MANCHESTER, NH — Sophomore Jorden Torres poured in a game-high 21 points, helping Trinity pull away from Memorial, 66-46, Tuesday night, in the regular season finale for both teams.
Trinity finishes at 14-4, on the strength of a six-game win streak to close the season. The Pioneers are tied for third in the D-I standings with Exeter and Nashua South. Each of the teams is 1-1 against the other two during the season.
Memorial ends an up and down campaign at 10-8. That’s tied for eighth, along with Windham and Bishop Guertin.
The teams will now wait for the seedings and Division I bracket to be announced. The tournament is slated to begin next week.
“We’re still in the tournament, it would be nice to have a home game to rep the city,”said Memorial Coach Danny Bryson. “It’s frustrating, obviously. We just have to pick up and move on.”
Memorial’s tournament hopes took a big hit when Devin Lavallee went down with an injury. Lavallee just returned to the active roster four games ago and Crusaders Coach Danny Bryson is concerned his senior point guard could be lost for the playoffs.
With packed stands and fast-paced play, the game between the cross-town rivals had the intensity of a playoff matchup.
Trinity led 17-14 after one quarter and just 30-27 at the half. Senior guard Shawn O’Neil (15 points) relentlessly attacked the rim and Torres controlled the paint.
”Jordan is just a sophomore. I think sometimes we forget that,” said Farmer. “So what you’re seeing is just immense potential. So, now, he’s figuring himself out.”
Memorial countered with strong ball movement creating open looks from the perimeter. Lavallee (two 3’s) and Bory Bory led the Crusaders with 10 points each. Junior Jake Ornelas had nine and Christian Bilolo added eight, including a pair of 3’s.
Trinity was able to break the game open in the third quarter, thanks largely to a shift in defensive strategy. The Pioneers began attacking the perimeter more aggressively, almost begging the Memorial guards to try and drive the lane.
When they did take the bait and attack the paint, the Crusaders found a defense ready and waiting. In fact, Trinity drew four offensive fouls in the second half.
”Our second-tier culture is ‘do your job,’” said Farmer. “If you do your job out on the perimeter, you trust that your brother behind you is going to do his.”
Trinity was able to break the game open with a 21-point third quarter, building a 51-39 edge.
In addition to the strong play of O’Neill, sophomore guard Collin Charbeneau began to catch fire from beyond the arc.
After being held in check for the first 16 minutes, Charbenneau drilled four three-pointers in the second half, finishing with 12 points.
The game was marred by several players slipping and falling on moisture near the sidelines. The problem is caused by fans tracking in water from outside.
Having run into the problem earlier this month against Windham, Trinity tried to be more proactive with personnel mopping the floor more frequently. But the problem still cropped up several times.
With Trinity slated to host one and maybe two playoff games, Farmwr said he will be working with school officials to try and come up with a more effective solution.