Valley News Correspondent
Published: 1/8/2019 12:19:53 AM
Modified: 1/8/2019 12:19:57 AM
Thetford — Jumping out to a fast start in basketball is always nice to do, but it's very hard to maintain.
The Thetford Academy boys flew out of the gate for a 15-8 first-quarter lead on Monday night and never looked back, defeating visiting Woodstock, 54-40, at Vaughan Gymnasium.
Right off the bat, the Panthers defense swarmed all over the Wasps’ offense, causing turnovers and three quick first-quarter fouls.
Defense is the name of the game for Thetford. They are a defensive-minded team, and that creates offensive opportunities.
Owen Deffner led the Panthers early, scoring four points and drawing one of the Wasps' first-quarter fouls.
“Most of (the quick start) was from the defensive effort,” Thetford coach Jason Gray said. “I think we were ready defensively, which helped our offense start out pretty strong.”
On the other side, Woodstock struggled defensively, finishing the game with 20 fouls. That led to 16 points from the free-throw line for Thetford.
“We struggled defending in man, so we switched to zone defense, which seemed to prevent them from getting to the paint as easily,” Woodstock coach Joel Carey said. “We have a tendency to reach. When you don’t move your feet, you reach.”
Despite defensive troubles, the Wasps' offense began to click midway through the second and into the third quarter to make the game tight. Woodstock gradually cut the Thetford lead to 37-33 heading into the fourth period. Charlie Amato hit a pair of 3-pointers in the middle quarters, and Harrison Morse made three 3-pointers on the night for Woodstock. Both players led the Wasps with 11 points on the night.
The Panthers like to run their offense through the post, something Woodstock denied by switching to a zone. Thetford struggled to hit outside shots, but not enough to surrender the lead.
“If you can’t break in the middle, then you have to rely on shooting, and our shooting wasn’t an A-factor today,” Gray said.
The Panthers clinched the win at the line in the fourth, scoring 11 of the 17 points from the charity stripe.
“We moved the ball well, but we had a tough time shooting the ball,” Thetford point guard Alex Emerson said. “But we hit our foul shots, which helped.”
Jake Colby off the bench scored a team-high 13 for the night. Deffner and Eli Dunnet each added 12 points, and Emerson tallied 11 to help his team to victory.
Thetford (5-2) hosts Rivendell on Saturday. Woodstock (3-3) begins a five-game homestand on Wednesday when Williamstown comes to town.