Tiverton girls’ basketball team beat Mt. Hope 51-44 in a physically played Division 2 game on Thursday night. The game was so tense that a fan was ejected for yelling profanities at the referees, according to coaches. 

The Tigers, who finished the regular season in second place with a record of 16-4, will face either Mt. Hope or Johnston in the division quarterfinals at home on Friday night at 5 p.m. The Tigers have made it to the post season for the third straight season under head coach Mike Brigham.

“The girls bring that high energy tht we’ve been preaching since the beginning of the year,” said Coach Brigham. “Against Mt. Hope, we emphasized sharing the ball. We were forcing it early and not being patient.”

Tiverton led 10-5 after the first quarter, trailed 19-16 at halftime and held a slight 29-27 advantage after the third, before scoring a whopping 22 points in the fourth, to send the Huskies home packing with a loss.

The fiercely contested game spilled into the stands in the fourth quarter as Huskies’ fans reigned down expletives at the referees as the Tigers extended the lead.

After having enough of it, the officials stopped the contest and refused to restart the game, until Tiverton athletic director, Ken Gouveia, escorted the screamer out of the gym.

The Tigers, in the midst of the melee, somehow became got dialed in. Sophomore guard Sara Poland, who sprained her thumb badly in the second quarter, drained a pair of  3-pointers and a jumper for 8 of her game high 24 points in the fourth quarter.

“She’s a tough kid,” Coach Brigham said.

Jah’niece Branch scored 6 points, Tori Murray scored 5, Jenna Deldeo netted 2 and Bea Pimental added a free throw.

With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the Tigers will look to get healthy as they begin their playoff run. Star guard Cami Oliveira, who was out with an illness, has started to practice and will be ready for Friday’s game. Poland, who injured her thumb diving for a loose ball, is hopeful to be ready to play.

“It’s nice to have a few days to get back on our feet,” said Coach Brigham.

The players are psyched to be heading to the tournament as the second seed.

“It’s exciting,” said senior co-captain Jenna Deldeo. “I knew that we’d be good. But I didn’t think we were going to have this level of success. The younger players are really strong and they have filled some big shoes.”

“We are gaining confidence as a team,” said senior co-captain Ellery Pacheco. “Coach tells us to play basketball. Trust each other and we’ll be successful as a team.”

Tiverton scoring: Sara Poland scored 24 points, Jah’niece Branch scored 11, Tori Muray scored 7 and Bea Pimental and Jenna Deldeo each scored 4.