By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com
Gonzaga junior Duke recruit Tyler Thornton gives sophomore Cahli Thomas a tough time in practice.
Even when Thomas and the rest of the Gonzaga underclassmen do something good in practice, Thornton brushes it off.
But after bailing out the No. 6-ranked Eagles Tuesday night against Good Counsel, Thornton said he’s going to cut Thomas a break.
Coming off the bench to replace Thornton, Thomas hit a three pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to send Tuesday’s game to overtime. From there, Gonzaga capitalized on a stunned Good Counsel squad to give the Eagles their first conference win, 80-76.
“He stepped up today,†Thornton said with a smile. “I think we have to let up a little bit.â€
If Thornton had not fouled out of the game with 37 seconds to go in
regulation, it likely would have been him taking the game-tying shot.
Instead it went to Thomas, a sophomore still trying to adjust to the
varsity rigors.
“I want the ball. I think I prepare myself for
these types of games and that type of shot,†Thomas said. “I was a
little nervous, but I overcame it. It was a good shot.â€
Thomas,
who is in his first season on varsity, said that he feels he has earned
Thornton’s trust through practice, where the two often go head-to-head.
Trust isn’t a given, Thomas said, so he values it greatly and feels
there is a great obligation that comes along with it.
“I took my
bumps and bruises and stuff,†Thomas said. “The older guys, they get me
ready for games like this. … I look back and see that’s what practice
is all about. It makes me want to work even harder and see how good I
can become.â€
Thornton picked up his fourth foul with six minutes, nine seconds remaining in regulation. At that point, he had scored 21 of Gonzaga’s 47 points. He returned with 1:55 left, but picked up his fifth foul with 37 seconds to go.
Princeton-bound senior forward Ian Hummer stepped up, scoring three straight field goals in the final minute of regulation to keep Gonzaga (6-1) always just a field goal behind. Hummer finished with 21 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“I know that since Tyler fouled out they needed a leader,†Hummer said. “So I tried to dish and score whenever possible.â€
On the other end of the court, Good Counsel’s Rodney Glasgow sunk nine straight free throws to keep the Falcons (6-3) continually ahead by two points. But with 10.2 seconds remaining, Glasgow missed a second free throw that would have given Good Counsel a four-point lead.
The Eagles pushed the ball down court and Malcolm Lemmons who found Thomas behind the arch in the corner. Thomas got his feet under him and shot in rhythm.
“When he let it go, I knew it was going in,†Gonzaga Coach Steve Turner said.
Thomas’ three-pointer sent Good Counsel’s Kane Center into bedlam. Eagles players were jumping up and down as they did when they won last year’s WCAC championship. After falling to O’Connell in the team’s WCAC opener, Gonzaga saw this as a must-win game.
Hummer once again took the load on his shoulders in overtime, scoring the first basket and then commanding the glass. He also had a beautiful pass to Patrick Wolf, who also sunk a key overtime jumper, down low to give Gonzaga a 74-69 lead. Hummer would stretch that to 76-69 on a free throw and he sunk two more free throws after Good Counsel had cut the Eagles’ lead to four points.
For Good Counsel, the loss is a tough one to swallow, especially considering that the Falcons were coming off winning the Bullis Holiday Tournament and suffered their second WCAC loss of the season.
The Falcons led from the start of the second quarter all the way through midway through the fourth and had a nine-point lead at one point. They had a four-point lead with under two minutes remaining.
“That three-pointer was demoralizing,†said junior Ben Hazel, who led all scorers with 23 points. “We felt like we had it the whole game, felt like we had the game won. Then the three, it was kind of hard to regroup and get back together for overtime.â€
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