There wasn’t a seat to be had in the house, nor a parking spot within miles.

With the city rivalry burning full flame, and fans howling back and fourth, Ryan Bourgeois had seen – and heard – enough.

The Trinity point guard looked up at the scoreboard and, with his squad trailing Central, 30-15, with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, scored the next 16 points to put the Pioneers where he felt they belonged – on top.

Trinity won the contest, 54-51, and Bourgeois cemented his legacy in Queen City lore.

Though his coach, Dave Keefe, said the performance isn’t indicative of the complete player the Bedford standout became while in high school, he said it sure was fun to watch.

“That’s the time I didn’t mind when he wasn’t sharing the ball,” said Keefe.

“When a kid can score 16 straight points against a tough defensive team like Central, boy, that’s a special player.”

Though Bourgeois could always score, his coach said it wasn’t until late in his junior season and into his senior year that he became a great high school player.

Keefe, having played and coached at Central, came to Trinity in Bourgeois’ sophomore season preaching about defense and ball control.

When he asked when the last time the team had practiced defense, one player replied, “Fourth grade.” Bourgeois was no different, said Keefe.

“Ryan, when I first met him, had in his head as a young sophomore that the number of points he scored would determine who he was as a player,” said the coach. “I told him people who know basketball know it’s not how much you score that makes you a great player. After a couple years it sunk in.”

Following one particular contest, Bourgeois was approached by a scout who congratulated him on a fine performance.

“But I only scored 11 points,” the senior told his coach.

“Yeah, but you had 10 assists and seven rebounds,” At the end of Bourgeois’ junior season, Keefe said the Pioneers were “only as good as (the amount) Ryan wanted to share the ball.”

By the end of Bourgeois’ senior season, Trinity was a very good team, and he had became arguably the most elusive point guard in the state, said teammate Cormac Fitzpatrick.

“He’s a terrific passer, and he can take over the game whenever necessary,” said the sophomore. “He may be undersized, but he can post anyone up, he shoots three (pointers), and he takes it to the lane. He’s very versatile.”

Fitzpatrick, who came off the Trinity bench as the team’s sixth man and broke the Class L record for three-pointers in a tournament, credits Bourgeois for his success.

“I don’t think I would have had most of those shots without him out there,” said Fitzpatrick. “He draws so many double teams (that) he frees up a lot of kick outs to me and other players, and that was obviously big for us in the playoffs.”

For a second consecutive season, Bourgeois led the Pioneers to the Class L championship contest.

But the lack of a title takes nothing from what the standout did for the team, said Keefe, who added his squad will still be competitive next season, but a dropoff is inevitable without the floor general.

“I know it’s a cliche, but he was like having another coach on the floor,” said Keefe. “There aren’t not too many kids I would trust and ask to make decisions on which offense would work better, but he just took over games. And whether it was by scoring himself or dishing the ball off, more often than not he made the right decisions.”

Bourgeois’ hard-nosed play impressed Keefe, but his willingness to work with younger players – before and after practice – was most memorable.

Bourgeois graduates following a season in which he averaged 15 points a game, six assists and four rebounds.

During a game in Keene earlier this season, the hosts stopped the contest and presented Bourgeois with a game ball to commemorate the standout’s 1,000th point of his career. He finished with nearly 1,200.

Though several local colleges scouted him, Bourgeois said he chose Keene State College because he has the opportunity to play right away.

“We’re going to miss him,” said Keefe. “He’s one of the better ones I’ve seen in a long time.”