THETFORD — A disastrous fourth quarter doomed the defending VPA Division III state champion Thetford Academy Panthers on Thursday, as Harwood Union High erased a 10-point deficit to earn a 43-42 victory in an interdivisional boys basketball matchup at Vaughan Alumni Gymnasium.
With about 10 seconds remaining, Highlanders sophomore Pyke Nelson hit a layup to give Harwood the lead and seal the win, as Thetford was unable to respond before time expired.
Harwood trailed 37-27 entering the fourth quarter but went on an 11-0 run to take the lead with about three minutes remaining. Nelson scored seven of those points.
The Panthers did not score their first points of the final frame until the 2:17 mark and managed only three more points the rest of the way.
“It’s the fundamentals that we’ve been struggling with for the last three or four weeks,” Thetford coach Jason Gray said. “After we beat Randolph, it’s literally been turnover central. No one wants the ball in their hands, our shooting percentage is absolutely terrible.”
While Gray praised his team’s defense, calling it stellar, he added, “We just cannot physically score, and 40 turnovers a game doesn’t do us any favors — it’s mind-blowing some days.”
Strong defense dominated much of the first half, with both teams working for their points. The Panthers held a slim 20-18 lead at halftime.
Thetford’s offense opened up in the third quarter as junior Connor Sloop, who finished with 15 points, controlled the paint and scored nine straight points to give the Panthers a 29-18 lead nearly three minutes into the period.
Harwood steadied itself late in the third quarter, prevented the deficit from growing and entered the fourth quarter trailing by 10.
As easily as Thetford scored in the third quarter, it struggled mightily in the fourth. The Panthers had opportunities but could not convert and went 1 of 11 from the free-throw line in the quarter.
“Their defense stepped up,” Gray said. “They put more ball pressure on us so we couldn’t enter it inside. But most of it is just us not physically getting the ball where it needs to be.”
Gray said the Panthers were angry about the loss and planned to begin putting it behind them early Friday morning with a 6 a.m. practice.
“They’ll bounce back,” Gray said. “You can’t win them all, but hopefully this sets a little fire underneath them to come out and redeem themselves.”
The Panthers (7-4) will try to do just that Tuesday when they visit Randolph for a 7 p.m. matchup.
“They’re going to be a tough matchup,” Gray said, “and if we play like we did tonight, it’s going to be a tough one.”