H.S. BOYS BASKETBALL: Brockton defeats Durfee

With the victory, Brockton (9-4) improves to 2-1 in the Big Three and can clinch at least a share of the conference championship on Tuesday night with a win at New Bedford. Durfee (8-7) falls to 0-3 in league play.

BROCKTON - Having a chance to win a league championship is every team's goal going into a season, and it’s a goal that is still achievable for the Brockton High School boys basketball team.

Trailing 12-8 midway through the first quarter, the Boxers exploded for a 21-0 run and held Durfee scoreless for almost 11 minutes from midway through the first quarter quarter through the second quarter until the Hilltoppers scored a basket with 1:57 left in the opening half on their way to a 70-63 Big Three victory at the Staff Gymnasium on Friday night.

With the victory, Brockton (9-4) improves to 2-1 in the Big Three and can clinch at least a share of the conference championship on Tuesday night with a win at New Bedford. Durfee (8-7) falls to 0-3 in league play.

Durfee senior Nilin Nehra hit a 3-pointer with four minutes left in the first quarter for a 12-8 Hilltoppers lead before the Brockton defensive pressure took over.

A basket by Segun Okunlola and a Vy-Kim Nichols basket off an offensive rebound followed by a 3-pointer from Jason Starks gave the Boxers a 15-12 lead.

Sophomore Diamond Blakely began the second quarter for Brockton with a 3-pointer and a three-point play by Nichols gave Brockton a 21-12 lead. Six straight points from Zenden Correia and a steal and layup by Trenton Battle gave the Boxers a 29-12 lead.

The Hilltoppers closed out the half on a 6-2 run over the final 1:57 after a Nehra basket stopped the Brockton 21-0 run. AB Medrano had a steal and layup at the buzzer for the Hilltoppers to cut the Brockton lead to 31-18 at halftime.

Marcenal Louis-Charles jumper opened the third quarter for Brockton before a 14-0 Durfee run closed the gap to 33-32, before a Okunlola three-point play gave the Boxers a 36-32 lead.

Durfee turned up its own defensive pressure in the third quarter to outscore Brockton 24-10 and take a 42-41 lead into the fourth quarter. The teams exchanged the lead early in the fourth quarter before a three-point play by Correia gave the Boxers a 44-47 lead.

Durfee tied the game at 58-58 with three minutes left in the game, before the Boxers closed the game on a 12-5 run, highlighted by two free throws by Okunlola and 3-pointers from Louis-Charles and Jason Starks.

Correia led Brockton with a game-high 21 points and Okunlola added 13.

Brockton will travel to Newton North on Sunday at 2 p.m. for their annual Super Bowl Sunday tilt before the trip to New Bedford on Tuesday night.