MANCHESTER, NH –Trinity High boys’ basketball coach Keith Bike knows one thing for sure heading into the second half of the season –every time his Pioneers take the floor, they might as well be wearing bright red, blue and while targets on their backs.
The last remaining undefeated team in Division 1, Trinity has established itself as the team to beat, having won its first eight games by an average margin of 17.5 points. Bike knows that means his club needs to bring its “A-game” every night, as teams line up to try and knock the Pioneers from their perch.
The latest would-be challenger was Nashua South, which came in armed with a 6-9 center, a sharpshooting freshman and wins over Bishop Guertin and Windham on its resume.
Trailing 49-44, Trinity opened the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to take the lead and held on for a 63-55 victory, before a raucous Friday night crowd. 
“What our guys need to understand is that every team we play from this point on, what are they trying to do? They’re trying to knock us off,” said Bike. “I was really happy with the way we battled tonight. (Nashua South) is a very good team. They’re very well-coached.”
Sophomore guard Tyler Bike scored nine of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Trinity comeback. Senior Andrew Politi and sophomore Mark Nyomah added 12 points apiece. Sophomore Devohn Ellis chipped in with 10.
Trinity (9-0), a team with no player over 6-2 in its rotation, faced a big challenge offensively, in the person of Nashua South center Rhett Medling. The 6-9 center played a one-man zone for much of the game and made life extremely difficult for Pioneers trying to attack the rim. Medling scored just five points but also blocked five shots and pulled down 14 rebounds. 
But the biggest problem for the Pioneers, especially in the first half, was Nashua South guard Josh Caruso. The talented freshman hit five 3-pointers, en route to a team-high 19 points. Caruso was on fire with 11 points in the second quarter, helping the Panthers battle back from an early 18-10 deficit. His third 3-pointer of the quarter came in the final seconds and pulled Nashua South to within 33-32 at halftime.
Nashua South (5-6) rode that momentum into the second half. Another 3-pointer from Caruso sparked a 7-0 run to open the third quarter, giving the Panthers a 39-33 lead.
Meanwhile, Trinity was having trouble finding its offensive footing, struggling to find open looks with Medling patrolling the paint. The answer came in the form of ball movement quick enough to beat the Nashua South zone rotation and beating the Panthers down the floor on the fast break. 
Nyomah scored back-to-back buckets off great feeds by Bike to cut into the Nashua South lead. Later, he drained a rainbow jumper along the baseline, over the outstretched arm of Medling to get Trinity to within two.
A 3-pointer by freshman Alize Roig-Cortez at the buzzer pushed the Nashua South lead back to five (49-44) after three.
With the offense still struggling, Trinity ramped up its defense in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers held the Panthers scoreless for the first five minutes of the quarter, turning a five-point deficit into a five-point lead (54-49) with 3:00 to play.
“That’s really a tribute to our guys fighting,” said Coach Bike. “You know, they’re great in the huddle, they do a lot of coaching themselves, they get on each other. We’ve got tough kids.”
The highlight of the 10-0 run was a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc by Politi, who offered no less than four step fakes to get separation before calmly draining the trey. 
With the lead in hand, Trinity converted 8-of-12 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Trinity is scheduled to be back in action Monday for a rematch on the road against Manchester Central (4-3). The two teams met back on Dec. 10, with Trinity coasting to an 81-57 win.
