Classical Wins Rhode Island State Title
The RIIL is the only state association in New England, and only one of two in the entire country (along with Kentucky), to crown one undisputed state champion.
On Sunday night, Classical High School became that champion, defeating North Kingston in the finals of the Open State Tournament.
Classical, who earned the top seed coming into the tournament, scored a narrow 50-47 win over West Warwick in the Round of 16. They followed that up with a huge 81-32 pounding of Westerly in the quarterfinals, and then a 61-54 win over North Smithfield in the semis.
North Kingston, who was the third seed coming into the tournament, had an equally narrow opening round win, defeating Cranston West 68-67. They responded with a 20 point win over Barrington in the quarterfinals, before then scoring an overtime victory over Hope in the semis.
The championship game was all North Kingston to start as they opened the game with a 5-0 run and eventually took a 29-22 lead into halftime.
A dramatic second half run from Classical would turn the tide of the game as they began with a 9-0 spurt that eventually grew into a 19-4 margin to give them a 42-37 lead. But North Kingston would not be discouraged and took the lead back, only to see it go back and forth late in the game.
Ultimately, crucial free-throws from Kealen Ives and Ishmael Batista, coupled with a missed three-point attempt from North Kingston, would give Classical the Rhode Island state championship by a margin of 57-52.
Ives, who is arguably the top player in the RIIL as a junior, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player with 22 points, including 11 before halftime to keep Classical within striking distance, along with 7 assists.
But it was far from a one man show as Ishmael Batista added 15 points, all of which took place in the second half, along with 9 rebounds while Terrill Toe had 14 points and 7 rebounds as the “Big Three” combined for 51 of their team’s 57 points.
Justin Pratt led North Kingston with 18 points.
Kealen Ives