Red-hot Durfee cruises past Somerset Berkley

SOMERSET- The Durfee boys' basketball team continued its hot streak on Saturday afternoon as they beat the Somerset Berkley Raiders 75-58 for its sixth win in seven games.

“I’m very happy for the kids,” Durfee coach Jameson Guimond said. “They’re playing at a really nice speed and a nice connectiveness with each other. I thought that the ball movement at times in our fast break offense was very good today, so I’m pleased with the way we played today.”

Senior Ty Lopes led the way on offense for the Hilltoppers with 19 points, while senior Nilin Nehra put up 17 and senior Anthony Lopes had 12 including a pair of 3-pointers.

For the Raiders, junior Austin Macek lead the way with 11 points, including a pair of 3s, while senior Devyn Crosby added 10 points.

“We came out and we played well at the beginning, and then it seemed like we were very tired,” said Somerset Berkley coach Bob Slater.

The two sides kept each other close in the first quarter, trading shots and leads with each turn of the ball. When a '3' from senior Quimani Neal put the Hilltoppers up 12-9, the Raiders responded with a layup from freshman Ethan Dias, who added the and one off a corresponding foul to draw the sides even at 12.

In the second quarter, the teams continued to battle as senior Liam McDonald hit a '3' for the Raiders to tie things back up at 18-18. But after a couple of back-and-forth lead changes,  senior Isaiah Morency put the Hilltoppers in the lead at 22-21, a lead they’d never relinquish.

From there, the Hilltoppers offense really turned on their jets, outscoring the Raiders 16-2 down to finish out the half as they dominated possession and made key defensive steals while Nehra and Ty Lopes put up points with nearly every shot they took as the visitors took a 38-23 lead into the locker room at the half.

 “I think that our press was very good at times,” Guimond said. “I think when we get out on the fast break and make some layups, we actually create opportunities for open 3s as well.”

Durfee extended their scoring streak into the second half, putting up 17 straight points capped by a Lopes '3' before a technical foul called on Medrano allowed senior Nick Medeiros to hit all four free throws to make it 47-27. From there, the Raiders began to gain more momentum offensively, but the Hilltoppers kept pace and closed out the quarter up 61-34.

In the fourth quarter, both teams relied heavily on their benches, with nearly all players seeing action. The Raiders seemed to take the most advantage, with the team putting up 13 straight points on Durfee thanks to 3s from Macek, Crosby and senior Justin Mardirosian to close a once 31-point gap down to 16.

 “We wanted to get some other kids out there and give them a shot,” Slater said. “The kids that were fresh were out there, so I think that’s why we played better at the end.”

Despite the momentum, the Hilltopper lead proved insurmountable in the end as back-to-back 3-pointers from Anthony Lopes helped to seal the 75-58 Durfee win.

The Hilltoppers, who qualified for the tournament Friday night with win against New Bedford, now head into their final week of the regular season with tough matchups against city rivals Bishop Connolly and Attleboro.

“Our goal six, seven games ago was to win out for the rest of the year and we’ve won six out of our last seven,” Guimond said. “The kids have a good attitude and have been practicing very hard, so we want to win the last two games and see what happens in the tournament.”

Both teams return to action Monday, with the Hilltoppers crossing Elsbree Street to take on Bishop Connolly, while the Raiders kick-off their annual Somerset Berkley Tournament with a game against Falmouth.