EAST PROVIDENCE — The respective East Providence High School basketball teams split their holiday tourney championship games played Wednesday, Dec. 28, in city, the girls beating host Providence Country Day in the afternoon and the boys falling to guest Central in the evening.

The Townies repeated as the Charlie Gwynne Holiday Invitational girls’ champion following their 58-28 win over the next-door neighbor Knights earlier Wednesday.

After dark, the EPHS boys trailed for most of the night, then rallied in the fourth quarter to make things very interesting, but eventually dropped the Harry Mutter Jr. Memorial Holiday Tourney title to visiting Central, 60-57.

More girls’ notes
East Providence never trailed after Harmonie McDowell scored the opening points of the Gwynne championship game, one of her five 3-pointers during the contest. PCD’s Vyannis Moronta matched that buck, tying the score for the one and only time the rest of the way.

The Townies closed out the first quarter on a 15-0 run to lead 18-3. Moronta, who accounted for the Knights’ initial nine points, scored the opening bucket of the second before EPHS went on a 7-0 run. A bit later, McDowell’s layup off a steal put the Townies up by 20 (25-5) for the first time. The talented freshman added five more points in the period to help East Providence build a commanding 37-12 lead by intermission.

McDowell eventually finished with a game-best 23 points, also the top outing of her very young high school career. She drained the last of her triples at the end of the third quarter, lifting the Townies’ edge to 49-23 at period’s end. McDowell’s short jumper near the close of the fourth was also the last points for EPHS just prior to Victoria Vieira hitting a deeper J to make the final margin 30.

East Providence’s standout sophomore and leading scorer Mya Lambert netted nine points and 11 in the second to close with 20 total. Senior Hailee Manteiga chipped in six. Moronta led the Knights with 13 points. Eloise Wetherby had seven and Vieira four.

The Townies were coming off similarly one-sided win over Tiverton in the opening round of the tourney Tuesday, Dec. 27. East Providence repeated as tournament champs, defeating Kimball Union and Wheeler en route to the 2021 Gwynne title.

The tournament victories against the Division II Tigers and D-IV PCD were much needed for a somewhat beleaguered EPHS squad, which has lost its three league games by an average of 32 points in its return to the state’s top tier D-I this winter.

More boys’ notes
The guest Knights, who defeated Shea in their opening round outing also on December 27, edged ahead in their Mutter title tilt with the Townies early, leading 12-9 after one and 27-25 at halftime.

Central added to its edge in the third, outscoring East Providence by five to hold a 39-32 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

It was then that the Townies played their best. EPHS won the quarter, 25-21. After fighting from behind all night, the Townies finally tied the game at 49 late. Following an E.P. miss, an initial offensive rebound by Xavier Hazard, then a scrum, Will Winfield dropped in lay-up with about 3:30 to go.

The teams next traded empty trips before Central’s Jayden Livent, the game-high scorer, drained a 3 off an inbounds play to put the Knights back on top. Kemerie Dublin was then fouled for the Townies, making both free throws to bring their deficit back to one.

Central, like EPHS a Division I team during the regular season and 3-0 to start its league year, went back up by three on a rebound-putback of a Livent miss by Steven Jaquez, but Hazard again trimmed back to a single point on a fall-away jumper in the lane with 90 seconds remaining.

The Townies (4-3 overall, 2-2 in D-I) would actually take the lead for a brief moment. Cam Evora was fouled after rebounding a Central miss with a minute left. He drained one to level the score at 54. Hazard grabbed Evora’s miss and was also fouled, making one of two as well to put EPHS up 55-54.

A questionable last-touch call on a potential EPHS steal went Central’s way. Livent then drove for lay-up “and-1” to put Central back on top by a pair. The Knights eventually sealed the win in the final 30 seconds with a free throw then a fast-break layup off a Townie miss.

Hazard paced the locals with 12 points. Trey Rezendes and Winfield had 10 apiece. Kemerie Dublin chipped in nine. Livent led all scorers with a night-high 19. The Knights’ senior point guard was chosen as tournament’s most valuable player.

He along with Rayquan Cannon, Hazard, Rezendes, Shea’s Malik Matanmi and North Providence’s Kyle Prete were selected to the all-tournament team. Shea beat N.P., 60-47, in the consolation game.

The Townies, who won the last official Mutter Tournament back in 2019, routed Prete and North Providence in their tourney opener, 83-49. East Providence led 19-11 after one, 36-24 at the break and 65-32 by the end of the third.

Hazard had 19 for the locals. Rezendes had 14. Winfield, who along with Christian Torres, was playing his first game in over a week due to illness/injury, chipped in 11. Kenaz Ochgwu had eight. Prete had eight for the Cougars, who were led by the 14 of Ryan Rodriguez.

— East Providence Post and eastbayri.com contributing photographer Julie Furtado shot the accompanying gallery of photos.