The Barrington High School boys basketball team survived a scare and knocked off North Providence in overtime, 64-61, during a quarterfinal showdown in the State Open Tournament, on Tuesday night, March 12 at Rhode Island College.

After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Eagles found themselves trailing by two, 58-56, with one minute to play. Nick Scandura blocked a Cougars shot on the defensive end, and on the offensive end he got fouled and hit two free throws to knot the score.

The Eagles had a chance to win the game in regulation, but a long three-point attempt by Matt Raffa came up short. In the extra period, Evan Anderson hit a basket down low to give the Eagles a 60-58 lead, but North Providence answered with a three-pointer. 

Trailing 61-60, Raffa was fouled and hit one out of two from the free throw line. That tied the score at 61-61. 

With 30 seconds remaining, North Providence had the chance to retake the lead, but Quinn Murphy knocked a pass off a Cougars player and gave the ball back to Barrington. 

Barrington looked poised to wait for the last shot, but North Providence guard Jeremiah Lenus reached in and tried to knock the ball away from Raffa with four seconds left to play. Referees whistled him for a foul, and sent Raffa to the free throw line. The BHS senior knocked down both shots and gave Barrington a 63-61 lead. The Cougars’ last-second attempt sailed out of bounds and Raffa iced the game with another free throw with :01.7 seconds left. 

“They played really hard and came at us for 32 minutes,” Raffa said about the North Providence team. “It took some plays down the stretch in order to gut out a win. All that matters is that we won by three points.”

Anderson, who scored six points late in the game, said North Providence was a tough opponent. 

“We knew they were a D-III team, but we knew not to underestimate them. They had a few D-I wins. Big games,” Anderson said, adding that the Cougars have won the D-III tournament in back to back years. “So we knew not to underestimate them. We came out and played them like any other opponent.”

Barrington Coach Mike Raffa said he anticipated a tough game against the Cougars.

“It’s about finding a way to make the next play and put us in position to convert offensively, put us in position to make a stop. That’s what it’s all about,” Coach Raffa said. “Basketball is a game of runs. We knew they were going to make a run. It’s just about could we stop it and could we answer.”

Barrington opened an 18-11 lead over North Providence in the first quarter. The Eagles used a 3-2 zone defense to frustrate the North Providence offense early on. 

The defense also resulted in some fast-break opportunities for Barrington. Caleb Satisfield capped the first quarter with a break-away layup off a long pass from Scandura. 

The Eagles expanded their lead to 18 points late in the second quarter, as Anderson scored inside and also kept the ball alive on the offensive glass. Those tips led to second and third chance shots for Barrington.

“That’s what I pride myself in, stay hard on the boards, defensively, offensively, keeping plays alive, getting steals,” Anderson said. “When I score points that’s great and all, but I just want to help the team win.”

Barrington led 34-22 at half-time, but North Providence trimmed the lead to three points late in the third quarter. The Cougars’ pressure defense took its toll on Barrington, which struggled at times to get the ball over mid-court. Meanwhile, North Providence’s offense started to knock down baskets.

“It started with our defense in the first half. When you get stops and get rebounds, you can get out and run,” Raffa said. “When the ball starts to go in (for North Providence), it’s a lot harder.”

North Providence outscored Barrington 17-11 in the fourth quarter. Anderson and Raffa led the Eagles in scoring down the stretch. Anderson scored six of Barrington’s final 13 points.

“The whole thing is to survive and advance in March, you need players to step up. Evan executed his role to the best,” Coach Raffa said. “If they’re going to help on Matt, help on Nick, Evan presented. Evan’s going to go score inside. Evan’s going to go get rebounds. The biggest things about Evan is his length. His length allows him to be a problem on defense, and it allows him to get rebounds or taps, which allow us to get second and third shots.”

Matt Raffa went 4-for-6 from the free throw line in the overtime period. 

“He’s hurt, he’s sick, but the kid’s a winner,” Coach Raffa said of Matt. “When the game’s on the line, I want the ball in his hands, he’ll find a way. We were hoping to get it done at the end of regulation … but we knew he would he get us there. 

“When you have senior leadership, when you have one of the best players in the state, you want to get the ball in his hands because he makes plays.”

Raffa finished with a team-high 22 points, including 11 from the free throw line. Anderson and Scandura each scored 12, and Satisfield added nine. Murphy, Colin McDermott and Ryan Rigamonti each scored three points. 

“It was a big ask again, we’ve had one game in 25 days. I don’t think we were crisp, but we found a way to gut it out and get to the finish line. That’s what it’s about in March,” Coach Raffa said. “March is a crazy month."

Barrington will play against LaSalle in the State Open Tournament semifinals. The game is scheduled for Saturday, March 16 at 6 p.m. at URI’s Ryan Center.

“We get to play at the Ryan Center. We’re one of four teams left and we have as good a chance as anybody,” Coach Raffa said. “We’ll take tomorrow to rest and talk about game-planning. And then Thursday and Friday we’ll get back to work…”