STANDISH – On high school basketball courts, the 3-point line is 19.75 feet away from the center of the basket. For the Bonny Eagle boys basketball team, that distance must have looked like a lot shorter against Thornton Academy last Friday night.

The Scots were on fire from behind the stripe all night against the Golden Trojans, knocking down 13 from long range in a runaway 62-29 victory in Standish. Up 23-17 after a competitive first half the Scots (3-0) outscored the Trojans 23-6 in the decisive third quarter, knocking down five from beyond the arc as Thornton (1-2) just couldn’t keep pace.

“We came out and shot well in the second half,” Bonny Eagle coach Phil Bourassa said. “We have some deadly shooters when they’re feeling it and luckily they caught fire.”

Senior forward CJ Autry led the Scots with 22 points while sophomore guard Ben Malloy was a close second with 20, tying his career best. Junior point guard Dustin Cole chipped in 12 points and had 11 assists as well and was a constant threat, drawing attention on slashing drives and kicking it out to teammates for open threes.

Autry’s shooting was especially vital as the 6-foot-2 forward was able to draw Thornton’s big men away from the basket, opening lanes for Cole and Malloy as it was pick your poison for the Trojans’ defense all night.

“Everything was just going great for us,” Autry said. “Me, Ben and Dustin were all hitting our shots and just working well as a team. We prepared great, got our guys ready and just came out firing. It was really important we hit our shots early.”

The 3-pointers were pouring in from the opening tip for both sides as the game’s first five made shots, three of them on the Bonny Eagle side, all came from deep. Thornton’s Malcolm Dopwell made the first 2-pointer on a layup with just five seconds left in the quarter as it was 9-8 Scots after one. After another Dopwell layup made it 10-10 early in the second, the Scots went on an 13-2 and looked to be pulling away before a Jeff Gelinas three and a Quinn Richardson Newton two pegged Thornton back to within six at halftime.

But after the break it was all Scots, who started the quarter on a 21-3 run. Malloy had 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in the sequence, while Autry scored eight and hit twice from downtown as Bonny Eagle put the game away in the third.

“The Malloy kid hit some great shots. He was three or four feet behind the 3-point line knocking them down,” Thornton coach Bob Davies said. “They got separation, and against a team like that you’re not coming back. You just tip your hat to them, they’re good team.”

On the other end Thornton found it tougher sledding, scoring just 12 points after the break. It was the second game in their first three where the Trojans have failed to break the 30-point barrier after scoring just 28 against Deering in the opener, and Davies said his team would obviously have to pick it up at the offensive end to compete against the better teams the league.

“We executed but we didn’t make shots,” Davies said. “We got it down low and missed layups. We’ve got to definitely get better at putting the ball in the basket.”

For Bonny Eagle scoring shouldn’t be a problem, especially when their talented trio of Autry, Malloy and Cole are hitting on the same night like they were Friday. And although the season is still in its opening stages, with the 33-point win over a solid Thornton squad the Scots have certainly proven they’re again one of the teams to beat in Western Class A.

“I don’t know if we’re stoppable when (Autry and Malloy) are both hitting because of how talented Dustin is,” Bourassa said. “He draws so much attention that those guys are going to get good looks, and if they’re knocking them down the sky’s the limit.

“I thought we played really well and I think we’re just getting going, which is good to see.”

Bonny Eagle guard Ben Malloy drives on Thornton Academy Quinn Richardson-Newton in the second quarter of the Scots’ 62-29 victory over the Golden Trojans. Malloy scored 20 points in the victory. Staff photos by Cameron Dunbar
Bonny Eagle point guard Dustin Cole reaches out for a loose ball in the first quarter of he Scots 62-29 win over Thornton Academy. Cole had 12 points and 11 assists in the victory.