PORTLAND – Needing a victory against a top team to get its season on track after a sluggish start, Deering got one Friday night against unbeaten Thornton Academy.
The Rams led for nearly the whole game, then withstood a last-minute rally by the Golden Trojans before securing a 50-48 victory in a Western Class A boys’ basketball game.
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When James Ek’s 3-pointer to win it for Thornton missed with seconds left and Deering tracked down the rebound, the Rams (4-2) had a precious win and a bundle of Heal points.
“We needed this big time,” said guard Jon Amabile, who scored a game-high 22 points. “Hopefully we can build on this and get better and better.”
The Rams led from early in the first quarter until early in the fourth, when the Golden Trojans (5-1) scored five quick points to make it 40-40.
After Amabile hit a 3-pointer to give Deering back the lead, Adam Ek scored four quick points to give Thornton a 44-43 lead — its first since it was 2-0.
But Deering kept its poise.
“I told the players during the Christmas break that it’s a long season,” Deering Coach Dan LeGage said. “I told them to keep working hard on defense, and offensively the shots will drop. Everyone who came in off the bench was ready to play.”
The Rams played outstanding defense and got enough shots to drop.
Thornton’s lead was brief. Nick Colucci scored on a drive to give the Rams back the lead. Jamie Ross followed with an inside basket to make it 47-44.
Thornton then threw the ball away two straight times.
Labson Abwoch of Deering scored inside with 1:45 left. Andrew Ek missed two from the line and Ross hit 1 of 2 from the line with 1:10 left to make it 50-44.
The Trojans then scored the next four points. Andrew Shaw was fouled shooting a 3-pointer out front. He missed the first but made the next two. Thornton then stole the ball at midcourt and fed Shaw for a layup to cut the lead to two.
John Hughes of Deering was fouled with 16.3 seconds left. He missed and Thornton called a timeout. The Trojans went for the win with James Ek, their leading scorer, shooting from beyond the arc, but his attempt, under close guarding, bounced away.
The teams will play only once in the regular season.
“Wins against teams you only play once are huge,” said LeGage.
Sparked by Amabile and Jackson Frey, the Rams went on a 9-0 run for a 15-5 lead; Frey had five points and Amabile four. Frey had 11 of his 13 points in the opening quarter.
Thornton closed the half with a 10-4 spurt to trail by three.
Shaw finished with 13 points for Thornton. James Ek, the SMAA’s leading scorer at 23 points per game, was held to eight by some tough defense by Frey.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
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