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February is that time of the season when you find out what teams are truly made out of. In Sunday’s matchup between Brockton and Newton North, both teams showed why they could each be dangerous teams when March comes around.

Brockton won the contest, 71-65, in overtime. After digesting the game, here are some observations about both of these teams, who will both likely enter the Division 1 South Sectional as favorites.

Brockton’s Defense

Defense is arguably Brockton’s best asset. Jahleel Moise’s jumping ability and Sayvonn Houston’s size make it nearly impossible for players to drive in the lane. This was especially true at the start of their game against Newton North. Brockton’s defense forced Newton North to be a jump shooting team and since the Tigers’ shots were not falling, they took an early lead.



Defense pushes teams far in the playoffs. However, basketball is played on two ends of the floor. While Brockton’s defense is superb, there offense leaves a lot to be desired.

Brockton’s Offense



After watching this clip, one would think there is nothing wrong with Brockton’s offense. It is not so much that they are a bad team offensively. Obviously, they were good offensively in this game because they won. It is more about how they are scoring.

They do a wonderful job of scoring in the paint, getting put backs, and burning defenders off of isolation plays. The only issue: that is the only way they score. There are never any plays run for a basket or jump shots made for that matter.

Newton North is not a big team or an athletic team, so Brockton can get away with this type of scoring. When they play a more athletic or bigger team, this type of offense simply will not work in March.

X-Factor: Jaylen Blakely

In March, it is critical to have players who can create off of the dribble. Jaylen Blakely is that type of player.



Blakely does a great job of getting looks for his big man and making big shots. That being said, Blakely’s biggest weakness is his decision making.



Blakely turns the ball over at a high rate and takes bad shots often. If he can focus on playing under control, he has the capability of pushing Brockton far in the playoffs.

Newton North Offense

Newton North always has talented go-to options, which is why they are always a dangerous team in March. They might not have the Anthony Gurley or Greg Kelley on their roster this year, but the duo of Mike Thorpe and Luke Westman are not too shabby. They are two players who compliment each other well and play smart all of the time.



The Tigers rely on those two to do most of their scoring along with many of their sweet shooting role players. When their shots were not falling, Newton North struggled. The key for them will be for role players to knock down open shots when they get them.

X-Factor: Tommy Mobley

In the third quarter, one role player did exactly what Newton North needs in order for their offense to be effective. Freshman Tommy Mobley knocked down three outside shots. This was the point in the game where Newton North came back and made it a close game.



Mobley has an unusual yet highly effective shot. He might only be a freshman, but he does a good job of moving without the ball and knocking down tough shots. This type of role player is key, especially when fighting while down.

The only issue is that he is a freshman and makes the mistakes that all freshmen make. To rely on a young player is always a risky proposition for teams looking to make a deep run in March.

Conclusion

Brockton and Newton North are dangerous teams for very different reasons. The Boxers do a great job of beating teams with their size and athleticism. They are great on defense and make teams have to play their tough brand of basketball. The key for them will to force teams to turnover the ball and score in transition.

As for Newton North, they don’t have the size or talent of past years but they have a team of players that play well together. In this game, they finally showed their main flaw: defense. They are not a bad defensive team, but when they play bigger or more athletic teams, they run into serious problems.

Neither team is perfect, but both have assets that can push them far in March.

BROCKTON, Mass. — Brockton’s lack of free throw shooting was a big reason that Newton North was able to erase a 15-point first half deficit, but when the Boxers absolutely needed a pair from the stripe they got it.

Sayvonn Houston hit two clutch free throws with 16.3 seconds left to force overtime, and the Boxers (11-1) rushed away from the Tigers in the extra session to seal a 71-65 win at Staff Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

“It was necessary,” said Boxers head coach Bob Boen. “I don’t know if that’s what I have to tell him, but we need him to make those shots. Yes, we had shot very poorly and you wouldn’t have want to bet that we were going to make those two the way that we had been shooting. But he made two big shots and we had to have them.”

Houston was fouled after a free throw from Michael Thorpe gave the Tigers a 61-59 lead in the waning moments of the fourth. The Boxers big man had good form on both free throws and they were no-doubters to tie the game.

“I had to calm down and knock down my free throws,” said Houston, who scored 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Houston was 2-for-6 from the line before making his final two, and the Boxers finished 50 percent from the line in the game and went 15-of-30 in the second half to let the Tigers get back into the game.

The Tigers had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but watched as a rushed 3-pointer in the corner from Tim Stanton hit off the rim with only 1.1 seconds left to get it off.

Jamal Reuben scored five points in the extra session and the Boxers held the Tigers to one field goal and two free throws in the final four minutes of play to run away with the game.

Boxers' Athletes Stand Out: It’s easy to see that the Boxers are probably the most athletically gifted team in Div. 1 South — which will be one of the deeper divisions in all of the tournament.

