For the first half, it looked like a Division II team against a Division I opponent.
D-I Cranston West held a 24-21 lead at halftime, but its domination seemed much greater. Brett Bucci and Kevin Mitchell were feasting inside while the D-II Panthers failed to convert on several opportunities at the other end.
Johnston’s leading scorer, Ryan Yankee, was held to just five in the first half. He was blanked after giving his side an early 9-6 lead.
“We said it at halftime, [Yankee]’s going to come out, they’re going to set screens for him, they’re going to do whatever they can do to get him open,” West head coach John Macera said.
Then, as Macera expected, the Panthers came out of the intermission with new life. Yankee and Nassir Vasquez took over the game, combining for 24 second-half points to lead Johnston to a 53-44 non-league win on the road.
Nick Dionizio got a shot to fall just after the break to up West’s lead to 26-21, but Vasquez found some shooting lanes to cut into the deficit. He drove through the teeth of the Falcons’ defense for a layup before a steal-and-score made it a one-point game. He took a pass from Nick Mollicone to give Johnston its first lead of the half, 27-26, on the next possession.
“We need him,” Johnston head coach Ed Bedrosian said of Vasquez. “If Yankee’s not scoring, we need him to pick it up, and then we pick up the other points from the other guys, but I’m proud of these guys.”
The shooting rhythm was contagious as Yankee was infected next. He was able to get to the basket, but his ability to draw fouls was where he earned his keep. Yankee went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe during the second half.
“We got better ball movement in the second half,” Bedrosian said. “[Yankee] freed himself more, they went to zone. He got to the free spots and made some nice drives to the hoop. He’ll find a way.”
He hit a pair to extend Johnston’s lead to 33-26, but West wasn’t down for the count. Its guards struggled notably during the second half, but the Falcons were able to keep the game close down low. Bucci converted a 3-point play to make it 33-29 before getting a putback to fall on the next drive.
Bucci and Mitchell would hit key baskets down the stretch, keeping West within one possession until the final four minutes. Bucci drilled two free throws with 3:41 to go that slashed the hole to one point.
That would be the last time the Falcons got on the scoreboard. The Panthers used stingy defense and hard-nosed play on the offensive end to finish the game on an 8-0 run. Yankee got it going with a shot that put Johnston ahead 47-44 with 3:10 remaining.
“He’s just a good athlete all around,” Macera said of why it is difficult to contain Yankee. “He’s smart, he didn’t get too frazzled. He had a tough first half.”
Kyle Nelson got his only points of the half at a crucial juncture. He took a pass inside from Yankee and put it off the glass to make it a two-possession game, 49-44.
Vasquez and Mike Sabitoni each chipped in down the stretch to ice the victory. Vasquez sank his fifth field goal of the half, while Sabitoni drained both ends of a 1-and-1. Bucci and Mitchell were stymied during the final minutes, allowing Johnston to seal its road upset.
“Those last two minutes hurt us,” Macera said. “We had some opportunities where we could’ve scored, and we didn't stay true to the offense.”
West saw 15 of its second-half 20 points come from Bucci and Mitchell inside. Its guards combined for just three points after the break.
“The biggest thing for us is to try to stay disciplined enough to get it to the bigs,” Macera said. “I told them, ‘If you get it in to the bigs, and it’s not there, don’t be afraid to kick it out.’ They did it a couple of times, I would have preferred a little bit more.”
The future doesn’t get much easier for West. The Falcons welcome reigning state champion Bishop Hendricken (2-1) to Cranston on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Hawks are fresh off a trip to Hawaii, during which they fell in the tournament title game of the Punahou Invitational.
“They show flashes of discipline, which is all I can ask for,” Macera said of his squad. “I’d like to see it be a little more consistent, but we’re trying to work on that. All you can do is continue to work and try to pound it home. It’s a work in progress.”
Johnston stayed undefeated with a 61-60 overtime victory over Middletown on Tuesday night, pushing its record out to 4-0 in league play. Yankee posted 29 points to lead all scorers.
The Panthers welcome winless Prout to town tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
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