EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School boys’ basketball team kept things close most of the way against unbeaten rival LaSalle Academy during the Rams’ visit to the city for a Division I outing Wednesday night, Feb. 9, but in the end the Townies didn’t have enough to pull off the upset.

LaSalle improved to 16-0 in league play after dispatching the host Townies 53-35. The Rams, 16-0 overall thid winter also, completed a season sweep of the Townies, having already beaten the locals 69-57 in Providence back on January 20.

East Providence dropped to 8-7 in D-I with three league games remaining: Friday night, Feb. 11, at 3-13 Cranston East, Monday night, Feb. 14, at 2-13 East Greenwich then a rematch with the same Avengers the following night in city at 6:30 p.m. Both road games start at 7 p.m. The Townies have already qualified for the D-I playoffs. They enter the final week of the regular season as the 10th seed in the 16-team field for Open State Tournament.

“Lasalle is 16-0. I thought we didn't back down. Our shots didn't fall. That's it,” said EPHS head coach Joe Andrade. “We will be fine. We just need those last three games. We’re 8-7 with three winnable games left.”

The final tally was a bit flattering to the Rams, who led 16-10 at the end of the opening quarter. A poor second eight minutes for both sides left the score even at 19 by intermission. LaSalle was first to find its offensive out of the break, building a 41-32 edge at the end of three, then the Rams’ defense smothered E.P. in the fourth to secure the win.

Raphel Awa, who leads the Rams with an average of 19.9 points per game this winter, paced all scorers with 24 for LaSalle. His personal run of seven consecutive points midway through the final period gave the Rams their first double-figure lead of the night (45-34) and expanded upon that advantage. Kelvin Odih added 11 points for the visitors.

Trey Rezendes was the only East Providence player to reach double figures with 12. Max Collins and Will Winfield each had nine. Xavier Hazard, who entered the game on a torrid stretch from the 3-point line, did make a triple, but that was his only bucket of the night. E.P. actually made just three from behind the arc, the one from Hazard and another each from Winfield and Collins.

Winfield’s triple came late in the second quarter and were the first of five consecutive points for the junior. He next converted a layup off a missed three attempt by the Townies, accounting for what proved the final points of the half to knot the score at 19-19.

“There are nights when shots don't fall, but your defense needs to keep you in the game, which I thought it did tonight,” said Andrade.

LaSalle began third period on a 6-0 run and never looked back. In the fourth quarter Awa’s drive with 4:39 left put the Rams on top 45-34. He then converted a rebound-putback layup then banked in a 3 from the top of the key to make it 50-34 LaSalle. The senior also scored the last points of the game on a layup with about a minute remaining.

“Awa is a good player, a three-year starter. He’s like their ‘Energizer Bunny,” Andrade added. “Maybe if we make some shots, it’s a different game.”

— East Providence Post and eastbayri.com contributing photographer Julie Furtado shot the accompanying gallery of photos.