WARWICK - Classical, the reigning champion, avoided an embarrassing upset Wednesday night in the Credit Union Division II Boys Basketball Championships semifinal at CCRI by edging Scituate, 53-49, in overtime.

The Purple did not play well and was lucky to win at the Vincent A. Cullen Field House.

"We didn't have it going. We couldn't get a rhythm. But we scratched and clawed and still found a way to win," Classical coach Todd Keefe said.

Ashton Watkins broke a 49-49 tie when he grabbed an offensive rebound and made a layup with 31.3 seconds to play in the extra period. Michael Palumbo provided insurance with a pair of free throws with three seconds left.

So the dream matchup between Classical (19-1) and Narragansett (19-1) for the Division II championship will occur Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center.

Narragansett did its part in the opener by rallying from a 12-point deficit and escaping with a 55-52 victory over Coventry (13-8), the only team that had defeated the Mariners this season.

Classical had beaten Scituate twice this season, by 16 points and by 27 points, but was not in charge Wednesday night until the end. The Purple held a 25-21halftime lead and never led by more than five in the second half. They would have won by a greater margin had they made free throws, but they were only 15-33 from the line. Lavon Waite was 3-10, Watkins 3-7. Palumbo was 6-6.

Palumbo finished with 17 points, Watkins with 15. Jared Hanson scored 16 and Zach Caron 11 for the Spartans.

Caron sent the game into overtime when he buried a three-pointer with 1:07 to play in the second half. The Spartans had a chance to win it in regulation when Hanson stole the ball, but Watkins blocked Caron twice in the paint, forcing a shot-clock violation.

Classical almost won at the buzzer, but Greg Holt's three-point shot clanged off the rim.

Palumbo scored six of Classical nine points in overtime.

"We ran sets for Palumbo down the stretch, and he put us on his back," Keefe said.

In the opener, Tyler Hoxsie broke a 50-50 tie with a short jump shot with 1:52 to play, and Narragansett hung on for the victory. Coventry had a chance to tie, but Trevor DiMicco's launch from three-quarter court at the buzzer fell well short.

Jay Jeannotte scored 16 points for the Mariners, 12 in the second half. Austin Shepherd finished with 12 and Nate Patterson 10.

DiMicco finished with 14, Matt Willard 11 and Adam Cloutier 10 for Coventry.

The Oakers dominated the first half, led by 12 with a minute to play and by 32-21 at the break. The Mariners came out strong in the second half, outscored the Oakers 21-7 and took a 42-39 lead on Brendan Kenny's layup with 7:16 to play.

Nate Stichell sank a three-pointer for a 43-42 Coventry lead with 6:04 to go, and Clouthier made a short jumper as the shot clock expired for a 45-42 lead with 5:18 to play.

Narragansett regained the lead on a Jeannotte rebound and layup with 3:59 left. DiMicco tied the score at 48-48 with a trey and at 50-50 with a tip-in. Then Hoxsie put Narragansett ahead for good.

"The difference in the second half was our shots weren't falling," said Coventry coach Bill Tarvis. "We had open shots, but for about six minutes we were shooting 30 percent. That allowed them to come back."

Coventry had a height advantage down low with Cloutier and Willard, but too often the Oakers settled for long jump shots.

"A couple of times our big guys missed, and our scorers felt they had to take it upon themselves," Tarvis said.

DiMicco limped through the second half as a result of bruised buttock suffered in the quarterfinal victory over Shea but made big shots for Coventry at the end.

"He's our best player. I can't take him out. Even at 70 to 80 percent, he's still our best player," Tarvis said.

Jeannotte, Narragansett's best player, struggled early but also made big plays at the end. In the last four minutes he made a layup off an offensive rebound, went high for a defensive rebound and sank two free throws.

mszostak@projo.com