SACO — The Maine high school basketball playoffs began in earnest on Tuesday night, as No. 5 Thornton Academy and No. 12 Marshwood tipped off in a Class A west boys prelim. Unfortunately for the Trojans, it was also the end of the playoffs, as they upset 48-47 in a thriller at Linnell Gymnasium.
The Trojans had a chance to win the game at the end, as they inbounded the ball with 3.2 seconds left, but an attempted 3-pointer by Demel Ruff at the buzzer went off-target ”“ as did every other attempt from beyond the arc for Thornton in the game.
Productivity from the 3-point line was the story in the opening quarter. Thornton jumped out to a 7-5 lead thanks to five quick points from junior forward Kevin Barrett, but the Hawks then went on a 9-0 run ”“ on three 3-pointers ”“ to take a 14-7 lead.
“They wanted it. They came out ready to play; we didn’t,” said Thornton sophomore guard Corey Hart.
Marshwood hit four 3-pointers in the quarter and held a 16-9 lead after eight minutes. Thornton, on the other hand, was 0-5 from behind the line.
“They made their shots. We over-helped in the beginning, and they made us pay,” said Thornton head coach Bob Davies. “That’s a credit to them.”
The Trojans dominated much of the second quarter, as they opened the period on a 9-5 run ”“ including another five-point outburst by Barrett. Thornton was able to cut the deficit to 22-20, but Marshwood finished the first half on a 4-0 run, including a runner by Ryan O’Neil with five second left, to take a 26-20 lead into halftime.
Thornton changed up its game plan in the second half, as the Trojans began to attack the basket. Thornton’s first six field goal makes of the third quarter were all from in the paint as the hosts cut into the Marshwood lead. A free throw by Evan Wright tied the game at 34-34 with 1:20 left in the period.
But every time Thornton started to gain momentum, the Hawks were able to take it right back. Marshwood held a slim 38-36 lead heading into the fourth, thanks to a missed 3-pointer from Wright at the buzzer.
The Trojans got off to a nightmare start in the fourth quarter. After O’Neil opened the scoring with a two made free throws, Brady Innes collected a steal when the Hawks threw a full-court press at Thornton, then was fouled on a transition layup attempt. After making the first foul shot, Innes missed the second, but Jack Letellier collected the rebound and put it back as the Hawks opened on a 5-0 run.
The press then worked again, as the Trojans were called for a 10-second backcourt violation for another turnover. Davies called a timeout with 6:11 left to try and calm his team down.
The break in the action did just that, as Thornton went on a 7-1 run after the timeout, capped off by a Hart and-1 with 2:58 left to cut the deficit to 44-43.
“I just played the way I should have been all year,” said Hart, who scored five of his eight points in the fourth after falling hard late in the third. “I didn’t do that most of the season; I was scared to do everything, I guess, I did tonight.”
The Trojans had chances to take their first lead since the first quarter, but missed on two of their next three shots ”“ a rim-out on a jumper by Quinn Richardson-Newton and a too-strong layup by Hart.
“You got to put yourself in a spot to take a shot, and our kids did that,” said Davies. “Sometimes shots go in, sometimes they don’t.”
“It’s tough, but it’s next play. You have to just keep playing,” said Hart. “You can’t pout about it or anything.”
With the score tied 45-45 in the final minute, Marshwood’s Drew Bartlett made a layup off of a steal with 35 seconds to play.
Hart drove to the hoop on Thornton’s next possession trying to tie the game back up, but was called for an offensive foul ”“ his fifth foul of the game.
“Corey had a great game for us tonight,” said Davies.
After O’Neil made 1-2 free throws to increase the Marshwood lead to three points, Richardson-Newton made a layup the other way to cut it back to one.
O’Neil then missed two free throws, with Richardson-Newton collecting the rebound on the second attempt before calling the final timeout with 3.2 seconds left.
The inbounds pass from the left sideline made its way to Ruff in the right corner, but his buzzer-beating attempt fell short, and the upset was completed.
“We ran a set play, and we just didn’t execute it. The timing was off,” said Davies. “We run it a lot, and it broke down, so we took what we could get.
“I feel bad for the group of guys in that locker room that compete all year long, and they gave everything they had, and we fell a little short. You feel bad for them because you know how hard they worked.”
“They out-played us by one point,” said Hart.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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