Orford
The senior guard wore a Chelsea High School warm-up over his Panthers game jersey as he stood outside the visiting locker room after the game. When Chelsea closed its school in June, the former Red Devils sharpshooter found himself without a squad.
“It was different,” Colby said of donnings a blue uniform. “But playing soccer and meeting all these kids before hand just helped the transition go so much smoother. These are a great group of guys that are just so welcoming over here.”
Colby was given number 2 in Chelsea — where he once scored a career-high 37 points — but he chose number 30 at Thetford in homage to his favorite NBA player, Stephen Curry.
The transfer gave Thetford a 6-0 lead with two early 3-pointers.
He added 10 points in the third quarter and another 4 in the fourth.
“The second half, we came out a lot more fired-up defensively,” Colby said. “And offensively, we just moved the ball a lot better and hit shots and had that energy.”
Although he’s a newcomer to Thetford, Colby wasn’t exactly a secret weapon on account of the Raptors facing Chelsea last season.
“(Colby) was their best player, hands down,” said Ross Convertino, Rivendell’s first-year head coach and second-year athletic director. “He’s a very good all-around player, really good shooter.”
Monday’s first quarter, which was fast-paced and frenetic before a large crowd, ended with the hosts leading, 9-8.
Rivendell’s Isaac Martel scored seven of his 11 points in the second quarter, including a turnaround baseline floater, a 3-pointer and a strong low-post move.
The Raptors, who were paced by Zach Gould’s 12 points, took a 22-18 lead into halftime following a short jumper by Kyle Carter before time expired.
“I really thought we had a great first half,” Convertino said. “At the end of the day, the second half was clearly different. … Nothing that we can’t control.”
The second stanza saw Thetford take better care of the basketball, which laid the groundwork for the Panthers to eventually pull away.
TA opened up the third quarter on a 6-0 run before Tanner Siemons (five points) converted a 3-point play to give the Raptors their final lead at 25-24.
The visitors responded with a 9-0 run that included five points by Colby, a driving lay-up by Alex Emerson and a bucket inside by Tony Pippen.
Rivendell’s Charlie Bradley closed out the quarter with two free throws, halting the Panthers’ run.
The Raptors came within three points midway through the fourth quarter, but TA’s Carter Blain hit from downtown and Eli Dunnet scored inside to effectively silence the hosts.
Thetford (1-0) got eight points from Owen Deffner and six from Dunnet.
Convertino, who coached middle school ball last winter, said he looks forward to the upcoming rematch with the Panthers on Jan. 12 in Thetford.
“To us it’s such a rivalry game,” he said. “It’s one that means something to our guys, so it stings a little bit more for them. But I think they know how talented, how good they are. They know we’ll fight back and we’ll have a good year.”
Jason Gray, in his third year leading Thetford’s varsity team, was impressed with the Panthers’ ability to shake off a lackluster first half, laden with turnovers.
“I knew the jitters were going to be working out slowly,” Gray said. “I think from the first half to the second half, our guys matured tremendously to overcome a lot of the missed shots, horrible defensive possessions, missed assignments, things like that. I think they stepped up and were able to overcome that part.”
Thetford plays its next game Thursday at Hazen, while Rivendell hosts Oxbow the same evening.