Pier School Advances to Boys’ Hoops Semifinals

A 45-38 win against the No. 3E seed Barrington on Tuesday has propelled the Pier School Mariners to the middle school boys’ basketball state tournament semifinals for the second time in three years.

The Mariners are scheduled to play No. 1E Portsmouth at Portsmouth Middle School on Friday.

However, thanks to the impending blizzard, there is a high probability this game will be shifted to Monday, Feb. 11 or later. The state title game is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the Bay View Academy.

Portsmouth will be a formidable foe for the Mariners – In addition to having home court advantage, the Patriots also beat No. 2S Curtis Corner Middle School 72-50 in the tournament quarterfinals. Curtis Corner was the only team in the Southern Division to defeat Narragansett in the regular season.

If the Mariners win against Portsmouth, it’ll earn them a second trip to the title game in three years. In 2011, the Mariners lost 54-51 to Slater Middle School of Pawtucket in the title game. Most of the members of that team are now varsity contributors at various schools, despite only being sophomores.