What happened in high school hoops this weekend? Here are the stories and scores

EDITOR'S NOTE: Coaches are reminded to send in game results each weeknight, from 6-10 p.m., by emailing them to pjsports@providencejournal.com.

Saturday, February 7

🏀GIRLS BASKETBALL - Division I

Ponaganset 59, Classical 36

The Chieftains couldn’t shake the persistent Purple, but a late run in the third quarter carried to the fourth and allowed them to grasp the 59-36 win.

Ponaganset was flat from the start of the game, but its defense created instant offense and led to a 14-4 lead after the first quarter. The Chieftains couldn’t get the gas pedal all the way down to the floor and after leading by 15 at halftime, saw Classical battle back and get the deficit down to single digits in the third. 

Struggling to shoot over the Purple zone, Ponaganset made transition its best friend and went on a run toward the end of the third to extend the lead to 42-25, then finished strong in the fourth quarter.

Elena Muldowney capped her first week back from injury with a 16-point performance and Javiana Stec joined her in double figures with 12. Kaitlyn Simoneau and Malia Ellis both added seven in the win.

Giovonna Britto and Daniella Jimenez led the way for Classical with 10 points apiece and Savannah Cooper scored eight in the loss.

Ponaganset improved to 17-1 with the win and sits solidly in third in the RPI rankings. Classical drops to 5-9 and is 11th. 

La Salle 48, Scituate 41

Sunday, February 8

🏀BOYS BASKETBALL - Division I

Central 52, North Kingstown 40

The Knights couldn’t quite put the Skippers away, but Khamaree Benton and John Ramos proved to be too much in the 52-40 win.

A Sunday matinee may have been Central’s kryptonite, but it didn’t stop the team from getting buckets early. Benton and Makai Brimmage combined for 13 in the first quarter, but NK had five different players score to go down 20-16. When the Knights stepped on the gas, the Skippers had an answer and it was still an eight-point game at halftime.

Benton made sure it stuck in the third quarter, leading the offense as Central’s defense hounded NK. In the fourth quarter, Ramos finished strong to secure the dub.

The Central duo almost outscored NK, with Benton getting 22 and Ramos finishing with 16. Brimmage was also in double figures with 12 points.

Jack Diano was NK’s top scorer with 12 points and Jake Perry scored 11 in the loss. 

Westerly 71, Chariho 48

Tied after the first quarter was the wakeup call the Bulldogs needed, as they dominated play over the next two quarters to put things away in a 71-48 win over Chariho.

Chariho showed up ready to pull an upset - and earn some valuable RPI points - as Dayton Lee helped guide the offense with six points to get the score tied at 15 after the first quarter.

Westerly changed the game quickly in the second quarter. The defense took control, giving up nine points, and 13 combined points from Michael Joyce and Dan Cummings had the Bulldogs up 36-24 at halftime. Brayden Antoch came alive in the third, scoring nine points, as Westerly extended its lead to 58-33 going to the fourth.

Joyce led the Bulldogs with 16 points and Antoch was right behind him with 15. Cummings finished with 10 in the win.

Lee led Chariho with 10 points in the loss. 

Barrington 55, Shea 51

🏀BOYS BASKETBALL - Division II

South Kingstown 64, West Warwick 61

Two fourth-quarter three-point plays held the Rebels maintain a lead, but they still had to dodge some last-second magic by the Wizards to pull out the 64-61 win.

The South Kingstown lead got as big as nine in the fourth quarter, but West Warwick came back to get the deficit down to two. With 4:17 left to play, Nolan Milhoua came up with a layup while being fouled - he made the free throw - and the Rebels extended the lead to seven on a fastbreak dunk by James Wilson. 

Up four with 3:30 left, Jack Simonini converted a tough take at the hoop plus the harm - he made his free throw - to put the Rebels up seven. The lead looked safe, but West Warwick slowly chipped away and had the ball with seven seconds down three. Beck Castaldi got a good look at a 30 footer, but the shot fell just short at the buzzer.

Wilson was magnificent from start to finish in this one, scoring 28 points after scoring just two in the first quarter. Milhoua had 14 and Simonini finished with 12. 

Ian Degnan led West Warwick with 14 points and Michael Andruchow and Colin Kelly both had 12 points. Logan Fernandes came through with 10 in the loss. 

🏀GIRLS BASKETBALL - Division I

Westerly 57, Fitch 34

Defense was the star of the show for the Bulldogs, which never let Fitch (Conn.) climb back into the game after a close first quarter of their 57-34 win.

Westerly was in a ballgame up 13-12 after the first eight minutes, but dominated the second quarter and outscored Fitch 16-3. The offense picked up in the third quarter with 20 points and let Westerly take its foot off the gas in the fourth.

Ella Reyes led the Bulldogs with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Santanaa Hamelin was also in double figures with 12 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists. Sophie Gwaltney added six, as 11 of the 13 Westerly players who played scored and all shared the basketball, with the team getting 19 assists on its 24 field goals.

North Kingstown 65, Pawtucket 34

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island high school basketball scores from Saturday and Sunday February 7 8