New Headline: Portsmouth's Elite Challenge Faces Exciting Competition in Semifinal Final
The Eagles used strong defense to keep the Patriots' scorers at bay, punching their ticket to Sunday's final.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Barrington stuffed Portsmouth at the defensive end and eliminated the Division I champions in the first of two semifinals Saturday afternoon at URI's Ryan Center. Caleb Satisfield, Ryan Rigamonti and Colin McDermott helped drive Barrington to a 53-35 triumph, one that helped the Eagles live up to their No. 1 overall seed and match the progress of their 2014-15 team.
The Eagles moved on to the state championship game on Sunday evening, where they were set to meet Central. “We know defense is important,” Satisfield said. “We just keep on doing what we have to do.
” It was a 13-13 tie midway through the second quarter when Rigamonti dropped home a bucket in the lane. That was the start of an extended 23-4 run that stretched deep into the third, with Satisfield finishing at the rim to make it a 36-17 game. The Patriots called timeout with 2:38 to play and were already out of chances to author a late push.
“I guess it was just the ball movement,” Satisfield said. “Every time I saw an open lane I just knew I could take that over and go to the rim. ” Satisfield led three in double figures for Barrington (22-2) with 20 points, attacking the paint off the dribble seemingly at will.