SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The Barrington High School girls basketball team coming off their incredible win in the semifinals over 1 seed LaSalle on Saturday, set a torrid pace in the 2018 Girls Basketball State Championship game on Sunday against 2 seed Moses Brown and jumped out to a 31-20 lead halftime lead. The Eagles led by as much as 14 points with 13:59 left in the game, but ran out of gas late and succumb to the bigger and deeper Quakers in a heartbreaking 55-51 loss.

“Between the game yesterday and the emotion that we played with today, kind of caught up with us the last 7 minutes. I’m not taking anything away from Moses Brown, they played really well down the stretch. I feel badly for my girls. Because I feel like they deserve this,” said Barrington Head Coach Stephen Lenz.

The Eagles were running on all cylinders early in the game. They stifled the Quakers with fierce team defense and monster rebounding. Barrington forwards Alex Marinelli, Caroline Adamson and Liddy Hutchings took turns guarding Quakers 6-foot senior center Oluchi Ezemma as she came slamming through the paint. The Eagles played tough, stout, physical defense and refused to let the center inside. Senior forward Andrea Kubas-Meyer covered Quakers star forward Tori Matson like a blanket. The Eagles held Ezemma to 10 points and to Matson to 4 points in the first half.

Sophomore guard Cary Heterick ran the offense for the Eagles. Her first option was to feed Junior forward Alex Marinelli. It was working, Marinelli scored 13 points in the first half with three 3-pointers. Heterick swung it over to senior guard Olivia Middleton when she got hot midway through the first half. Middleton hit four 3-pointers in a row for 12 points. Heterick and Kubas-Meyer also chipped in with 3-pointers and the Quakers were reeling as the Eagles led by 11 at the half.

Barrington kept shooting the three in the second half. Marinelli and Middleton each dropped in two more as Barrington stretched the lead to 34-20 with 13:59 left in the game. Marinelli scored 19 points and Middleton scored 18 points for the game.

But as the game progressed, the Eagles game eroded. They became fatigued and got sloppy on defense. Ezemma and company smothered the Eagles offensive and kept on getting to the line. With 6:18 left in the game, Moses Brown went on tear. They turn the table on the Eagles. Moses Brown’s Ezemma, Matson and senior guard Jess Rylander wore the Eagles down and got to the line 12 times for 16 points as Moses Brown went on a 17-1 run down the stretch.

“I thought that we came out strong in the second half. I felt like we had them where we wanted them and we just ran out of gas. We had some really good looks down the stretch. We couldn’t finish and they capitalized on it,” said coach Lenz adding, “They are a good team. Moses Brown didn’t quit. The last seven minutes we struggled. And the team was probably a little bit tired at the end of the game,” said coach Lenz.

The Eagles were desperate for a basket as they clung to a 50-49 lead with 2:41 left to play. Heterick passed the ball to Marinelli on the outside and she took a 3-pointer with Quakers guard Maura O’Malley getting a hand in her face. She missed the shot and It bounded off the rim and out to Middleton, who swooped down the lane and attempted to underhand the ball up under the the arms of the much taller Ezemma. The ball again bounced off the rim. Hutchings and Kubas-Meyer fought with Ezemma for the rebound, but the center ripped the ball out of their hands and the Quakers started up the court.

Matson got to the line and gave Moses Brown their first lead of the half, 51-50 with 2:07 left.

Middleton dribbled the ball up court and swung it to Kubas-Meyer, who passed it over to Adamson. The senior forward took the ball to the hoop and drew a foul. She made one of two and tied the score at 51-51, with 1:53 to play.

The Eagles made a great defensive stand as Marinelli got a hand on a 3-pointer by Rylander and Adamson stood up to Ezemma as she attempted a lay up from under the basket.

Barrington got the ball back with the score still tied 51-51, but a bad pass from Middleton to Kubas-Meyer turned the ball over to the Quakers.

This time Rylander dribbled up, drove to the basket and drew a foul as Marinelli and Adamson smashed her to the ground. She sunk one of two and gave the Quakers the lead 52-51 with 1:06 to play.

Another Eagles ill-fated pass gave the Quakers the ball back as precious time ticked off the clock. The Quakers didn’t score and the Eagles got the ball back with 42 seconds left.

Heterick dribbled up and swung the ball to Marinelli who was briefly open at the top of the 3-point line. She lofted a shot, but it careened out to Adamson, but Matson grabbed the ball and wrestled it away from her. Matson was called for a foul and the Eagles got another chance with 28-seconds to play. Marinelli bounded the ball in to Kubas-Meyer under the basket and she threw up a layup, but it didn’t fall. Rylander grabbed the rebound and the Quakers had the ball with 25 seconds left.

The Eagles sent Rylander to the foul line and she added to the Quakers lead, 54-51.

The Eagles had one last chance to tie the score with 15 seconds left. Kubas-Meyer inbounded the ball to Middleton. She dribbled towards the bench and looked to pass back to Kubas-Meyer when Matson jumped in and stole the ball.

A surprised Middleton fouled her as she pushed her out of bounds in an attempt to grab the ball back.

Matson missed both free throws and Barrington got the ball back on the Quakers baseline with 2 seconds left. Marinelli attempted to inbound the ball, but stepped on the line.

Quakers ball.

On the Quakers inbound pass, Middleton fouled out of the game by grabbing Rylander, sending the Quaker guard to the line. The Barrington bench consoled the senior guard as Rylander made one of two free throws to make the final score 55-51.

“I’m proud of the team and proud of the season that they had. The last seven minutes not much went our way. A lot of things went their way and that’s basketball. We fought back and I’m very proud of the team and I’m glad that we got to this point,” said coach Lenz.

Scoring

Marinelli scored 19 points, Middleton scored 18, Heterick scored 7, Kubas-Meyer scored 5 and Hutchings and Adamson each scored 1.