SACO — It was a quiet first half for Thornton Academy forward Olivia Shaw, but the Trojans’ go-to player stepped up when her team needed her the most, scoring 12 of her game-high 15 points in the second half to lead Thornton to a 41-30 victory over Marshwood on Tuesday night.

“I just think that I was personally trying to be a little bit more aggressive,” said Shaw, adding that she didn’t really need to do much in the first half, when the Trojans jumped out to an early lead.

But when Marshwood pulled to within one early in the third quarter, Shaw took over. She outscored the Hawks by herself in the quarter, scoring seven points to Marshwood’s three. She also added some big free throws late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win for Thornton.

“She’s certainly one of the best players in the league, and she showed that tonight,” said Thornton head coach Eric Marston.

The Trojans jumped out early, thanks to their size advantage and a zone defense that stifled the Hawks’ offense. Thornton scored the first seven points of the game and held Marshwood to just one field goal in the first quarter, as they led 12-4.

But the Hawks opened the second quarter on a 12-5 run to get right back into the game, thanks to a full-court press that disrupted the Thornton offense and led to easy points the other way.

“Basketball is just a game of runs,” said Shaw. “It’s going to happen.”

Thornton led just 18-16 at halftime, and gave Marshwood a chance to take the lead early in the third quarter when Shaw went on a run of her own. Shaw said it was because they started to use their height advantage inside to take the game back in their favor.

“We’re so big, and we just have to get it inside,” said Shaw. “Get it to the hoop and get fouled.”

Marston also said the team started rebounding better, which was a weakness in the first half.

“I actually challenged the girls at halftime, especially our bigs, and I said I thought they were out-hustling us on some rebounds. I thought they were winning a lot of the 50-50 balls,” said Marston. “We needed to tighten that up, and I thought that the girls did that in the second half.”

Shaw scored five more points in the fourth quarter, including three free throws, but it was two younger teammates who helped her and the Trojans secure the victory. Freshman Ashley Howe and sophomore Abby Strickland combined for 10 points in the fourth quarter, including five free throws.

“Abby is working extremely hard in the post, and getting to the hoop and getting fouled,” said Shaw. “And Ashley is obviously put in a tough spot as a freshman, and I think she is handling it really, really well, and she’s been doing a great job in every single game.”

Strickland finished with nine points for the Trojans, and Howe had eight, including two three-pointers.

Emily Richard helped lead the offense early, scoring six points in the first quarter, all of which were inside the paint.

Marston said he was expecting a tough game from the Hawks, who he said are well-coached and hustle as much as anybody. He was just glad they were able to seal the deal.

“I knew it was going to be a dogfight from the start, and it certainly was. And I was proud of our girls the way they closed out the game,” said Marston. “That was one of the first times we’ve really been able to close out the game and gradually pull away.”

Thornton is now 6-3 on the season heading into their toughest test of the year. The Trojans host two-time defending state champion and undefeated McAuley on Friday night.

— Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.