WESTBROOK — Tenacious team defense and versatile scoring from Ashley Howe. It’s a combination that has served Thornton Academy well throughout the season, and against Westbrook on Wednesday it was no different. Howe scored a game-high 20 points and the Trojans held the Blue Blazes to just 14 points over the final three quarters to win 42-21 in an SMAA girls basketball game.

Thornton (13-2) head coach Eric Marston said Howe had a “quiet” 20 points, as it took place in the framework of the team’s offense. But even quieter was the team-high eight points for Westbrook’s Alisha Aube, one of the SMAA’s top scorers who was stifled all night.

“The defense was constant throughout the entire game. I’m really proud of the defensive effort (from) the whole team,” said Marston. “Certainly Katie McCrum did an outstanding job guarding (Aube) from start to finish.”

The first of Aube’s three field goals ”“ out of seven total for Westbrook ”“ looked like the start of something big for the Blue Blazes (7-8), as a high-arcing 3-pointer over McCrum gave them their first and only lead at 7-5 late in the first quarter.

But that was a stark contrast to her third field goal, another 3-pointer early in the fourth that snapped a 18:42 stretch ”“ starting with Aube’s first 3 ”“ where the Blue Blazes scored just seven points.

“She’s a fantastic player, and you’re basically talking about one of the best offensive players in the league going against one of the best defensive players in the league. I thought the team did a great job helping Katie out on screens, talking, and she really fought hard,” said Marston. “That was big for us. I think we were able to frustrate them a little bit.”

The Trojans had a forgettable first quarter, totaling just six points ”“ they missed more free throws (three) than they made (two). But an and-1 by Howe that was part of a 5-0 start was the beginning of a game-long scoring run for the junior forward.

Howe made at least one field goal and scored at least three points in each quarter, went 7-of-10 from the free throw line, and equaled Westbrook’s total scoring output (20) when she took a permanent seat on the bench with less than two minutes to play in the game.

“I’m out there to make plays for my teammates,” said Howe. “If my shot’s going in, I’ll do that.”

“I don’t think you can say enough about the job that she’s done for this team. I think she’s similar to our defense, in that she’s always a constant,” Marston said of Howe.

Despite Westbrook’s quiet second quarter (three points), the game was still in question at halftime, with Thornton up only 18-10. But there was no question what the outcome was going to be when Howe completed another three-point play with 3:33 left in the third, which gave the Trojans a double-digit lead they didn’t relinquish.

“In the locker room at halftime coach was just like ”˜look, you got to just pick up the intensity, and just got out and bury them in the second half,’ and that’s what we did,” said Howe.

The Trojans buried the hosts by burying their free throws in the second half. Thornton made 12 of 17 foul shots in the second half after making just 7 of 14 in the first half. McCrum was perfect from the line, scoring six of her eight points from the charity stripe.

“It was big getting the makes,” said Marston. “It’s hard to go up there and have people that are outstanding free throw shooters miss free throws. It just feels like a missed opportunity.”

The loss dropped the Blue Blazes under .500, but Marston said their record doesn’t fully reflect how tough of an opponent they were for his squad.

“This is a difficult place to play. Coach (Chris) Aube does a great job with them. They’re a team that could definitely make some noise in the playoffs,” said Marston. “I’m proud of the girls in the effort they had in order to come out on top tonight.”

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.