EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School boys’ basketball team, comfortably in the upcoming Division I championship tournament, had an uneven stretch to finish off its 2022-23 regular season over the last week, splitting four games to finish with an 11-7 record and the seventh seed in the league playoffs.

The Townies closed out their slate at home Tuesday night, Feb. 14, by honoring their four graduating seniors — Jayden Cadwell, Jayveeon Gonsalves, Maxamus Collins and Will Winfield — by throttling Narragansett 81-58. Collins and Winfield, both just recently back from significant spells on the sideline due to injury, finished with a game-best 18 and 12 points apiece, respectively.

Collins, who had four 3-pointers total in the game, spurred the Townies’ first quarter onslaught with three triples. He, Winfield, Cadwell and Gonsalves were joined in the starting lineup by junior Xavier Hazard (11 points). Winfield netted 10 of his points in the opening eight minutes as EPHS built a 26-7 and took firm command of the contest. Cadwell added seven points and Gonsalves had five.

“It was a perfect start and a perfect senior night,” said EPHS head coach Joe Andrade, whose team would go onto to lead the visiting Mariners 51-18 at the half and 62-32 after three. “The kids played with energy and made shots. Having Will make shots helps, so does having Max play like that.”

The Townies went up by double figures for the first time, 17-5, after Collins hit one of his 3s just past the midway mark of the opening period. Likewise, his fourth triple a minute into the second quarter propelled the locals ahead by 20 (29-9).

Before the half was over, EPHS would take a 30-point advantage (48-18) on a Brandyn Van Wagner (7 points) put-back layup of a teammate’s miss with 1:15 left. Junior Trey Rezendes actually spurred the onslaught scoring 10 of his 14 points in the second period.

Early in the third quarter, Gonsalves drained a 3 to give East Providence what would be its largest lead of the night, 35, at 54-19, before Andrade began to take out his starters and pull off the pedal.

As the seventh seed, the Townies will host 10th-seeded Woonsocket Friday night, Feb. 17, in a preliminary round game. Tip time is 6 p.m.

EPHS easily handled the Villa Novans in city January 19 by a 61-44 count in the lone meeting of the sides this winter. The winner of the Townies-Woonsocket game advances to the quarterfinals opposite second seed LaSalle early next week. Follow EPHS daily throughout the playoffs in Sports here at eastbayri.com.

Of Woonsocket, Andrade said, “They have struggled lately lost of eight of their last nine, but it's a new season with the playoffs. Woonsocket is athletic and well coached, so if we don't come to play they will beat us."

And of how the Townies can succeed overall in the postseason, Andrade added, "We need to defend and play with energy. If we play with energy, defend and make shots we will be fine. We also need to start games like we did tonight against Narragansett. That helps."

The most recent span of games for EPHS began with a 59-53 loss to rival LaSalle last Wednesday night, Feb. 8, at Ramos Gym.

The final score was a bit more flattering to the Townies than how the game was actually contested. The Rams weren’t ever really tested, leading by double figures into the second half. EPHS did close to within six (40-34) midway through the third quarter, but LaSalle all but sealed the Townies’ fate by closing the period on a 7-0 run.

East Providence would again close to within six (57-51) with just over a minute remaining after an alley oop pass from Xavier Hazard to Kenaz Ochogwu for a dunk and a steal and layup by Rezendes, but the Townies could get no closer.

Hazard led the locals with 19. Ochgwu had 10 and Rezendes nine.

EPHS next battled with last place East Greenwich on the road Friday night, Feb. 10, before returning to the city with a 58-55 win over the then 3-14 Avengers.

The Townies actually needed to rally from a halftime deficit. The score was knotted at 15 apiece at the end of one then had EG up 32-27 at the break. EPHS answered with a 19-9 run in the third to gain a 46-41 lead at the end of the period, then held off the Avs over the final eight minutes.

Six Townies scored at least five points led by Rezendes with 12. Hazard and Collins, who made his return to the lineup following a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury, each chipped in 10. Ochgwu had nine while Alex Mulamba added seven and Gonsalves five.

Playing a rare weekend game on Super Bowl Sunday, a make-up of game postponed earlier in the winter, the Townies fell to visiting Smithfield 74-66 at Ramos Gym on February 12.

East Providence went from being up six (17-11) at the end of the first quarter to down by eight (35-27) at intermission after the visiting Sentinels outscored their hosts 24-10 in the second period.

That Smithfield outburst eventually proved the decisive run of the afternoon as the sides played to a stalemate the rest of the way, each scoring 12 and 27 points, respectively, in both periods in the second half.

The Townies did, though, have chances to make things somewhat more interesting late, but either committed ill-timed turnovers or took ill-advised shots to come away empty from several key trips up the floor.

Rezendes led three in double figures for EPHS with 14. Collins and Hazard had 13 each.