MANCHESTER, NH – Shawn O’Neil dropped in 10 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, leading Trinity High to a wild, 66-64 over Memorial, Tuesday night.
O’Neil’s performance overshadowed that of Memorial forward Jack Brooks (13 points), who drilled three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the last of which tied the game at 64-all with 20 seconds left in regulation.
After calling a timeout with 15 seconds remaining, Trinity (3-2) chose to attack the basket, rather than hold for a last shot. Freshman Jordan Torres was fouled under the hoop and went to the line with 10.2 seconds left. Torres made the first and missed the second. Trinity’s Kevin Doherty managed to poll down the offensive rebound and was immediately fouled.
Doherty missed his first free throw but made the second to give Trinity a 66-64 lead and Memorial a final chance. After calling their final timeout, the Crusaders pushed the ball quickly upcourt but Brooks was whistled for traveling before he could get off a possible game-winning 3-pointer. It was Memorial’s ninth turnover of the fourth quarter and 22nd for the game.
It was a disheartening loss for Memorial (3-1), which had won its first three regular-season games and reached the final of the Queen City Christmas Tournament, before being blown out by Bedford, 93-47. The Crusaders had been hoping for a “get right” game against Trinity, to reclaim some momentum. But Head Coach Danny Bryson said it was quickly clear his club didn’t bring its best game.
“We never came ready to play,” said Bryson. “We didn’t come ready during the warmups, we weren’t ready coming on time to the gym. You just can’t turn it on and turn it off and expect to win games like this. Hopefully, we can learn something from this.”
The mood was decidedly different in the visitors’ locker room, where the Pioneers (3-2) celebrated what Head Coach Ray Farmer Farmer called a “character” win.
“This is a really big win. I think it’s more of a testament to the kids’ character,” said Farmer. “We always preach, ‘who are you in the face of adversity? Who are you when things don’t go your way?’ And today, a lot of things didn’t go our way. We had trouble rebounding the ball and valuing (the ball) down the stretch. But we really emphasize a ‘next play’ mentality. ”
Evan Dunker added 16 points for Trinity, along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Devohn Ellis, the lone senior on the Pioneers’ roster, chipped in with six points, seven rebounds and three steals. More importantly, Ellis provided stability when it looked like the game might be slipping away.
.@ths_pioneersbb ‘s Evan Dunker (14) pulls down a rebound and goes coast-to-coast for a layup in the first half of the Pioneers’ 66-64 win over @MemorialHSBBall, Tuesday.@ManchInkLink @andrewsylvia pic.twitter.com/1EFvF5Gi2z
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) January 3, 2024
“I can’t stress enough how appreciative I am of Devohn,” said Farmer. “As a senior, he sacrifices a lot to really just buy into the program of the new culture. It’s been great for me, as a new coach, to have a guy like that.”
Trinity trailed by as many as seven points late in the third quarter before a 3-pointer by Doherty and a putback by Ellis cut the deficit to 52-50. That set the stage for a frantic fourth quarter, which saw four ties and five lead changes.
The Pioneers reeled off the first seven points of the fourth and seemed ready take control of the game, at 57-52. But Memorial erased that deficit on two trips down the floor with a three by Brooks and a layup by Christian Bilolo off a nifty feed from Bory Bory.
With the score tied, 61-61, and under a minute remaining, O’Neil drained a stepback three to put Trinity back on top. But the lead lasted less than 10 seconds, when Brooks hit his third try of the quarter, while falling to the floor.
.@MemorialHSBBall forward Jack Brooks (10) drills a 3-pointer to tie the score, 64-64, against @ths_pioneersbb, with just over 20 seconds left in regulation. Trinity got two late free throws to claim a 66-64 win.@ManchInkLink @andrewsylvia pic.twitter.com/NsVfNVincb
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) January 3, 2024
After spotting Trinity a 20-16 lead after one quarter, Memorial began to use its superior athleticism to assert itself in the second. Bory and Bilolo sparked an 18-4 run, turning a six-point deficit into a 35-27 lead for the Crusaders with 2:10 to play in the half.
Bory led Memorial with 16 points (all in the first half), eight rebounds, two steals and a block. Bilolo added 12 points and 11 rebounds, helping Memorial enjoy a 44-31 edge on the glass.
.@MemorialHSBBall’s Bory Bory pulls down a rebound and scores on the putback against @ths_pioneersbb . Bory had 16 points and 8 rebounds but Memorial fell, 66-64.@ManchInkLink @andrewsylvia pic.twitter.com/NeAFilecN2
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) January 3, 2024
The last 90 seconds of the first half proved pivotal, as Trinity closed on a 9-2 run to pull to within 37-36 at the break. Doherty triggered the run with a 3-pointer from the corner. Ellis added the exclamation point in the final seconds, with a leaping steal and half-court bounce pass to a streaking Derek Erilla for an easy layup.
“That play was huge for us,” said Farmer. “We were able to use it to carry momentum into the second half.”
.@ths_pioneersbb senior De’vohn Ellis makes a steal, then bounces a sensational lead pass to Derek Erilla for a layup to close out the first half against @MemorialHSBBall . Trinity rallied for a 66-64 win.@ManchInkLink @andrewsylvia pic.twitter.com/LgiEpmvcz0
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) January 3, 2024
