SACO — There was no magic to be had at Linnell Gym.

Unlike last season, when Thornton Academy beat rival Biddeford after the Tigers forced overtime on a last-second shot, the Golden Trojans on Tuesday night mauled the Tigers 78-49 in front of a packed crowd.

“We just came out and played our game,” Thornton forward Quinn Richardson-Newton said. “And we just got the win.”

Two 10-0 runs in the first quarter gave Thornton an early 20-1 lead. Biddeford, who relies on perimeter shooting, had a cold streak that lasted throughout the entire contest. The Tigers did, however, have three scorers with 10 points or more in Bobby Cote (14), Cam Nedeau (10) and Nick Leblond (10).

“One of the first things we told the kids was we had to match their intensity,” Biddeford head coach Mike Fecteau said. “If you don’t, they’re going to blow you out. That’s what happened. It’s tough to come back from 20-1. (Thornton) came out and hit some shots early on and shots weren’t falling for us. When you fall behind like that, you start forcing things and making things happen. We just didn’t play good team basketball tonight.”

Thornton, on the other hand, scored from all over the place, but mostly down low in the paint, where the Trojans’ size advantage was too much for Biddeford to overcome.

“We’re getting better every day,” Thornton Academy head coach Bob Davies said. “The kids are having fun and it shows. They’re hustling and feeding off each other.”

Thornton also had three scorers with 10 points or more, led by guard Justin Pollard, who scored a game-high 19 points. Richardson-Newton scored 15 points and Connor McCrum scored 12 points.

The Trojans outscored the Tigers 20-6 in the first quarter, as Biddeford couldn’t score in its first eight possessions of the game. The Tigers more than doubled their scoring total in the second quarter, but by then the Trojans had already built a 41-23 lead.

Even so, Richardson-Newton said the Trojans never felt a need to let up with a big lead.

“We had to keep going like the score was 0-0,” Richardson-Newton said.

Thornton’s defense only improved as the game moved along, holding Cote, one of the top scorers in the SMAA, to just one point in the second half, a feat that Davies credited guards Adam Ek and Brandon Aull in creating.

“They did a heck of a job,” Davies said. “Their teammates gave them help when they were supposed to give them help.”

Biddeford only scored seven points in the third quarter, but tallied 18 in the fourth, when reserves from both teams played extensively.

With the win, Thornton is now 9-4 on the season, and ranked No. 5 in Western Maine Class A basketball. The Trojans can improve their playoff positioning with their final five games, if they can beat Scarborough and Cheverus, both ranked higher in the MPA Heal Point standings.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are nestled in at No. 11 in the standings, the final playoff spot. Biddeford has some tough games left with Marshwood, Bonny Eagle, Sanford and Thornton Academy.

“We still have five games left in the season,” Fecteau said. “We still have a lot of basketball. We just need to forget about this game, go back to work tomorrow in practice and get ready for Marshwood.”

Thornton travels to North Berwick to play Noble on Friday night, while the Tigers head to South Berwick to play Marshwood.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow on Twitter @Dave_Dyer.