STANDISH — Bonny Eagle lived and thrived by the 3-pointer on Wednesday.
Bonny Eagle’s Elliot Bouchard (24) takes a shot over Scarborough Owen Cascio, left, during a Class AA South quarterfinal in Standish on Wednesday night. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
The Scots rained on sixth-seeded Scarborough’s parade with nine 3s and left the court with a convincing 71-48 victory in a Class AA South quarterfinal boys basketball game.
No. 3 Bonny Eagle goes on to face the winner of Thursday’s matchup between No. 7 Noble (1-17) and No. 2 Thornton Academy (15-3) in the semifinals next Wednesday.
Senior Zach Maturo knocked down five of those devastating 3s and accumulated the game-high 27 points for the Scots. Maturo was just as confident at the free-throw line, going 6-for-6.
“We have good guard play. We go as our guards go,” Bonny Eagle coach John Trull said. “Our big guys, Elliot Bouchard, stepped out and hit a couple of 3s, too. Today’s game is all about how you shoot the 3 and how you can defend, so we did that well tonight.”
Maturo did have some help from teammates such as Jacob Humphrey (16 points) and freshman giant Elliott Bouchard (12) points.
The 6-foot-9 Bouchard, who has no problem dominating the paint with his height, also got into the act at the perimeter, throwing in a pair of treys in the third quarter.
Bonny Eagle’s Nate Ferris (5) reaches as Scarborough’s Jack Simonton (22) tries to grab a rebound during a Class AA South quarterfinal in Standish on Wednesday. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
“I have that confidence. Confidence is key,” Bouchard said of his two 3-pointers. “We just played as a team. We’ve been struggling. We played good defense.
“It was a good win, but we have to focus on the next game.”
The Scots seized control early, but Red Storm pestered them throughout the game and even climbed to within three points in the second quarter before the Bonny Eagle took a 33-23 lead into halftime.
“Scarborough is a really good team,” Trull said. “They are dangerous. We really had to prepare for them. Brian Austin is one of the best players in the state, and they have a really good group of young guys who play well for them. Coach Phil Conley does a great job with those guys. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and I just like the effort of our guys.”
Bonny Eagle opened up on Scarborough in the third quarter, scoring 19 points and taking a 52-33 lead. The Scots were also on the mark at the charity stripe, going 14-for-18. Austin kept the Red Storm afloat with his team-leading 22 points.
In the second half, Bonny Eagle also showed off a bit of its inside game.
Bonny Eagle’s Nate Ferris (5) goes up for shot as Scarborough’s Brian Austin (25) tries to stop him during a Class AA South quarterfinal in Standish on Wednesday night. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
“Like I said, we’ve got some size,” Trull said. “We have three big guys between Keegan Meredith, Nate Ferris and Elliot Bouchard, who we all trust and love. They crash the boards hard and outwork people.”
No matter what the outcome, Conley couldn’t have been more proud of his players.
“We cut (the lead) three, but then they made a few shots back-to-back,” he said. “We turned the ball over and they expanded their lead.
“You know what, you tip your hat to Bonny Eagle. They played very well tonight. But my kids never gave up, as well, and they played well for the full 32 minutes. I am proud of them and I am going to miss my seniors.
“They are great kids and they gave me everything they had tonight. We just got beat by a better team tonight.”
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