SACO — In a league that’s expected to be extremely tight, the coaches and players of both Thornton Academy and Bonny Eagle knew that their season-opening girls’ basketball game would have playoff implications. Which is why they went at each other with playoff intensity.

In the end, Thornton Academy’s top two players carried the Trojans to the victory. Alex Hart, a junior guard, and Alisha Aube, a senior forward, combined for 15 points in the final quarter, including the final six, to lift Thornton to a 52-49 victory at Linnell Gymnasium.

“I really wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Thornton Coach Eric Marston. “We knew this was a big one. I’m just really pleased the way the girls grinded it out.”

Hart led Thornton with 19 points. Aube, who transfered from Westbrook, had 18.

“Those two took over,” said Bonny Eagle Coach Scott Regan. “That was obvious.”

Bonny Eagle, which trailed 5-0 early, had taken a 34-32 lead into the fourth quarter. It was still tied at 38 with 6:26 remaining after Bonny Eagle’s Mackenzie Emery – who led the Scots with 15 points, hitting 13 of 15 foul shots – made 1 of 2 free throws.

Then freshman forward Alexis Sanders put Thornton ahead for good, taking a back-door pass from Hart on the left and putting in a layup.

Thornton increased the lead to four, but Bonny Eagle – which ended Thornton’s season in the Class AA South quarterfinals last year – kept coming back to within one. Each time, the Trojans pushed back. First, freshman Amanda Bogardus hit a 12-foot leaner from the right with 1:45 remaining to make it 46-43.

Deirdre Sanborn (10 points) answered for Bonny Eagle with a drive down the lane. Then, with 51.5 seconds remaining, Hart went to the free-throw line. She missed both shots, but Aube was there to get the rebound of the second shot and put it in for a 48-45 lead.

“I was ready,” said Aube, who had eight rebounds and three steals. “I expected (Hart) to hit them, but I wanted to put myself in position just in case.”

Regan said that was the biggest basket.

“We knew to beat them we had to rebound and finish,” said Regan. “I’m sure they outrebounded us. And that was the biggest one.”

Samantha Averill (eight points), a sophomore, hit two foul shots with 36.3 seconds left to cut the lead to one again. But Hart was fouled again with 25.7 seconds left, and this time she hit both shots, swishing them through the net.

“I didn’t want to lose to Bonny Eagle a second time in a row,” said Hart. “So I just cleared my mind, said, ‘I have to make these.’ And I did.”

Tracie Townsend scored on a twisting drive with seven seconds left, but Aube hit two foul shots with 5.2 seconds remaining.

Hart said the Trojans weren’t worried when Bonny Eagle seemed to take control in the middle two quarters. “We were just going to play, push through adversity,” she said. “That’s what we did, fought back.”

Neither team shot well – except from the foul line. Bonny Eagle hit 28 of 32 free throws (86 percent), while Thornton was 22 of 31 (71 percent).

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