HAMILTON — One month into the season, the Thrive Charter varsity girls’ basketball team is not where it wants to be yet. Considering the talent on the squad, some would say not even close. However, there is still hope and is still time to turn things around. It’s just that the last two days we re tough for the Titans on their own Vincent R. Cuiule Court in the Dorthy L. Payne Iron Palace. After leading Princeton High by a point heading into the fourth quarter Friday, Thrive Charter saw the Tigers rally to win, then, at lunch time Saturday, a very good Gill St. Bernard’s team visited and rolled to a 70-39 victory. That leaves head coach Darnell Alford’s team 4-7 heading into the heart of its schedule with plenty more difficult matchups ahead. “I had to talk to the girls today because they have to figure it out,” said Alford, who spent a long time in the locker room with his team postgame. “Our last couple games our turnovers have been horrific.” After seeing Princeton (7-3) outscore them, 19-12, in the final eight minutes to turn a 43-42 lead into a 61-55 setback Friday, the Titans saw GSB (8-3) jump out to a 24-6 lead in the first quarter after being as close as 7-6 when 6-foot-2 junior forward/center Adris Oppong put in a layup with 3:04 left in the stanza. When St. Joseph’s University-bound Addy Platt hit a 3-point field goal 49 seconds into the second quarter, the 5-foot-10 senior guard gave the Knights a 27-6 lead with her 12th consecutive point. She left the floor shortly thereafter, and Thrive 5-5 senior guard Olivia Moore scored with 6:40 left in the half to stop a 20-point run by Gill St. Bernard’s. Even a good second stanza could only get the home team as close as 35-21 before the visitors opened the third quarter with a 22-4 surge that all but put the game away. On this day, head coach Mark Gnapp’s Knights had 18 steals to eight by the Titans. Their press and trapping defense was stifling, which is something Thrive Charter usually does to other teams. “They got too many transition points,” Alford said. “I kept telling the girls to keep the ball in the middle of the court. Don’t go to the sidelines where they could trap us.” Even with 5-9 junior guard Takiya Farrior scoring 11 points and 5-9 senior guard SondJane Daudin right behind her with 10 points, while Oppong hauled in 11 rebounds, Thrive could not keep pace with Gill, which got a game-high 25 points from Abby Platt and 11 more from her 5-9 junior sister Kaity, while 5-8 junior guard Melina Miller provided nine points with five assists and five steals. With key Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division games ahead, the Titans are counting on turning their fortunes around beginning this week. “I still believe we’re going to hit a winnable stretch,” Alford said. “Things are still wide open for us. We’ve just got to stay positive, stay focused and keep pushing forward.” GILL ST. BERNARD’S (70) APlatt 11-1-25, KPlatt 4-2-11, Sinn 2-1-5, Miller 4-0-9, Morales-Solivan 2-0-5, Mikalainis 3-0-7, Dawson 0-0-0, Coffey 1-0-2, Armstrong 0-0-0, Olufade 1-0-2, Higgins 2-0-4. Totals — 30-4-70. THRIVE CHARTER (39) OMoore 2-2-6, Daudin 5-0-10, Powell 1-1-3, Oppong 3-0-6, Farrior 4-3-11, Kinston 1-0-3, Spaulding 0-0-0, Wilson 0-0-0, Pitman 0-0-0. Totals — 16-6-39. GillStBernard’s (8-3)                   24    11    22    13    —    70 Thrive Charter (4-7)                     6    15      4    14    —    39 3-point goals — APlatt 2, KPlatt, Miller, Morales-Solivan, Mikalainis (GSB), Kinston (TC). ...read more read less