Player of the Game selection Samuel Lockhart connected for 25 points to lead the Thunder Mountain High School Falcons boys basketball team to a 68-55 win over the Lathrop Malemutes in the Wolverine Classic at South Anchorage High School on Thursday.
“We talked a lot about bringing our own energy,” Thunder Mountain coach John Blasco said. “The guys came out of the gate incredibly hot…We were very hot to start the game.”
Thunder Mountain put up 27 points in the first quarter, including four shots past the arch from Lockhart and another from Karen Ludeman and Thomas Baxter, to open a 27-14 advantage after eight minutes of action.
Blasco said Lathrop is a tough team that starts two freshmen and plays very hard.
“We got kind of complacent in the second quarter and allowed them to close the gap,” he said.
Lathrop outscored TMHS 19-14 in the second stanza and closed the score to 42-33 at the half
Baskets by Lance Nierra, TJ Guevarra and James Polasky kept the damage from being greater.
At one point in the third quarter Lathrop closed to four points behind a 1-3-1 defense but TMHS closed out the stanza with a pair of Polasky free throws and a deep shot by Lockhart for a 53-44 advantage.
“They threw a defense at us that we weren’t ready for to start the second half,” Blasco said. “Which led to some bad turnovers and allowed them to cut the lead down.”
The Falcons stayed in a man-to-man defense for the game.
Blasco said he was happy with everyone’s contributions down the stretch including Baxter who “only scored eight but he made a lot of plays happen for others… all the guys were contributing beyond just our key players. Having those guys step up and make baskets down the stretch was important. We just talked a lot about how a team is not going to stay hot for an entire game but our defense shouldn’t change. We definitely got a little relaxed on defense at times.”
Lockhart added a basket and another deep shot in the fourth quarter for his 25 points. Polasky finished with 17 points, Nierra nine, Baxter eight, Ludeman five and Guevarra four.
The Falcons were 7-9 from the charity stripe, the Malemutes 3-5.
Atticus Foley led Lathrop with 21 points, Deshon Hall added 13, Devonte Hall and Khalil Jackson four apiece, Jamal Gosier, Jaycee Brooks, Geronimo Talo and Alfred Parker two each.
The Falcons next play at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of Thursday’s late game between Petersburg and South Anchorage.
