Ninth-seeded Exeter-West Greenwich hung with No. 1-seeded Mt. Hope for a half, but the Huskies, as they've done often this season, pulled away in the third quarter en route to a comfortable 58-44 win in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Division III boys' basketball playoffs Friday night, Feb. 21, in Bristol.

EWG, which pulled off a mild 59-47 upset of North Smithfield in the preliminary round, played Mt. Hope even at 12 through one quarter and trailed only 25-21 at the break.

However, the Huskies, who've shown a penchant for doing the same in several of their wins, return from the break with a purpose. The locals outscored the Scarlet Knights 20-6 in the third to take firm control of the contest.

Mt. Hope's forward duo of Jack Thomson and Maleaq Roderick did the bulk of the work in the quarter, scoring eight points apiece.

Thompson finished his evening with a game-best 25 points. Roderick had 16. Matt MacDougall contributed five while backcourtmates Lucas Andreozzi and Ethan Santerre each had four as did Brian Abbruzzi off the bench.

"We played a good game. It was truly a team win," said Mt. Hope head coach Jeff Gifka. "We worked the ball inside during the second half. Maleaq and Jack played so well. Jack earned the game ball for his inside game."

The win lifted the Huskies' overall record to 16-5 and 11-2 against D-III opponents, including a 60-42 late January triumph over the Knights on the road.

Mt. Hope advances to the Division III tourney semifinals set for a neutral site, St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket Thursday night, Feb. 27.

All four of the top seeds in the league reached the semis. The Huskies play fourth-seeded Ponaganset, 74-71 winners over fifth-seeded Prout in its quarter, to open the double-header at 6 o'clock.

Third-seeded Toll Gate beat sixth-seeded Central Falls, 55-43, while second-seeded Times 2 Academy trounced seventh-seeded Hope, 82-56. Toll Gate and Times 2 meet in their semi at 8 p.m.

"It's going to be a tough game. Ponaganset is a well-balanced team. They can shoot from the outside and they a couple of good bigs as well," Grifka said of the Chieftains, whom his Huskies beat 61-52 at home in mid-January.

The semifinal winners advance to the Amica Mutual Pavilion for the D-III finals Monday night, March 3, at 8 p.m.

If fortunate enough to reach the title contest, Mt. Hope played and defeated both of its potential opponents, albeit in far different fashion. The Huskies trounced Toll Gate in Warwick, 66-46, also in mid-January. Two weeks later, Mt. Hope and Times 2 played a spirited affair, the locals eventually earning an 81-78 win in double-overtime.

"It's the top four teams in the league. All of them are tough," Grifka said of the sides to reach the semis.

The winner of the D-III tourney, as do the D-I and D-II champs, receive an automatic bye into the 16-team Open State Tournament field beginning later next week.

Even with their impressive results to date, the Huskies (27th in the power rankings) have no other means of getting into states without winning the league. The same holds true for their three semifinal counterparts.