Pressure.

There are many different ways you can use the word, but in sports you can either feel it or apply it.On Thursday night against Marian, Jim Thorpe showcased that it was the type of team that likes to apply the pressure. The Olympians speed and athleticism in their three-quarter court trapping defense gave them the advantage as they defeated the Colts, 49-39.Both teams were hot coming into this one with Marian riding a 10-game win streak while the Olympians had won four consecutive games."We did a good job throughout the game of putting their ball handlers in awkward positions, especially early on," said Jim Thorpe head coach Jason McElmoyle. "I just think our kids did a good job of sticking to the game plan for four quarters and they played really hard and really got after it tonight."Jim Thorpe's (9-5) pressure set the tone early, forcing the Colts into seven first quarter turnovers. The Olympians were also able to convert the turnovers into points, getting four transition layups off the Colts' seven miscues. The result was a 16-11 lead heading into the second quarter.The game stayed tight throughout the second period with Marian (10-2) tying the game on a Ryan Karchner inside bucket at the 6:10 mark.The Olympians would then regain the lead after Matt Elmore finished a play in the paint, converting the hoop and the harm. On the next possession, Brendan Carroll drained a mid-range jump shot to push the Olympians lead back to five at the five-minute mark.From then on, it seemed like the Colts just couldn't get over the hump as Thorpe wouldn't surrender the lead the rest of the way."We weren't able to take care of the ball early on against their pressure and that gave them the lead and confidence, and we just had to try and claw back for the rest of the game," said Colts head coach John Patton. "A lot of the things we usually do well, we didn't tonight."We didn't shoot the ball well at all, and that's a credit to their defense. They outplayed us tonight."Thorpe was able to stay consistent on the offensive end in the third quarter, going on a pivotal 13-5 run that gave it a 12-point lead with 2:54 remaining in the frame. Elmore was the difference in the third for the Olympians, scoring eight of his game-high 18 points. Elmore also helped control the paint on the defensive end, holding Marian's talented big men in Karchner and Brandon Mohammed to just a combined 14 points."Matt played great for us inside. He played under control and was strong with his post moves and finished strong," said McElmoyle. "Every guy that was on that floor tonight contributed and this win was a total team effort."I really like the direction we're headed in. We just have to continue to play with the kind of effort we displayed this evening."In the fourth quarter, the Colts made one last run. But after Marian cut the lead to five on a Mohammed slam at the 4:16 mark, the Olympians responded on their next possession. A break down in Marian's full-court pressure gave Thorpe a wide-open lay-up, which spurred an 8-0 run.HELPING OUT ... In addition to Elmore, Chris Micciche had a big night for the Olympians, scoring 16 points.LONE COLT ... For Marian, Tyler Fritz was the only player in double figures with 10.OFFENSIVE GLASS ... During their 10-game win streak, the Colts that have been dominating on the offensive glass. However, it was the Olympians that won the battle on the offensive boards, collecting an impressive 11 offensive rebounds on the night.TURNOVERS ... Miscues didn't help Marian in this one as they turned the ball over 18 times on the night, while Jim Thorpe stayed in single digits with nine.MARIANKarchner 3-0-0-6, Mohammed 3-2-4-8, Mummey 1-0-0-2, Stauffer 2-0-0-4, Fritz 3-1-2-10, Paisley 1-0-0-2, Collevechio 3-0-0-7, Paluck 0-0-2-0, D. Miller 0-0-0-0, J. Miller 0-0-0-0, Maylath 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-3-8-39.JIM THORPECarroll 2-2-4-6, Samuels 1-0-0-2, Elmore 8-2-4-18, Micciche 7-0-0-16, Joyce 2-0-0-5, Marykwas 1-0-0 -2, N. Rosahac 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-4-8-49.Marian 11 12 10 6 - 39Jim Thorpe 16 11 15 7 - 49Three-pointers: Marian - Fritz 3, Collevechio 1; Jim Thorpe - Micciche 2, Joyce 1.