Mike Thornton Quotations

We're getting better. One thing I like is that in every game we're not having the same top two scorers, and that's been a big thing for our confidence. I think they're starting to understand the intensity and style of defense we want to play.

We're still in control of our own destiny (before last Tuesday). Every team comes to play against us every night, and I have to give West all the credit. Some of their players really stepped their games up.

It feels a lot like my first year. We know we can be competitive with them, it's just a matter of us playing our game. As far as being the underdog is concerned, yes we are the underdog, but we're going to go out there to do our jobs also.

We had a long talk after the season was over and talked about how we finished a little short of our goals. It became a reality to them and I think (the win over Highland) was a good start to the tournament to get another win under our belts.

We're a team that likes to move, and I think the tight 2-3 was like a fence out there. They had everything jammed up inside and our dribble penetration wasn't working. We like to be able to get up and down the court and we weren't able to do that.

We seem to play better from behind. When that sense of urgency kicks in, the kids seem to realize they?d better start doing what their coaches have been telling them or else.

Farr was a sophomore and that hurts (to lose him). He was coming into his role pretty well and now some other guys are going to have to step up. Bernie Agnew has become the type of player people thought he could be. In games that go up and down, he can get buckets in a hurry. He's doing a pretty good job being a play-maker.

It would have been one thing if we had had a fifth-year senior or something like that, but we won it out on the court.

It's serious, but gangs out here, they're fake.

I knew what each team had coming back so I knew it would be a strong league. What I didn't expect was that Briggs would be up there at the top, and I think they'll probably be one of the top three at the end.