When Wayzata entered the locker room at halftime of Thursday’s game, senior guard Connor Hale went to the whiteboard hanging on the wall of the locker room.

With his team trailing 45-33, Hale wrote one word on the board: effort. Following that, the team spent the break talking about the effort needed to come back and win.

As it turns out, one word was all the Trojans needed. Wayzata outscored St. Thomas Academy 57-19 in the second half and came away with a 90-64 win at the St. Thomas Holiday Classic.

In the opening half, the Trojans, ranked No. 8 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, struggled to slow down the No. 4-3A Cadets and senior guard Jack Thompson, who finished with a game-high 22 points, including 14 in the opening half.

“We didn’t play hard,” said Wayzata coach Bryan Schnettler. “We didn’t play with effort and get back on defense. That was something we had done in every game leading up to that point.”

Then the Trojans (6-2) put whiteboard words into backboard action. Wayzata cut the St. Thomas Academy lead into single digits early in the second half. Soon, Wayzata would find itself tied at 57.

The Trojans’ comeback was led in large part by another senior leader, guard Jacob Beeninga. The Minnesota State Moorhead commit scored just three points in the first half but tallied 16 in the final 18 minutes.

“Good defense turning into good offense was the biggest catalyst in that second half,” Beeninga said. “Once we got stops, we could push it and score.”

Beeninga is one of a cavalry of eight guards that play for Schnettler. The group of guards on the floor is constantly changing.

“I don’t really think too much about which group of guys is out there,” Schnettler said. “They all get to know each other at practice. As long as they play good defense, it will all work out on offense.”

The depth was key in Thursday’s win. While the Cadets (5-3, 1-0), matched Wayzata’s quickness in the first half, Thompson and St. Thomas Academy ran out of gas in the second half. Shots were coming up short for the Cadets while the Trojans poured in basket after basket.

Beeninga has been a mainstay at Wayzata as a four-year varsity player, where he has seen the Trojans make two consecutive state tournament appearances and reemerge as a top-tier program in Class 4A.

“It’s been amazing,” Beeninga said. “Before, Wayzata basketball was not as big of a deal. Now, you see a lot more people paying attention.”

One of those that has noticed Beeninga has been Schnettler, who brought Beeninga up as a freshman. After four years together, the Wayzata coach sees a guy that continues to set an example for the team.

“At 5-10 he leads our team in rebounding and has led our team in charges every year he’s been here,” Schnettler said. “If he can do that at his size, other guys see it and try and match that effort.”