Trinity boys basketball pulls away in 2nd half against Merrimack (video)

MERRIMACK - The Trinity High School boys basketball team wasn't committing to its defensive game plan the way Ray Farmer hoped it would in the first half of Tuesday night's game against Merrimack.

During the half, the Pioneers' first-year coach challenged his players to get back to playing the type of defense they can play.

Trinity rose to the challenge, retaking the lead early in the third quarter before pulling away in the fourth for a 66-52 win over Merrimack in a Division I contest.

After seeing the Tomahawks go on a late run in each of the first three quarters, including 13-3 run to take a two-point lead into halftime, the Pioneers (7-3) went on a 14-2 run to start the fourth and take control of the game.

"I didn’t like the outcome at halftime," Farmer said. "We went in at half, readjusted, came out, and it’s a testament to the character of the guys that we have. That’s what we want to predicate more than basketball.

"In the face of adversity, when you are down, are you a guy who complains and makes excuses? Or are you a guy who is a leader, makes plays, and holds himself accountable? If you’re saying ‘my fault’ to me, I need to see changed behavior. We came out in the second half as a different team, as we normally should be."

Kevin Doherty led Trinity with 14 points, as the Pioneers had four players score in double figures. Evan Dunker added 13 points and DeVohn Ellis and Shawn O'Neil each had 11 points.

Merrimack (4-6) got a huge night from Jenson Monroe, as he led all scorers with 27 points, but no one else was in double figures for the Tomahawks. Michael Flerra had nine points on three 3-pointers while David Roy added six points.

"We were flying around, playing pretty good defense," Merrimack coach Austin Denton said of the first half. "Jensen in the first half was phenomenal. Mikey hitting those 3s got us back in the game. We felt good closing it out. We were up two going into the locker room."

The Tomahawks had that lead despite falling behind by multiple possession in each of the first two quarters.

Trinity got out a 12-6 lead to start the game, but after a timeout with 3:26 left in the first, Merrimack went on a 10-4 run to tie the game at 16. The Tomahawks went scoreless for the first half of the second, while the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run to lead 24-16.

Merrimack took another timeout, with 4:11 left in the half, and turned the momentum again. The Tomahawks went on a 13-3 run to close the half up 29-27.

"The first half, we didn’t commit to the trap," Farmer said. "They were able to survey the whole court and pick apart the trap. I said, we’re not sprinting to our traps, we’re not moving when the ball moves. Let’s adjust now. From now on, as the ball is in the air, we’re sprinting. If we miss one pass, we’ll get the next one."

Trinity tied the game on a basket by Ellis just 11 seconds into the half, starting a 10-0 run that put the Pioneers up 37-29 with four minutes left in the third. Monroe responded for Merrimack, scoring six straight points for the Tomahawks as they closed the gap to three, 39-36.

But Monroe picked up his fourth foul late in the third, and while he was on the bench, the Tomahawks' offense slowed down.

"We go through droughts where we just can’t put the ball in the hoop," Denton said. "We start the second half and we go four minutes without scoring again. I tell the kids we can’t have that. We’ve got to be able to put the ball in the hoop. And turnovers killed us in the second half, too."

After Merrimack got within three points, Trinity outscored the Tomahawks 18-4 over the next five-plus minutes to take its largest lead of the night, 57-40, and the Pioneers held off any final comeback.