TURNERS FALLS — There’s range, and then there’s Chace Novak range.
The Turners Falls junior sharpshooter showed why he’s expected to be one of the premier scorers in Franklin County this winter on Thursday night. Novak drilled eight 3-pointers and poured in a season-high 35 points, 32 of those coming in the first three quarters, to lift the Thunder to a convincing 81-49 victory over crosstown foe Franklin Tech in an independent boys basketball game.
Novak, who finished 8-for-14 from downtown, scored 21 points in the first half as the hosts stormed out of the gates and led 46-21 at halftime.
“Like a lot of good shooters, those first couple go in and you feel real good about yourself,” Turners Falls coach Gary Mullins said of Novak. “If we can keep his brain in line, the kid has certainly got some skills. Sometimes he makes that hoop look big.”
Novak connected on a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping Turners (2-2) take a quick 21-11 lead after one frame.
Backcourt mate Marcus Sanders joined in the fun offensively, coming off the bench and totaling 13 of his 19 points before halftime. Sanders, who dished out eight assists in a strong all-around effort, was efficient guiding the offense. The junior played controlled, putting teammates in optimal offensive positions. Turners used its athleticism from there, and a 15-1 run to open the second quarter more or less put things out of reach. Back-to-back 3’s from Sanders and Novak extended the advantage to 36-12 with 3:06 to play before intermission.
“Marcus works hard and if we can get him playing within the offense, he can be very good for us,” Mullins said. “That’s something he needs to continue to work on.”
Franklin Tech (1-2) made a run to start the third quarter, as Bailey Young sank a bucket and Ryan Bergmann followed with a 3-pointer to pull the visitors within 46-27.
That was as close as the Eagles got the rest of the way however. A steady diet of Novak and Sanders further extended the lead, and Novak scored 11 more points in the third frame to give him 32 entering the fourth.
It was a night where Turners didn’t need the offensive services of senior center Anthony Peterson. While he did pull down 10 rebounds, Peterson didn’t find the scoresheet until early in the fourth quarter, when his jumper with 7:35 remaining in regulation made it a 69-41 game. Peterson scored all five of his points in the final period.
“I was telling (assistant coach) Jay (Liimatainen), it was a good game for him to not have to score,” Mullins said of Peterson. “We need him most nights. Tonight we didn’t need offense from him. He still does a lot of things for us.”
Sophomore Brendan Driscoll came through with 10 points for Turners.
Mullins said that while his team is primarily comprised of upperclassmen, it’s not an overly experienced varsity roster.
“We’re old but we aren’t experienced,” he offered. “It’s still going to take us awhile to get on the same page. We only have eight kids and you’re a sprained ankle or some foul trouble away from being in real trouble. We’ll keep working, see what we can do going forward.”
Young paced the Franklin Tech offensive effort with 14 points, while Garret Cole added 10 points, eight coming in the second half. Justin Littlewood followed with eight points, while Dylan Demers and Bergmann scored six points apiece.
Turners is right back in action Friday, when Renaissance School comes to the Powertown for an independent game. Franklin Tech travels to play at Athol on Monday night.