It took a while for the Thunder to rumble at Thorpe Gymnasium on Thursday. But when Discovery Canyon’s storm rolled in, Harrison had no answer.

Discovery Canyon scored 24 points in the third quarter, led by Noah Eckels, who scored a game-high 13 points, to help the Thunder double up the Panthers 52-26.

The Thunder’s 7-1 record ties their best start in program history. Discovery Canyon began the 2021-22 season with the same mark and finished the season 15-11.

“I’m pleased with a 7-1 record,” Thunder coach Howard Tarpenning said. “We have some tough games coming up on our schedule, so it gets harder. But I like our team. We’re an experienced team and almost all these guys were on the team last year. We’re just trying to peak at the right time.”

The Panthers played without their top two scorers — Jeilo Hamenyimana (21.2 points per game) and Tayten Franko (19.5) — who sat due to injury.

But Harrison (2-4) held Discovery Canyon to six points in the first quarter, all scored by Eckels. The Panthers’ lone bucket in the period and it came with .2 on the clock.

Dylan Arocho hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and hit the free throw to close the gap to 6-4 after the first.

The Thunder scored 10 in the second, but the Panthers hit another bucket in the final second of the half to cut the lead to 16-13.

“They came out and slowed the ball down and tried to take the air out of it,” Tarpenning said. “We played at their pace and didn’t get anything going and on top of that gave up a couple of offensive rebounds. In the second half, we got after it a little bit more and changed the tempo a little bit.”

That’s a modest statement by Tarpenning. Discovery Canyon shifted gears entirely to start the third.

The Thunder outscored the Panthers 24-5 in the third, and Eckels, who did not score in the second quarter, poured in seven points in the first four minutes of the period.

Discovery Canyon led by just three at the break. To start the fourth, the Thunder had a 40-18 advantage.

“Coach got us on the right course at halftime,” Eckels said. “We were struggling with the offensive boards as well as being patient on offense. We just had to get that right. I knew I had to step up to make sure we stayed ahead. I knew I had to lock in and do my job.”

Tarpenning heaped praise on Eckels and his game, not just against the Panthers, but throughout the young season for the Thunder.

“He’s huge for us every game,” Tarpenning said. “He’s one of the best players in the state. Anytime we can get him the ball inside, we feel like we have an advantage. We work hard to get him the ball in there and he can drop them in there for us.”

After dropping their opening contest — a one-point loss to Pueblo South in the season opener — the Thunder have won seven consecutive contests.

Harrison’s 26 points wasn’t just a season low, it was the Thunder’s best defensive performance this year. On Dec. 12, Discovery Canyon held down Roosevelt in a 62-29 win.

“It feels good to come in here to get a win,” Eckels said. “They started out slow and we weren’t expecting that. We locked in for the second half and that helped us get the win. That’s helped us all season, and we hope it continues to help us going forward.”