SACO — After going 11 days without playing a countable game, Thornton Academy boys lacrosse coach said he sensed his players were “a little tired” of beating up on each other in practice.

So on Wednesday night, the Golden Trojans beat up on rival Biddeford instead, using a high-pressure, physical defense and crisp off-the-ball movement on the offensive end to rout the sixth-seeded Tigers 15-1 in a Western Class A quarterfinal at Hill Stadium.

The third-seeded Trojans (10-3) won’t have to wait too long to play again ”“ they’ll play second-seed Scarborough, the team that has knocked Thornton out of the playoffs three of the last four years, in a semifinal on Saturday.

“It’s been so long since we’ve played a game. The last couple of days in practice have been kind of tough, and things start getting a little tough when the same guy is beating up on you for that length of time,” Thornton coach Ryan Hersey said.

“Our whole game plan tonight was just to go, go, go. Five years ago, that was not our philosophy, but we have the athletes and the ability to get out and pressure and take the ball away. We have the ability to get out and transition and push our opportunities.”

That ability was evident early as Thornton came out and pushed the tempo early, taking a 4-0 lead after one thanks to two goals from Zach Bryant and one apiece from Charles Katz and Isaac Sinclair. On the other end, Biddeford didn’t get a shot off in the opening 12 minutes, turning the ball over eight times in the process.

“They suffocated us every time we got the ball,” Tigers coach Sean Foley said. “These kids have never been in a game like this, and I think they got a bit nervous. Things just went all TA today.”

“We came out fired up and stuck it to them, and got up like we planned,” said Sinclair. “The off off-ball movement was key. When we did get cuts, we got open.”

The Trojans increased the lead to 6-0 at halftime, with Sinclair scoring just nine seconds into the second quarter and Bryant getting his hat trick with six minutes left in the half, backing down his defender before slipping a backhanded shot past Biddeford goalie Matt Stone.

In total, Thornton had 31 shots in the opening half, but only 12 on Stone’s cage ”“ a percentage Hersey knows will have to go up in the next round.

“We’re not going to get 31 shots in a half; if we get 31 shots in a game against Scarborough, we’re doing pretty well, and six goals isn’t going to cut it,” Hersey said. “We’ve just got to find the back of the net.”

Thornton’s lead grew to 10-1 after three quarters as strikes from Sinclair, Bryant, Cody Falton and Andrew Bullard were answered by the Tigers only goal of the game from Alex Ruck.

TA long-stick midfielder Jesse Meikle then scored a goal early in the fourth that summed the game up, picking up the ball at midfield and running over three Tigers before finishing past Stone, the second of five Thornton goals in the final quarter.

“We just weren’t playing good defense,” Foley said. “We were just sticking our sticks out, and they were just running right through them. I’ve been on them all week to move their legs, but it just didn’t come through.”

Sinclair and Bryant finished with four goals and an assist apiece, with Falton adding three goals and an assist. Stone finished with eight saves, while Jack Grondin and Chris Camire combined to make four in a Thornton net that was largely protected throughout by a defense that forced 24 Biddeford turnovers.

“Defensively, if you shut any team out in a half, you’re doing really well,” Hersey said. “We did a good job of making sure they couldn’t find any open people, and someone was on their hands at all times pressuring the ball.”

Despite the loss, Biddeford ended its season with a program-best 6-7 record, with Wednesday’s just the third playoff game in the 10-year history of the program.

“I’m glad these guys got a chance to play in the playoffs,” said Foley, whose team graduates 16 seniors. “That was a plus for this season.”

For advancing Thornton, Saturday will be more about trying to exercise a demon than anything. The Golden Trojans were eliminated from the playoffs by Scarborough ”“ in Scarborough ”“ in three-straight years from 2010-12, and fell in double overtime to the Red Storm (10-3) earlier this season.

“They came out last week against (top-seeded) South Portland and beat up on them, and that’s about as motivated as I’ve seen them play,” Hersey said of Scarborough. “Something tells me they’re going to come out and give us a run for our money, and we’ve got to come out and match that intensity and if we can beat that intensity.

“We have the talent, we’ve just got to go out and prove it.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.