No. 1 Aquinas uses defense to topple No. 3 Colonia, take control of GMC Red race

Even when Samir Thomas sank four threes in rapid succession in the second quarter, the game was far from over.

He got top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas back in the game when his team was down five, at 25-20 in the second. Then gave his team the leas as the Trojans took a 15-5 run into the locker room to lead 35-30 at the half.

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And yet, No. 3 Colonia kept it a game, but not for much longer.

That’s because the Trojans did what they do best: turn on the defense, and get out in transition. That helped Aquinas outscore the Patriots 16-9 in the third quarter, and never look back, now taking control of the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division race into their own hands.

The significance of STA’s 69-46 win heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday night is this: While Colonia could have won the division outright with a win in North Edison, Aquinas now gets a chance to do just that, when the Trojans play at No. 10 St. Joseph-Metuchen next Tuesday night at 7, in a game you can also hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The title can be decided this early thanks to a one-year pilot program approved by the GMC last Spring, by which teams only have to play each other once in the Red Division. A second meeting is optional, but only the first meetings will count toward the division title.

Should Aquinas lose to St. Joe’s on Tuesday, all three would be co-champs, and the tie would have to be broken only for GMC Tournament seeding, with all games being taken into account.

At the moment, Aquinas is 12-1, 7-0 in the Red Division, while Colonia drops to 10-2, 7-1 in the Red.

Junior guard Deuce Jones led the way for St. Thomas with 16 points, ten after halftime. Thomas followed with 14, while senior guard Terrell Pitts added 10 before fouling out late.

Colonia was led by senior guard Anthony Gooden’s 15 points, ten of which came in the second half.

Aquinas was in foul trouble most of the night, with Pitts and senior Jalen Pichardo on the bench most of the first half after picking up two first quarter fouls apiece. By the second quarter, Thomas and senior Kamal Lee also had two fouls, but the Trojans hung in there for the win.