Barrington is headed for another playoff showdown with LaSalle.

The Eagles won a pair of games in the state tournament last week and will face LaSalle in the semifinals on Saturday at URI's Ryan Center. The game tips off at noon.

Barrington played LaSalle twice during last year's playoffs. The Eagles defeated LaSalle in the Division I finals, 39-36, and then lost to the Rams in the state tournament finals, 41-33. Barrington was without one of its key starters in the state tournament loss.

This year, Barrington will face an undefeated LaSalle team. The Rams beat Barrington 47-40 in an early regular season game and then went on to win the Division I tournament. 

Barrington has bounced back after an early exit from the Division I tournament. After losing to South Kingstown in the Division I quarterfinals, Barrington regrouped and crushed Classical in the state tournament opener, 59-37. 

In the state tournament quarterfinals, the Eagles faced a tough Scituate team. The Spartans held a narrow lead over Barrington with about 8 minutes to play, but the Eagles dug deep and pulled away, capturing a 54-45 victory.

Junior forward Alexandra Marinelli led all scorers with 21 points while Olivia Middleton finished with 16. Caroline Adamson dropped in nine points. 

Barrington defeats Classical

The 4th seed Barrington High School girls basketball team crushed 13th seed Classical, 59-37, at Johnston High School on Wednesday night, Feb. 28. Marinelli hit three 3-pointers and scored all of her 16 points in the first half to give the Eagles a comfortable 41-16 halftime lead.

“We came out and played really well in the first half. Particularly in our transition game and our press. I thought that we were spot on,”said Barrington head coach Stephen Lenz. “They came out and played us in a box and one on Andrea Kubas-Meyer. That freed up Alex to hit some big threes. It also allowed for Olivia Middleton to drive strong to the basket. Alex got us going, hitting threes from the outside and making them pay for being in the junk defense. That’s how we built that big lead at halftime. Aggressive full court pressure and then getting out in front transition layups. I was pleased about that."

Middleton scored 15 points and Kubas-Meyer scored 13 points. Both scored 8 in the first half when coach Lenz had the team in the up-tempo full-court press.

“We pushed the ball, we crashed (the boards). If our first shots didn’t go in we were getting second shots and we played good defense,” said Kubas-Meyer. “It was really our press that got us our run in the first half. We got a lot of fast break points off of turnovers and it took them out of the game early. It was a good team effort."

Eagles senior co-captain Elizabeth Hutchings watched the game from the bench while nursing a sprained ankle. 

“We worked really well together as a team. We were unselfish with the ball. We took advantage of some good opportunities attacking the basket. We played good defense. Pressed and forced Classical to turn it over. We kept the tempo up as we love playing fast, running up the floor. Everyone played awesome. It was a really good team effort,” said Hutchings. 

She spoke about Barrington’s style of play, how the team keeps in shape and their positive attitude.

“Coach Lenz is an amazing practice coach. We practice all-around drills that incorporate conditioning and skills. He pushes us all the time. He holds us accountable. Everyone on the team really picks each other up. Whether we make mistakes or do something well, we will compliment each other. That really pushes us in practice. We hold each other to a real high standard. We feel that defense is really the core of our team. We focus on our defense and we are really disciplined players. That is what coach has instilled in all of us,” said Hutchings.

Senior forward Caroline Adamson scored 9 points, Elizabeth McConaghy scored 4 and Alexis Malnerich scored 2.