No. 3 Narragansett defeats No. 2 Frontier 60-55 in WMass D-III semifinals
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on March 05, 2019 7:29 PM, updated March 05, 2019 9:27 PM
AMHERST – An late run by the No. 3 Narragansett boys basketball gave the Warriors a 60-55 victory over No. 2 Frontier in the semifinals of the Western Massachusetts Division III boys basketball tournament.
Heading into the final eight minutes of play clinging to a one-point lead, Red Hawks (18-4) head coach Ben Barshefsky thought his team’s offense fell out of rhythm as time wound down.“I thought as the game progressed, especially in the fourth quarter, we started to become a little bit complacent with our cuts to the basketball and our passes,” Barshefsky said. “We did a remarkable job for the most part taking care of the ball all game long, we then just down the stretch threw it around a little bit. That certainly didn’t help.”
Offensively, seniors Carsten Carey and Kalen Evans led the way with 17 points apiece for Frontier, followed by Carsten’s brother Peter, who finished with 12.
After the defeat, Barshefsky admitted the most difficult part of the night was knowing it was the last time the seniors would play together on the same court.
“I’m just proud of each and every one of the guys,” Barshefsky said. “I think what’s tougher than a loss is having to say goodbye to our five seniors. I’ve known them all since they were in kindergarten and first grade, and it’s a special group. They’re outstanding young men and we’re going to miss them very much.”
Carsten Carey, who fouled out on an offensive foul with one minute left in the game, expressed his joy in being able to spend his last four years as a Red Hawk, but acknowledged he’s leaving with a sense of regret.
“I was fortunate to step in the best program in Western mass in terms of history, legacy, coaching, personnel,” he said. “It’s been an amazing ride, I put everything I had into it, so I’m proud of that but I did wanna leave a little bit more of a legacy behind after these four years. That’s for the younger guys to do now.”
With six minutes, 19 seconds left in the game and Frontier up by three, Carsten picked up his fourth foul and was forced to spend the next few minutes watching from the sideline.
Not having Carsten Carey out on the court was nothing new for Barshefsky.
“We have faced adversity all season long, we’ve won games early on in the season without Carsten on the court and it’s just next man up,” he said. “Unfortunately it didn’t go our way today.”
“If I’m on the court, off the court, everybody believes in themselves and I believe in them to get the job done no matter what,” Carsten added. “Picking up that fifth foul was heartbreaking because I didn’t get to finish the game, my last game of my senior year. It was a foul, the refs made the right call.”
The Warriors (21-3) were also led by seniors, as Tyler Dill and Benjamin Edwards each recorded 16 points and combining for eight three-pointers.
go gansett !!!! good luck in the finals !!!!!!
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