What a turnaround in less than four days for the Thornton Academy Golden Trojans boys basketball team.

Friday night Bonny Eagle crushed TA in a lopsided game in which the Golden Trojans scored seven points in the first half. Tuesday night, however, no one would believe that same Trojans team existed as Thornton Academy rebounded with a 43-41 win at previously undefeated South Portland.

To use the words of Thornton Academy coach Bob Davies, it was a “great high school basketball game.” It also provided great momentum for TA.

After falling behind 7-2 early in the first quarter, Thornton Academy could’ve folded and played ho-hum basketball while taking pity on itself. Hey, the boys on the court are human. It’s not out of the realm of possibility.

But instead of cowering at the challenge, the Golden Trojans rose up, sinking three straight 3-pointers, taking a one-point lead with three minutes to play in the first quarter.

Trailing by only two points entering the second quarter, Thornton Academy’s defense showed that it could clamp down as it held South Portland to only two points. That’s pretty impressive to hold a team to two points in a quarter after it scored 165 points in its first three games.

“We came together as a unit,” Davies said. “We played team defense, and I think that was the best team defense we had played this season.”

It wasn’t just the team defense that appeared for the Golden Trojans. Malcolm Dopwell, a 6-foot-6 junior center, also showed his hopefully true colors for the Maroon and Gold. Dopwell scored six points in the second quarter, blocked two shots and snagged four rebounds.

“We just need to play with that kind of intensity the entire game and bring it from the beginning,” Dopwell said. “We’re capable of playing like that, we just have to do it all the time.”

Thornton Academy also showed its gritty resolve late in the game after South Portland made a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

Down 10, with less than seven minutes to play, South Portland outscored Thornton 12-2, tying the game with a pair of free throws with one minute to play.

The South Portland gymnasium erupted as the student section stood and hollered. Favor was not on Thornton’s side.

Up stepped Thornton senior Justin Pollard. He held the ball for several seconds then made a move with 24 seconds remaining, slashing to the lane and converting a layup. That gave Thornton Academy a 43-41 lead.

“That’s a senior play,” Davies said of Pollard. “He’s a guy who has been in the program for a while, and that was just a smart move.”

Smart moves, gritty play and tough defense could be the defining mark of this Thornton Academy team as it moves through this high school basketball season. Time will tell if it can rise to the level of perennial power Cheverus or mount a serious challenge in a rematch with Bonny Eagle, but if Tuesday night was any indicator, Thornton Academy should be a serious contender to make a deep run into the Class A playoffs in February.

Welcome to

senior year, Bobby Cote

The Biddeford Tigers have a star in the making in the name of Bobby Cote.

The senior guard has risen to the occasion time and again for Biddeford so far in this early season.

In the first four games, Cote has scored 21, 23, 27 and 20 points, respectively. He has drained eight 3-pointers during that time.

Biddeford is beginning to play better basketball recently, too, beating Massabesic and Windham in its last two games. It’s a quick turnaround from an opening night 57-38 loss to Cheverus and a much-closer-than-the-score-looked 65-53 loss to South Portland.

Biddeford needs Cote to continue his hot hand as it will need to call on his, and the rest of the Tigers, quickness to overcome its size deficiency in a Southwestern Maine Activities Association that boasts many tall athletes.

Pulling away

from the pack

It’s early in the season, but so far the Wells, Sanford and Thornton Academy girls basketball teams are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in York County.

Wells came back to beat Freeport 45-44 on Monday night, improving to 4-1. Wells’ only loss was 42-39 to Yarmouth in its third game of the season.

Sanford has bolted out to a 3-0 record with wins against Bonny Eagle, Portland and Gorham. The Redskins have done it with stingy defense only allowing an average of 34 points per game. Thornton Academy, meanwhile, has started 3-0 with wins over Deering, South Portland and Bonny Eagle. While Sanford has done it with defense, Thornton has scored nearly 53 points per game.