The goal remains the same. 

Despite an early exit from the Division I tournament, the Barrington High School boys basketball team is still focused on the goal it set at the start of the season: Win the State Championship. 

Barrington Coach Mike Raffa said his team is working hard to get better each day, following a 79-61 loss to Portsmouth in the Division I quarterfinals. 

“We still have our goal in front of us,” Coach Raffa said.

The Eagles coach said he believes his team will likely be a number two or three seed entering the State Championship tournament, which will begin with preliminary round games on March 8. 

Barrington was the number two seed in the Division I tournament, but tipped off against a hot-shooting Portsmouth team. The Patriots knocked down 10 out of 15 three-point attempts in the first half against the Eagles, while Barrington’s offense seemed to struggle early on. 

“I was actually happy we were only down 13 at the half,” Coach Raffa said. 

The Patriots’ Thomas Hurd was a one-man wrecking crew against Barrington in the first quarter. He hit four three-pointers at the beginning of the game and finished the first quarter with 14 points. As a team, Barrington managed just 15 points in the first quarter and trailed 25-15.

Coach Raffa said his team was not expecting Hurd to have the hot-hand, since the Eagles kept him scoreless the first time the two teams met.

Instead, Barrington had schemed a special defense to slow down Portsmouth’s Adam Conheeny and Kyle Bielawa, who combined for 49 points in the first showdown. 

Meanwhile, the Eagles’ offense struggled to score. Despite trailing, Coach Raffa expected his team to make a run in the second half. He said the Eagles had overcome deficits earlier this season — they bounced back at North Kingstown and against LaSalle. 

“We’ve been down double-digits in the second half. We’ve had games where teams shot the ball really well against us,” he said. “Statistics and percentages usually come back, but they didn’t last night.”

Coach Raffa said Barrington entered the game with a distinct size advantage over Portsmouth, but was unable to capitalize.

“We talked about getting the ball inside,” Coach Raffa said. “But we didn’t execute the game plan.” 

Barrington was able to trim Portsmouth’s lead to single digits at the end of the third quarter, but the Patriots squashed the comeback bid. 

“Any time you lose, you’re disappointed,” Coach Raffa said. “More so when you lose in the playoffs and lose at home…Humbling and disappointing. Those two words would describe it.”

Matt Raffa scored 30 points to lead Barrington while Nick Scandura added 17, and Evan Anderson and Ryan Rigamonti each scored five. Colin McDermott scored three and Quinn Murphy hit a free throw.  

Hurd led the Patriots with 28 points (17 in the first half), while Bielawa finished with 15 and Conheeny added 14. Will Alves dropped in 11 and Tyler Hurd finished with six. Jackson Hackley rounded out the scoring with five.