Panthers knock off West

The real season begins tonight, but the Johnston boys’ basketball team already owns a feather in its cap – and some momentum for the start of league play.

After an overtime win over Warwick Vets in a tournament at Ponaganset on Sunday, the Panthers knocked off Division I Cranston West 66-55 with an impressive performance in Monday’s non-league game. Larry Dureault scored a game-high 23 points to spark the upset.

“Very good win,” said head coach Steve DeMeo. “I don’t recall the last time we beat a Division I team.”

Mix in the win over a solid Warwick Vets team, and the Panthers are feeling pretty good as they get set to open league play with tonight’s 7 p.m. home game against Scituate. Johnston had opened the season with a close loss to Cumberland in an Injury Fund event, but it’s been nothing but positives since.

“This was our third game in four days and I thought we responded very well,” DeMeo said after the win over West. “The guys played hard, they’re totally unselfish. We were afraid of their fast break but we got back well and I thought we rebounded with them.”

The Falcons are replacing the bulk of their starting lineup from a playoff team a year ago, but still have some talent in the fold. Johnston was undeterred. A layup by Ryan McKeon, a three-point play by Mark Breton and a three-pointer by Dureault staked the Panthers to an 8-2 lead just 50 seconds into the game.

West quickly responded with an 8-0 run, but in a sign of things to come, the Panthers didn’t back down. Trailing 10-8, they got a three from McKeon and a steal and layup from Breton to go back on top. West came back with four straight points to lead 14-13, but Johnston went back in front on a bucket inside by Louie Sasa.

The Panthers would never trail again.

A 6-0 run sparked by two Dureault buckets and a jumper by Ryan Yankee made it 24-16. After West got within one, Joe Bongiovanni came off the bench and buried a three, touching off a 12-0 run that gave Johnston control. Breton had four points in the burst, Dureault scored on a putback and Bongiovanni hit another three. After West had stopped the run, a three-pointer by Jacob Dannenfelser pushed the lead out to 13, and Johnston went to the break up by 11.

Already, it was an impressive performance. The Panthers forced nine turnovers and stifled much of what West wanted to do thanks to a 1-3-1 zone. A high effort level made things even better.

“I think it stems from McKeon and Breton, how hard they play,” DeMeo said. “That trickles down to the other guys and before you know it, you’re subbing in four or five guys who are doing the same thing.”

It continued in the second half – and the result was an even more impressive performance.

The Falcons came out hard, forcing two turnovers and scoring six points in the first 39 seconds of the half. That made it 39-34.

But the Panthers got their feet under them on their next possession, and Dureault stopped the run with a leaner. West came up empty on two straight trips and Dureault delivered both times, hitting a runner and a three-pointer to make it 46-34.

Just like that, West’s burst had been negated.

“These guys don’t quit,” DeMeo said.

Johnston continued to play well at the defensive end, and in the meantime, West started settling for outside shots. The result was a field goal drought that lasted nearly seven minutes.

The Panthers took full advantage, opening up an 18-point lead. It grew to as many as 24 before West put together a late run for the 11-point final margin.

Dureault’s 23 points represented a second-straight breakout performance for the junior guard, who didn’t see many varsity minutes last season.

“Larry has been playing all-world,” DeMeo said. “He’s been working hard.”

Breton added 10 points and was a force on the boards and at the top of the 1-3-1 zone. McKeon tallied eight points, Bongiovanni had six, Dannenfelser scored five and Sasa, Yankee and Zach Coro had four each. Chris Vizzacco chipped in two.

DeMeo was also pleased with the defensive performance, headed by Breton and Coro.

“We’re very, very active,” he said. “Every game we’ve played so far, it’s worked well. We were going to try a little man-to-man, but the score was going in our favor, so why change it up?”

The Panthers will now turn their attention to the league opener against Scituate.

“Hopefully it carries over,” DeMeo said. “We open up Thursday night. Now the games count.”