PORTLAND — One week ago, seven area teams entered the Maine high school boys and girls basketball tournaments.

Today, as you read this, only two teams remain.

Count the Thornton Academy boys basketball team amongst dearly departed of basketball season, as the Golden Trojans dropped a 41-33 loss to Deering on Saturday night in the Western Class A quarterfinal game at the Portland Expo.

Though the Trojans finish the regular season with a better record (15-4) than 2010’s 13-6 record, it’s the second straight year Thornton has lost in the quarterfinals, after winning the state championship in 2009.

Shooting woes crippled the Trojans on Saturday night, leaving many in the crowd wondering what could have been if injured guard James Ek had been on the floor. Ek, the SMAA’s top 3-point shooter (47 in 14 games, first in the conference), tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee against Massabesic on Feb. 4. Thornton went 3-0 in his absence before Saturday night, but the Trojans, usually a strong 3-point shooting team, hit only two 3-pointers on the night against the Rams, while also struggling from the foul line, hitting  3 of 9 free throws (33 percent), compared to Deering , who hit 14 of 18 free throws (78 percent).

“We had a fun group to play,” Thornton Academy head coach Robert Davies said. “We got up and down [the court], and when we make our shots, it was real fun. Tonight, we didn’t make them. It’s a good win for Deering.”

Without Ek on the floor, the Rams were able to focus most of the defensive attention on Trojans forward Andrew Shaw, who scored 10 points on the night.

The game was clearly going in the direction of a defensive battle from the start, as both teams were tied 9-9 at the end of the first quarter. The same battle continued into the second, with Deering holding a slight advantage going into the locker room at halftime with a 19-18 lead.

But the Rams, led by the play of guard John Amabile, who scored a game-high 20 points, began to pull away from the Trojans in the third. A late 5-0 run in the quarter by Deering gave the Rams a 31-26 lead heading into the fourth, before Amabile scored six points in the fourth to seal the win for the Rams.

Thornton was led by guard Justin Pollard, who scored 11 points on the night, six of which came in the fourth quarter.

It was the second time this season the Trojans have lost to Deering. The Rams defeated Thornton 50-48 during a regular season matchup on Jan. 7.

Beyond Ek’s injury, the game was the final contest for six other Trojan seniors; Shaw, Corbett Smith, Josh Woodward, Kent Dao, Trey Binette and Alex Richardson-Newton.

“It’s always tough to lose seniors, no matter what,” Davies said. “They’re a good group of kids, and we had a lot of fun while they were here.”

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.