AURORA | A profile look at Eaglecrest junior Hidaya Thornton, who is set to play for Team West in the second A-Town All-Star Girls Game set for Friday, March 16, 2018, at Rangeview High School. The boys game is scheduled for 5 p.m.:
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
HIDAYA THORNTON
School: Eaglecrest High School
Year: Junior
Height: 5-foot-3
2017-18 averages: 5.3 points, 4.5 steals, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists per game
Season highlights: Thornton contributed in a variety of ways — especially on the defensive end — for coach Robby Gabrielli’s Eaglecrest team, which finished 9-15 and again qualified for the Class 5A state playoffs, where it nearly pulled off a first-round upset. The diminutive Thornton was a pest to opposing ballhandlers all season, so much so that she set the Raptors’ program record with an average of 4.5 steals per contest, topped by a whopping 10 thefts in a win over Douglas County prior to winter break. Thornton wasn’t relied on to score, yet she still averaged 5.3 points per contest and cracked double figures four times, including a 10-point effort in a near-playoff upset of Columbine. She added 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per ballgame. Thornton is a first-time A-Town All-Star Girls Game selection.
Thornton vs. Aurora teams: vs. Rangeview (8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals); vs. Overland (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals; 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 5 assists); vs. Grandview (2 points, 2 steals; 4 points, 4 rebounds); vs. Smoky Hill (6 points, 2 assists, 2 steals; 4 points, 7 steals, 4 rebounds); vs. Cherokee Trail (9 points, 5 steals; 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals)