals, however nonetheless felt just like the underdogs on Tuesday. The fact is, they have been. In the event that they meet once more, they nonetheless can be.
However now EWG is armed with the data that being a favourite or underdog doesn’t matter one bit.
“We have to hold working at it, hold working arduous, set our requirements excessive and work collectively,” Hebert mentioned. “… I undoubtedly assume it was very nerve-wracking, nevertheless it teaches us an necessary lesson in psychological toughness and retaining our composure through the sport.”
“We’ve received to get on a roll, begin one other successful streak and get on the market,” Olawuyi mentioned. “What we did right here right now we will do each sport. We simply need to put that work in each single day.”

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