Without question, he was one of the stars of the game tonight.”

BHS Coach Mike Raffa about Spencer Proulx

Our student section is probably the best in the state.”

Barrington's Dan Coogan

You’ve got to give them (Barrington) credit. They did a great job. Raffa was big down the stretch.”

North Smithfield Coach Brandon DiPaola

Fourth-seeded Barrington survived a scare from 13th-seeded North Smithfield, 56-52, in the first round of the state open tournament.

The Division I Eagles, playing in front of a home crowd on Thursday night, March 2, fell behind by as many as 12 points to the Division III Northmen before mounting a thrilling comeback victory. 

Barrington will play against fifth-seeded Middletown in an Elite Eight game on Sunday, March 5 at Rhode Island College’s Murray Center. The game tips off at 6 p.m.

Barrington held North Smithfield to just seven fourth-quarter points. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ Dan Coogan and Matt Raffa combined for 15 fourth-quarter points and also made a series of key plays down the stretch. Raffa stole an inbounds pass with 12 seconds left and the Eagles leading by just one point, and Coogan secured a key rebound off a missed Northmen free throw with seven seconds left.

“They were playing well,” Raffa said of the Northmen. “We knew we had to win each possession in order to get back. You can’t get 10 points in one possession. We just had to get good shots on this end and then make them work, and we did that in the second half.”

Barrington’s Spencer Proulx sparked an inspired defensive effort in the second half. Proulx’s performance was not lost on Barrington Coach Mike Raffa.

“Without question, he was one of the stars of the game tonight,” Coach Raffa said. “We talk a lot about you never know when the opportunity is going to come to you. You don’t decide… when that door opens. Spencer works hard every day in practice. There are times I’m sure he wished he got more minutes. But because he works his butt off in practice, when we needed someone to stop their point guard we called on Spencer. And Spencer came in and changed the tone. He made them work to get the ball over half-court. He made their offense start higher, and just with that pressure defense, was able to put us in position to make that comeback.”

Barrington started to chip away at a 12-point deficit at the end of the third quarter — Coogan scored to make it 10, and Raffa scored to cut it to eight. North went back up by 10, but Nick Scandura helped the Eagles keep pace with a basket at the start of the fourth quarter. 

North Smithfield’s Aiden Bienvenue scored to make it 47-37, but Coogan cut it to seven with a big three-pointer.

“That shot opened them up,” Coogan said. “Usually I don’t shoot. I’m not much of a shooter. It’s just all confidence.”

The basket ignited the Eagles’ home crowd.

“Our student section is probably the best in the state,” Coogan said. “You can see they get yelled at, they get riled up. They do what they can… It’s the best feeling knowing that all these kids are coming out to see us as a team. And me, personally, when I hit those shots. It’s a great feeling getting to see my best friends that I’ve grown up with, watching me through this, as this is our last home game this season. It’s great to share it with them.”

Barrington senior Sean Bonneau, who hit two three pointers in the first half, buried a mid-range jumper to pull the Eagles within five at 47-42. 

The Eagles’ defense sent the crowd into an uproar as it forced North Smithfield into a back-court violation. And then, as Raffa drove to the basket, scored and was fouled, the home team fans went wild. 

“One of the things we talk about is don’t settle,” Coach Raffa said. “If you get frustrated, don’t take a step or two back and allow the defense to win. Continue to use Nick in the screen and role action. Use hesitation. Change direction. Change pace. Use the jump stop and go up strong to the basket and just attack.”

Raffa hit the free throw and Barrington trailed by just two points, 47-45, with five minutes remaining. 

The Eagles’ defense continued to limit North Smithfield scoring opportunities, and with about 3:30 left to play, Scandura was fouled and knocked down both free throws. The game was tied, 47-47.

North Smithfield’s center, Al Viera-Dones, scored inside to make it 49-47 Northmen, but Coogan responded with a driving layup to tie the score. 

A short time later, Coogan drove to the basket again — he missed the shot but was fouled and knocked down one of two free throw attempts. The basket gave Barrington its first lead since mid-way through the first quarter. 

“On our plays, we go down and then come back up … I knew my defender was going to jump it so then when I got it, I’ve always been taught, if he jumps it, just rip through and just go. That was there. And I got lucky my teammates were spread out so I could get an open lane to drive,” Coogan said. 

Coach Raffa appreciated the aggressive takes to the basket.

“Dan is finishing his career on a high note, against Mt. Pleasant, against LaSalle, and now tonight,” Coach Raffa said. “He’s doing a wonderful job moving without the ball, attacking. If there’s attention on our big three, it allows him to get open behind it, and he’s able to take advantage of it. So, now, if they’re limiting Bonneau or limiting Scandura, who can step up? And Coogan stepped up with 10 points tonight.”

With 1:30 left to play, Viera-Dones scored inside and the Northmen regained the lead, 51-50. North Smithfield’s Tyson Green had a chance to extend that lead, but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and the Eagles responded, as Raffa drove to the basket and was fouled. Raffa hit both free throws, giving the Eagles a 52-51 edge. In fact, the junior was six-for-six from the free throw line late in the game. 

Raffa also intercepted a Northmen pass late in the game to help secure the Eagles’ win. 

“They (North Smithfield) did a great job in help defense, but we were able to set screens and get people open in the second half,” Raffa said. “They did a good job keeping the game in the half-court, but we were able to score enough points to win.”

Coach Raffa, Matt’s dad, breathed a sigh of relief following the game.

“I’m just thankful,” he said. “Sometimes you’re not able to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half. I’m just really proud that we didn’t get emotional. We didn’t panic. We didn’t look at the scoreboard. We just talked about, ‘Let’s do everything we can to make the next play. Let’s have great intensity on defense. Let’s use our defense to score on offense.’

“I’m proud of the way they fought back, and I’m proud of the way they stayed the plan.”

Raffa finished with 23 points, while Coogan and Bonneau each scored 10. Scandura had nine points, including four in the fourth quarter. Owen Pfeffer hit a free throw in the first half, and Colin McDermott finished out the scoring with a three-pointer in the first half. 

Viera-Dones led the Northmen with 14 points, while Anthony Paiva had four three-pointers and finished with 13. Issaih Chauvin scored 10 and Bienvenue added nine. 

North Smithfield Coach Brandon DiPaola said he expected his team to battle hard against the Eagles.

“D-III is no joke. There’s some good teams. That’s a Division I team,” he said about Barrington. “You’ve got to give them credit. They closed it out. They hit some big shots in the game, but I’m really proud of our group. We came into this game, we were probably like a 20-point underdog. 

“You’ve got to give them (Barrington) credit. They did a great job. Raffa was big down the stretch.”