TURNERS FALLS — To say there was a lot running through Anthony Peterson’s mind Tuesday night would be a bit of an understatement.
First and foremost, the Turners Falls senior big man wanted to extend his high school basketball career with a win in the Western Mass. Division 4 first round against crosstown foe Franklin Tech.
Beyond that however, Peterson entered the night with 981 career points, within shouting distance of the 1,000-point mark.
On the strength of 21 points, Peterson accomplished both goals on Tuesday. His jumper along the baseline with 4 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter got him to 1,000 points, and the seventh-seeded Thunder made enough plays down the stretch to secure a 65-52 victory.
Turners (11-10) advanced to play at No. 2 Drury (13-7) in Friday’s Division 4 quarterfinal round, with the winner moving on to the Cage and a spot in the semifinals.
“The game was the most important thing for me,” began Peterson of his big night. “Get the win, then move on. Every shot was in my head, though. I wanted to get (to 1,000 points) as soon as possible so I could just focus on winning.”
Peterson finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in another strong all-around outing to pace the Thunder. Head coach Gary Mullins said that while Peterson has been a key contributor for the program since his freshman year, his unselfishness prevented him from reaching the 1,000-point mark sooner.
“I think one of his greatest attributes is that if somebody is open, he’ll get them the ball,” Mullins explained. “It took him awhile to get (1,000 points) because he’ll get double-doubles, but he might only score 14 points because he passes the ball. It’s a credit to him to play the game the way he does. Always good to see something like that happen for a good kid.”
Peterson came bursting out of the gates, scoring 16 points in the first half and nearly reaching the milestone just before intermission. His 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the second quarter rattled out however, and Turners took a 31-20 lead into the break against the 10th-seeded Eagles.
“My teammates were finding me, giving me good opportunities and I made them,” Peterson said. “You have your on days and your off days and tonight was an on day.”
With Peterson needing just three points in the second half to reach 1,000, and Turners holding a double-digit lead, all signs pointed to a relatively undramatic final 16 minutes.
Franklin Tech had other ideas, however. The visitors made things quite interesting in the second half, cutting the deficit to 44-39 late in the third quarter after a Ryan Bergmann 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining.
During their third-quarter spree, the Eagles played like the team that won 14 games during the regular season. Point guard Bailey Young led the charge out in transition, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the frame, and senior center Garret Cole controlled the paint for a large chunk of the third as well. Cole finished with 24 points in his final high school basketball game, pulling down 10 rebounds for yet another double-double.
“The amount of growth I’ve seen in this team from where we started to where we finished, the goals that we did reach… we had a good season,” Franklin Tech coach Tim Artus said. “I think deep down they know that. I’m proud of them. They have a lot of heart. No quit in this group.”
With Turners needing a spark, junior point guard Marcus Sanders answered the bell. The speedy floor general was everywhere in the tourney opener, especially in the second half. He scored eight straight Turners points in the third quarter, and hit back-to-back hoops early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead back to double digits, 52-42.
Sanders finished with a game-high 27 points, 17 of those coming after halftime.
“He got some big hoops for us,” Mullins lauded of Sanders. “I think he knew he could get by some of those defenders and he was able to take advantage and finish around the rim.”
That set the stage for Peterson’s grand moment. With the hosts leading 52-44, he took possession along the baseline, found his favorite spot on the court, and pulled up for a jumper that swished with 4:21 to go. The game was stopped briefly to celebrate the accomplishment, as Peterson was congratulated by his teammates and family.
“It was a great feeling seeing it go through,” Peterson said. “I’ve taken that shot hundreds of times. That’s my favorite spot on the court.”
Turners survived down the stretch, keeping the Eagles at arm’s length thanks to some clutch foul shooting. The lead never dipped below eight points over the final four-plus minutes, and Sanders’ pull-up in traffic with 3:01 remaining all but sealed the deal.
“We tried to make some defensive adjustments, but when it came down to it, they executed more plays than we did,” Artus said of Turners. “You’ve got to tip your hat to them. Turners is a good team and they worked hard to get to where they are.”
Behind the big offensive nights from Sanders and Peterson, Chace Novak scored nine points for the Thunder and Jaden Whiting added four points.
Justin Littlewood had a strong final outing in a Franklin Tech uniform, as the senior scored eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds.