Trinity boys basketball bounces back with win over Nashua South

NASHUA - Ray Farmer could see it coming.

Off to a fast start this season, the Trinity High School boys basketball team was feeling pretty good about itself going into the week, only for the Pioneers to get tripped up at home Tuesday by Bishop Guertin.

Farmer used the loss as an opportunity to realign his team's focus, and Friday night, it paid off, as Trinity got back to its brand of basketball to grab a 72-61 win over Nashua South in a Division I contest.

"Huge bounce back, and I know it’s horrible to say, but we needed that," Farmer said. "We needed that loss to BG because complacency was just out of this world. There was nothing I could even do to tame it. The kids got caught up in the success. We haven’t really earned anything yet.

"We got back to who we are (Friday), playing fast, playing hard, and getting back to our brand of basketball. I think we lost that the last couple of games, but I think we got back to that."

Jordan Torres led the way for the Pioneers (5-1 in D1), as the sophomore had a game-high 19 points, and senior Shawn O'Neil added 16 points. Junior Xander McBournie added 11 points, despite battling foul trouble for most of the night.

The biggest contribution for Trinity came from junior Jamar Gregory-Alleyne, who drew the assignment of guarding South's Josh Caruso. The senior started fast and had 10 points at halftime, but finished with 13.

"I’ve got to give it to Jamar," Farmer said. "I challenged our team to hold Caruso under 20 points, and if we did that, we would win. (Friday) he was under 20. Jamar faceguarded him, played phenomenal defense and gave everything. He cramped up, he was playing so hard. He gave it his all."

Francisco Rodriguez led the Panthers (4-2) with 14 points while Daniel Karavanic added 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. South kept the game close through the first three quarters, taking the lead at times, but turnovers and missed opportunities on the offensive end eventually caught up to the Panthers.

"You’re not going to win too many games that way," South coach Nate Mazerolle said. "We don’t have to recreate the wheel or anything. We work on simple drills like passing and catching. Now you can’t create the adversity or duress you’re under when you’re playing a team like that, but those simple fundamentals, we weren’t as good as we should be."

Trinity had a 19-17 lead after one quarter, but a 3 by Caruso to open the second put South on top. The lead would be short-lived, as the pace picked up and the Pioneers capitalized on a few miscues by the Panthers.

But with Trinity up five with just over three minutes left in the half, South went on a quick 6-0 run to retake a one-point lead. The Pioneers responded with five straight points to take a 38-34 lead into the break.

After Trinity scored to open the second half, South went on a 7-0 run to again take a one-point lead, 41-40. But on the next trip down the floor, the Pioneers hit a 3 and went back on top.

"They ran the floor better than we did," Mazerolle said. "They’re one of the better teams in the state and there is a reason why. They pass and cut very well. They’re very good with the ball. They are basketball quick. They know where to be, they know how to create space, they obviously have a continuity."

It was a four-point lead for the Pioneers early in the fourth when they started to pull away, going on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead, 62-49, with 5:38 remaining. The Panthers were able to get the lead down to nine points, but couldn't get any closer.

"I knew if we turned it into a marathon, I just know we’re going to be faster," Farmer said. "In the fourth quarter, they’ll be exhausted, and we won’t, and it worked."