BY CHARLIE ADAMS, TSM LEAD WRITER
(Cranston, RI) - One win away from making the playoffs with two games to go, Senior Night held more importance for the ‘Bolts against the Cumberland Clippers. Regardless of the stakes, the Thunderbolts honored their seniors prior to the game. (Naz Milien, Davien Barry, Da’Qwon Foster, Delwin Montan, Will Outar, Lorenzo Flores, Albany Torres Carrasco, and Gyude Wilson) On what might have been their last realistic shot to make the playoffs with top-ranked Hendricken on deck, Cranston East was dismantled, 68-53.
Cranston East was led by their mainstay seniors, Naz Milien’s 18 points, Da’Qwon Foster’s 13 points, and Delwin Montan’s 10 points.
The ‘Bolts were slow starters, going down 11 points before picking up their first bucket. Dominating pressure on rebound opportunities paired well with strong shooting from deep had the Clippers up 22-10 after a quarter.
The second quarter wasn’t much kinder to the Thunderbolts, who were seemingly powerless to the three-point barrage that continued to tear into any Cranston East attempts to come back. The team entered halftime down seventeen points, 39-22.
Naz Milien was able to break into double-digit scoring in the third. Aside from that, East’s struggles continued. Along the same line, the deficit also continued to grow. The ‘Bolts sat far behind with a quarter left, 52-31.
The fourth quarter saw shoves and technical fouls bring excitement to the game for ‘Bolts fans who had little to cheer for during the majority of the game. The “Thunderstorm” grew boisterous, trying to will a comeback out of their team. It was not to be. East brought on their young bucks to close out Senior Night. The Clippers spoiled Senior Night, winning 68-53.
The Thunderbolts have one more game in their season next Tuesday against Hendricken. They’ll face the best team in the state with their playoff hopes riding on a victory. That contest will be played at home, starting at 7 PM, and streaming live on Fans Only Sports Network with TSM’s Tim Yean giving the play-by-play.
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