Basketball Advances, Hockey Falls to Rams and to the #2 Seed

March Madness is upon us.

With the seemingly never-ending snowstorm that we've endured all winter, one could argue that 'madness' is the point at which quite a few of us are arriving, but in a much more real sense. As we enter the month when spring is supposedly right around the corner - at least it's a rumor - we also gear up for the winter sports season's money time - the state playoffs.

Last year, our guys took two of the state's five championship belts, in wrestling and basketball. To this point in this winter season, we've already taken two - wrestling (3rd year in a row) and swimming (rebounding from last year's slip and taking their 25th state title in the past 26 seasons).

Now it's time for basketball and hockey.

We all know the story of last season's run to the state title for our basketball team. They were a team with a solid, developing core of players who had a very, very good season but could not find that final dash of consistency when the 'must-win' types of games were upon them...and then, just as suddenly, they gelled - and the carpet ride began.

The question now, however, becomes whether the Hawks - with a belt to defend - can stand up to the greater expectations. Their loss to #10 seed Woonsocket in the first round of the D1 playoffs - at home in Pepin Gym no less, and only a couple of weeks remoived from having knocked off the Villa Novans by 18 at Woonsocket - was disappointing, to say the least.

This past Friday night was their chance, however, to shake off that loss and to get down to the business of defending their title. The Hawks did just that, sending the Middletown Islanders home with a 67-46 win in the first round of the state playoffs at Roger Williams University. The game was originally scheduled for the night before and to have been played at CCRI in Warwick, but the Winter Snowstorm that Never Seems to Stop once again had a hand in the RIIL's having to re-shuffle the schedule. As a result of the switch, The Network was unable to send a crew to the game and bring it live to Hawk Nation.

The Network's Johnathan Feeny did attend the game and tweeted a few score updates and put up some instagram videos of the action.

Middletown made a run in the D2 playoofs, losing in the championship game to the state's still-only undefeated team, the North Providence Cougars. They came into the state tournament as the #13 seed and were slated to play our guys, the #4 seed, in the first round.

The Hawks got out of the gate fast, established themselves, and went into the locker room at halftime with a 37-22 lead. The Islanders, however, refused to watch their season disappear without putting up a fight and went on a 14-6 run midway through the second half that cut the Hawks' lead to six points. At that point Coach Gomes called a time out, gathered his players, and restored their focus. The result was a 12-0 Hawks' run that essentially put the game away.

The Hawks will now take on one of their rivals, North Kingstown, tonight at 6 pm at PC's Alumni Hall. NK is always a very, very good team and more often than not tends to come out on top in their games against us. Tonight's second-round game, with a trip to the Ryan Center and the state's Final Four on the line, will no doubt be another in that long line of battles. In our game with then them early this season, our guys came out on top in a tough, fight-it-out defensive struggle at NK, 37-34. Tonight will probably be much of the same.

On the ice, the seeding for the first round of the Championship Division's state playoffs was finally set last night when our guys fell to archrival LaSalle, 3-0, at Thayer Arena. Prior to the game were the Senior Night celebrations for both schools, the last regular season game of the seniors' high school careers. Parents were acknowledged by the schools and the players for all that they had done and sacrificed in order for their sons to experience success on the ice at such a high level.

The Hawks came into the game in second place in the Championship Division, trailing the Rams by two points. A Hawks' win would've resulted in a first-place tie, and as a result of tie breakers, the #1 seed would've gone to the Hawks.

It was not, however, meant to be. After a hard-fought, scoreless first period, the Rams broke through with a goal at the tail end of a power play that the Hawks had nearly killed off. The Maroon followed that up with another goal with about six minutes remaining in the game, an an empty netter about four minutes later sealed the deal. Tyler Walsh was phenomenal in net for the Rams, shutting our guys out by stifling the Hawks all night on plays in front of the net.

As a result, the Hawks will face Mount St. Charles in the first round of the states, while LaSalle will face off against Smithfield. The Mounties are obviously never, ever a team that can be counted out or taken for granted. Their third-place finish this season belies the fact that they're the defending state champions, a title that they're not likely to relinquish very easily.

The Network will have the entire first round live for Hawk Nation. Check back right here on the site for the schedule of games.