STANDISH — Thornton Academy’s boys’ basketball team knew it was facing a team hungry for a big win Thursday night.
But the Golden Trojans made the key plays at the biggest moments, quieted a big crowd and went home with a 70-62 win over Bonny Eagle.
“It’s always fun when your opponent has a strong fan base and comes out to support their team, so it just fuels everybody to play harder. It just makes the game more fun,” said Thornton’s Payton Jones, who led four Golden Trojans in double figures with 17 points.
Both teams are now 7-2 and ranked among the top three teams in Class AA South.
Anthony Bracamonte (14 points) and the inside tandem of Robert Gawronski and Will Chapman each scored 10 points. Dylan Griffin (nine points) and Jack Pyzynski (seven points) contributed off the bench. Pyzynski was making his first appearance of the season after a preseason injury.
Bonny Eagle guards Zach Maturo and Jacob Humphrey each scored 23 points.
Maturo, a quick 5-foot-10 ball handler who can shoot 3-pointers and get to the basket, was face-guarded throughout the game by Kobe Gaudette, who last week matched up against Bangor’s 6-foot-6 Matt Fleming.
Gaudette sparked a Thornton defense that forced 11 turnovers in the second quarter, leading to a 32-23 cushion at the half.
Thornton went inside, where it had a size advantage, to start the third quarter and pushed its lead to 40-25.
The Scots responded, hustling for offensive rebounds and taking charges. Maturo found some rare slivers of open space for two of his five 3-pointers, the second cutting Thornton’s lead to 42-39.
Bonny Eagle’s Nate Ferris drew a charge on Griffin, revving up the home crowd to its peak.
The Scots failed to get off a shot on the ensuing possession, however, and Jones quickly scored in transition. Griffin powered up for another bucket, then converted a three-point play with a second left in the quarter off an inbound pass from near half court by Gaudette.
“That was the biggest part; when we would get it close, they would quickly transition,” said Bonny Eagle’s first-year coach, John Trull, who played at Thornton. “Those big momentum plays, right when we had it, we couldn’t make that next play, and then they’d go the other way with it.”
Thornton pushed its lead to 13 in the fourth. Bonny Eagle scored eight straight on a 3 from Cam Gardner, two of Humphrey’s 11 free throws (in 13 attempts) and a Maturo 3-pointer, but the Scots could get no closer. Thornton made 9 of 12 free throws in the final 4:08 and 17 of 21 overall.
“We stayed with the game and they made their runs, and we came up with some key hoops and we made free throws down the stretch,” said Thornton Coach Bob Davies.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
scraig@pressherald.com
Twitter: SteveCCraig
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