Foul trouble isn’t any trouble at all when you boast a bench like Thornton Academy’s.
The Golden Trojans stayed undefeated Wednesday evening at Keegan Gymnasium, thanks in large part to a third-quarter surge sparked by several reserves in a 54-29 victory at Cheverus.
Thornton had to sit a couple starters because of foul problems and was clinging to a one-point lead early in the third quarter until Dylan Griffin spearheaded a 15-2 run with nine straight points, including a 3-pointer. With fellow reserves Ben Ham and Costa Gikas also coming up big, the Golden Trojans never looked back as they improved to 5-0.
“Coach (Bob) Davies got on us at halftime and told us we had to step up,” said Griffin. “We know we’re up there (in the standings) this year. We think we can make a run for it this year.”
Thornton made it look easy early, grabbing a 10-0 lead behind four layups and a pair of free throws before an Owen Burke 3-pointer awakened Cheverus, which trailed 12-4 after one quarter.
The Stags roared to life in the second quarter, upping their defensive intensity and riding 3-point shots from Matt Duchaine, Patrick Foster and Nick Galli and a fadeaway jumper from Nolan Sanborn to take a momentary lead.
After a Robert Gawronski steal, Griffin set up Payton Jones for a layup just before the horn, giving the Golden Trojans an 18-17 advantage.
Jones started the second half by making another layup, but the Stags were still within 24-22 midway through the third quarter. Then Griffin scored twice on putbacks, made a layup after a nice feed from Ham, and got a 3-pointer to bounce in for a 33-22 advantage.
“My teammates knew when to find me at the right times,” Griffin said. “(That 3) was a nice roll there. It was shooter’s touch.”
Gikas made two free throws and drove for a pretty finger roll to make it a 15-point game heading for the fourth quarter.
“(Our reserves) make or break our team,” said Jones. “In practice, they push all the starters to give 100 percent and make us better in games, so when they get their time to shine, they can do really well.”
Another 15-2 run in the fourth quarter, highlighted by consecutive three-point plays by Jones, ended all doubt.
“It was a collective win,” Davies said. “We’re learning, and hopefully we’ll continue to get better all year.”
Jones scored 16 points and Griffin added 15. Gikas and Will Chapman had six points apiece.
The Stags (4-4) got 10 points from Galli, but slow starts in each half sealed their doom.
“Credit to (Thornton Academy),” said Cheverus Coach Ryan Soucie. “They were more aggressive and they executed better than we did.
“I think we’re at a critical point in our schedule. We just have to stay committed to each other.”