MANCHESTER, NH – The players on the court understood the weight of the game. Ray Farmer made sure of it.
“I told them, ‘you lose this game, there’s no telling where we play,'” said Farmer, the head coach of the Trinity High School boys basketball team. “‘You want to solidify two home games (in the playoffs), this is the game right here, it’s make-or-break for our season.'”
Indeed, two days after being upset on the road against a sub-.500 opponent, the Pioneers, in desperate need for a bounce-back win in its quest for a top-four seed in the Division-I tournament, fell into an early hole on the road again, this time at 11-2 Pinkerton.
Unlike Tuesday’s 61-56 setback at 5-6 Keene, however, the Pioneers responded in decisive fashion, chipping back from a 21-15 first quarter deficit to take the lead late in the third quarter amidst a 7-0 run. Then, entering the fourth with a 55-48 advantage, Trinity kept the momentum going, outscoring the hosts, 31-22, in the final frame en route to an 86-70 triumph.
“Huge win. Monumental,” said Farmer.
“The way it happened too. I’ve been preaching adversity and us coming together, and this was the pinnacle, the perfect game for them,” said Farmer. “You see the storyline of the game? First quarter, they demolished us, you know what I mean? So I looked at my team, and I literally didn’t even say anything, I just wanted to see. And all our guys just came together, arms around each other. You know, what more can you ask for?”
The Pioneers not only began to click on offense, they rallied on the other side of the court as well, holding the explosive Astros to 16 points in the second quarter and 11 in the third.
“We’re finally buying into our identity, which is defense,” said Farmer.
Senior point guard Derrick Erilla, a defensive catalyst, also paced the offense with 12 points to accompany several assists throughout the contest.
“We’ve been telling Derrick just to play with confidence and be the Derrick of old,” said Farmer. “Two or three games ago, he had 13 points, and I was like, ‘hey, every time you score over nine points, we win … so let’s go, be aggressive,’ and that gives the other kids confidence.”
Junior Jordan Torres was once again in top form, leading the game in scoring with 28 points; senior Connor Cote dropped 14, and junior sharpshooter Collin Charbonneau added nine, all from beyond the arc.
“You think about it, my man (Charbonneau) is just getting the rust off. He hasn’t touched the ball in four months and then. He was great the last game and then, this game, still phenomenal,” said Farmer. “And he’s more than just a shooter … he really helped move the ball around in the second half and helped to break that zone.”
Pinkerton sophomore Josh Phanor countered with 25 points; senior Wilson Youssef had 18 points; snd senior forward Adam Ajouz offered 12 markers.
The Astros, who currently sit in third place, a half game ahead of the Pioneers in the D-I standings due to playing one more game, look to bounce back with consecutive winnable home games, first against 2-11 Spaulding on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and then they welcome 5-6 Merrimack to town on Feb. 17 at 5:15 p.m.
Trinity looks to make up that half game in the next week, first traveling to 3-9 Salem on Tuesday night, a 6:30 tipoff, before returning home to face 6-7 Londonderry at 6:30 p.m. next Friday, the 13th.
“The team is really coming together at the right time,” said Farmer.
