Thornton Academy 44

Gorham 41

Tyler Kelley hit a 3-pointer with just 3.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter to help Thornton Academy stave off Gorham’s comeback anllowing the Trojans to escape with a 44-41 win Tuesday in Saco.

Gorham overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead. But Kelley’s shot stole victory from the jaws of defeat.

“I think Thornton is an excellent team,” said Gorham coach Kevin Jenkins. “They played well. They have played everybody tough all year. We knew this would be a difficult game for us. We got way behind and had a good fourth quarter run. We had a lead and I thought we might be able to escape with a win here. I’m disappointed that we had a chance to win, but we didn’t”

Gorham scored the first nine points in the fourth quarter to claw their way back into it. Andrew Dean hit two 3-pointers in a row to give the Rams the lead. Dean had 13 points in the fourth quarter alone. He finished with 25.

Gorham opened the fourth quarter with two free throws by Dean. Jamie LaMontagne hit a jumper then Dean rattled off five straight points. Kelley hit a jumper for Thornton to extend the Trojans’ lead briefly. Dean then hit two straight from beyond the arc to then give Gorham a two-point cushion.

“(Dean) has had a fantastic year,” said Jenkins. “He’s very difficult to guard one-on-one because he can get to the basket. There were some difficult circumstances for us to weather there. I thought he competed like a champion. The group got behind him and played well. I’m pleased in that standpoint.”

The Trojans’ Kory Martin was fouled in the paint and sent to the line. He tied the game when he made both free throws. Thornton then reclaimed the lead when Kelley hit a 3-pointer – one of six he made in the game.

“We got lazy there in the third quarter and fourth quarter covering him (Dean) and Tyler was letting him catch it,” said Thornton coach Bob Davies. “I had to call a timeout and I said ‘are you tired?’ He said ‘no’ and I said ‘why is he catching it?’ He said ‘he’s not going to catch it again coach.’ From there he did well defensively.”

With one minute left, Tyler attempted a 3-pointer that would have given Thornton a three-point edge. The shot was off and Gorham grabbed the rebound. Knowing they only needed to make one shot, they took their time. Finally, with 14 seconds to go, Dean got around Kelley and headed for the basket. Harassed by Thornton defenders, he lost the ball out of bounds with 12.9 seconds on the clock.

“He’s our playmaker,” said Jenkins. “We could have called timeout and set something up. I think once he got by him he committed to go ahead and try to score. He’s had so much success doing that all year you hate to second guess him. I think he makes good decisions generally. I’d like to see him wait a little bit. But he saw that opening and went for it.”

With the tables turned, the Trojans knew they suddenly had the game’s final shot. Davies called a timeout and set up the last play.

“We were going to have Jeff (Winnie) bring it up because he’s been doing well. He hasn’t been turning it over,” said Kelley. “Mike (Burchill) was going to sit in the corner and I was going to be at the top of the key. Jeff was going to kick it to Mike if his guy came up, but his guy dropped and mine sank. So he kicked it to me and I made the shot.”

This time Kelley’s shot was true. But with 3.7 seconds on the clock, the Rams still had time for one last desperate shot. Dean got the ball and heaved it toward the basket, but it fell short and the Trojans escaped with the win.

“We started to get a little careless at defense at the end of the game,” said Kelley. “They started coming back.”

In the end Thornton Academy got one more big shot than Gorham did and they claimed the win.

“They are a difficult team to play against,” said Jenkins. “They have perimeter shooters and inside players. I could see them beating anyone. So from that standpoint, I’m pleased we were able to give them a game in their gym.”

Thornton improves to 10-5 as they look to solidify their position before the tournament starts. They will take on arch rival Biddeford on Friday night. Gorham falls to 8-7 and will do battle with Westbrook at home Friday night.