Lincoln is dominating Rhode Island boys basketball — nothing new on that front. Senior Gianni Pagios and company have extended the run to 16 undefeated games to begin the year.
Westerly has been a pleasant surprise this season, turning some subpar recent seasons into an incredible year, competing with the top of Division I. The Bulldogs have cemented themselves as a legitimate contender.
For Bishop Hendricken, it’s been the opposite. The Hawks have more than enough talent on the roster to turn things around, but they’ve taken a bit of a plunge. Regardless, they’re still squarely in the hunt as the playoffs approach.
Here's the latest edition of the Rhode Island boys Top 10.
1. Lincoln (16-0)
Previous rank: 1
Next game: vs. Johnston, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Lions are an unstoppable force, and with six games left to play in the regular season, it may just remain that way. Their most recent run of winning included a statement win over Barrington, a couple interstate wins, and business as usual within Rhode Island. Gianni Pagios continues to score the ball at will and post arguably the best performances in the state, but he’s got some teammates stepping up and joining in on the fun. In a blowout 83-52 win over Massachusetts’ Grafton, senior Jarrett Ohagan matched 27-point games with Pagios. Josh Bergeron came alive during the heavyweight fight against Barrington, leading the Lincoln scoring with 23 points. This remains the team to beat.
2. Barrington (13-2)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: at Bishop Hendricken, Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m.
The Eagles took back-to-back losses, but neither one hurts their resume. They fell to a solid Rome Free Academy team out of New York and lost to Lincoln a couple days later, but it’s back to winning ways ever since. They knocked down Westerly in a very tight matchup before defeating Tolman and Smithfield to make it three in a row. Colin McDermott, Caleb Satisfield and Ryan Rigamonti all hit the 20-point mark in the 84-82 win over Westerly. Satisfied led the way with 24 points against Tolman and tied for the lead with Rigamonti at 20 points apiece in the 74-62 result against Smithfield. Barrington’s three-headed monster makes for a rather difficult matchup.
3. Classical (11-5)
Previous rank: 4
Next game: at North Kingstown, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Purple have surged back into the conversation. They split their pair of games against Bishop Hendricken but have remained rock solid throughout the recent stretch. Eliezer Delbrey has shown no signs of slowing down, scoring another 28 points to defeat La Salle 51-48. In a low-scoring victory over Mt. Pleasant, senior Arnold Mukama dropped 14 points for a rare non-Delbrey top scorer. Junior center Mohammed Fadia has also been a crucial contributor for this team. Classical is right in the mix now, but the final stretch of the schedule will be telling for its postseason hopes.
4. Westerly (12-3)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: vs. Mt. Pleasant, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs are surging and continue to be the surprise of the 2025-26 season. On the back of three consecutive seasons well under the .500 mark, they’ve started 12-3 this time around. Most recently, Barrington edged them 84-82, but that’s certainly not a negative result against the second best team in the state. Brayden Antoch has stayed on track, scoring team-highs against Tolman (18 points) and Cranston East (25 points) in the previous two wins. Fellow senior Luigi Marchionne and freshman Mikey Joyce have also been hugely important as of late.
5. Bishop Hendricken (7-6)
Previous rank: 2
Next game: vs Barrington, Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m.
The Hawks are much better than their near-.500 record may suggest, though seeing them this low is quite the uncommon occurrence. At the very least, they righted a previous wrong and defeated Classical in their rematch. In that game, they gave away a 16-point lead, only for Will Cary to drill a game-winner to salvage the win. After bouncing back from a four-game losing streak, they proceeded to take a rough 12-point loss against East Providence. Deion Ellis-Cipriano has the talent to bring this team back in the postseason, so don’t count them out quite yet.
6. Central (8-5)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: at Shea, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Knights are scoring a lot of points at the moment. They’ve reached over 90 points in two consecutive games, including a 95-66 win over Smithfield and a 92-57 thrashing of Mt. Pleasant. After a slow first quarter against Mt. Pleasant, John Ramos’ team exploded for a massive victory. Their four-game losing streak has been answered by three straight wins, making for an inconsistent season thus far. In the Smithfield win, it was junior Kayvion Perrault who drilled five 3-pointers in the first quarter to lead the way.
7. Portsmouth (9-4)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: at East Providence, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.
The Patriots took a bad loss to Cumberland, but it’s been nothing but wins ever since. They surrounded that loss with two wins prior and a current run of four wins in a row. Adam Conheeny, the school’s all-time leading scorer, keeps extending that record. He dropped another 20 to beat Tolman 66-35. In another big win over Cranston East, 73-53, Jack Casey erupted for 30 points and eight rebounds. Portsmouth just needs to keep it rolling heading into the final stretch.
8. Mt. Hope (13-1)
Previous rank: 9
Next game: vs. Exeter West-Greenwich, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Huskies have extended their longtime win streak to 11 games. They knocked off East Greenwich in a narrow one most recently, but double-digit wins against West Warwick, North Providence (twice), Cranston East and Juanita Sanchez preceded the close victory. The balanced scoring attack of Jacob Tamke, Maleaq Roderick, Bam Adams and Jack Thompson continues to dominate the opposition. They’re well on their way to a Division II championship just because they’ve got so many guys who can make a difference in any given game.
9. La Salle (8-7)
Previous rank: 8
Next game: vs. East Providence, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The strange, fluctuating season for the Rams continues. They’re the epitome of streaky after losing two in a row, winning three in a row and then dropping the recent two. They did have to play a top-tier Massachusetts foe in Malden Catholic, and they only lost 53-48, but a similar loss to Classical directly ensued. They’re now 8-7 and have been unable to escape a record right around .500. Nick Tarro, though, has been unbelievable. He poured in 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an 82-68 win over Smithfield. He grabbed another 15 rebounds along with 18 points in the following triumph over Mt. Pleasant. They require him to keep this momentum up.
10. St. Raphael Academy (9-3)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: vs. Chariho, Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m.
For the first time, the Saints have entered the fold. Since Jan. 8, it’s been all wins outside of one bulldozing they took against high-flying Portsmouth. They’ve won all five of their other contests since then, and convincingly. Junior Zerek Johnson leads this team forward, as he scored 16 points in a win over Burrillville and 21 in a 15-point win against Narragansett. Johnson averages 16.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. He’s closely followed by 15.8 points per contest from Rafael Rios Jr., while Darrian Richardson rounds out the junior trio with 12.9 points per game. They sit just behind Mt. Hope in Division II.