Houston is a force inside that many teams won’t be able to matchup with, but Jahleel Moise brings a knack for being a menace to anyone coming down the lane. The 6-foot-3 Moise is an athletic wing and he had a complete game with eight points, nine blocks and six rebounds in the victory.

“I said to someone the other day that Jahleel is the most amazing shot blocker that I’ve ever seen at Brockton High,” said Boen. “I’ve been here 29 years now as a JV coach and varsity coach. He gets about that many blocks every game. He gets off his feet so quick and really sees the ball well. He’s the best shot blocker that we’ve ever had by far.”

Tamed Tigers Wake Up: Paul Connolly wasn’t quite sure what team he was looking at in the first quarter — and most of the first half. His Tigers needed a heave at the buzzer by Luke Westman to score seven points in the first quarter and fell down by as much at 15 in the second.

But Connolly’s bunch clawed its way back into the game when it looked like it just wasn’t possible.

Thorpe scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and freshman Tommy Mobley hit three big 3-pointers — including the one in the beginning of the fourth quarter that gave the Tigers their first lead.

“We were down 15-4 to start the game,” said Connolly. “That’s not the team that I’ve coached in the last 14 games. I was disappointed early in the game, as disappointed as I’ve been coaching. But now as I sit here I’m really proud of my guys because we battled.”

The Tigers are now 14-1 on the season.

BOSTON, Mass. -- Why play hard when you can play smart?

With three seconds left in the game, Mansfield’s Michael Lofton was being contested for the potential go ahead point after battling back to break even after being down as many as eight points in the fourth quarter. Instead of scoring point 18, he dumped off to his teammate Chris Johnson, who had scored earlier in the fourth, for the go ahead win, sending the Hornets (24-2) into the Eastern Mass Division 1 finals against St. John’s Prep on Tuesday night.

“Michael’s been our best player all year long,” Mansfield head coach Michael Vaughn said. “But the staple of our team has been our ability to pass the basketball and share. I really think if Michael goes up with that, now it’s a challenged shot, the result might have been a little bit different, but just playing the way we’ve been playing all year, he throws the extra pass to an uncontested (player).”

“It feels good that I know that I have other scorers that can score like CJ,” said Lofton (16 points, 12 rebounds, three steals). “He’s a great scorer. He’s one of those 50/50 winners that can get the ball and score in the paint… He came through for us.”

With 1:50 left in the game, after Lofton got one of his three steals on the day, Jeff Hill made the layup in transition to tie the game at 42.

“The shot clock was running down and I just took it to the hoop, which was open so I took the layup,” said Hill (6 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals)

Luke Westman made the return basket for Newton North (19-7) on as assist by Avi Adler-Cohen to put the Tigers up 44-42. Lofton got an offensive rebound off of a miss on the next possession and tied the game up again, at 44. Playing tenacious defense, the Hornets had the Tigers on their heels, and as Adler-Cohen dove out of bounds near the scorers’ table to keep the wayward ball in play, Lofton intercepted the save, zoomed half the distance of the court to the basket and flushed the ball with :35 left, sending the Mansfield pride soaring behind the same basket that he had just kissed with the ball, putting his team up 46-44.

“I was getting a little tired,” added Lofton. “But the drive to keep me going, keep me on my feet was that this is my senior year, and we had to put it all out there to win this game. Not many people get this opportunity to play at The Garden twice.”

After a Newton North timeout, Tevin Falzon (14 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks) drained another two free throws after being fouled on a rebound to tie the game up at 46. Coming down the court, the Tiger defense was expecting for Lofton to take the last second shot, but he found the rolling Johnson down low who put it in without opposition, putting the Hornets up 48-46 with three seconds left.

“He had great court vision looking for me and finding me under the basket wide open,” said Johsnon. “I’m just glad that I finished it.”

The ensuing inbounds pass was deflected by Johnson (12 points, five rebounds, four steals), sending the ball up in the air and the Mansfield boys into each other’s arms, celebrating their comeback victory, as Newton North held the lead since 4:25 in the second quarter, when a Brian Santana layup pushed the Tigers past the Hornets 18-17.

“I think that’s how our whole team has been made up all year,” added Vaughan of Johnson, who had three steals in the first quarter, but didn’t make another standout defensive stop until the last seconds of the game. “Guys like Johnson who come up with big plays when we need them.”

DORCHESTER, Mass. -- Newton North punched its ticket to play at the TD Garden for the Division 1 South Championship Friday, with an emphatic 67-44 win over New Bedford Tuesday night at UMass-Boston's Clark Athletic Center.

With such an eye-popping point differential, one would think it was offense that propelled the Tigers (19-6) to victory, but it was their defense and rebounding that allowed them to move on to the South Finals. As a team, it had 40 rebounds, eight steals, and four blocks

“I think our defense right now is playing phenomenal,” Newton North head coach Paul Connolly said. “The last team we played (Weymouth) was averaging 67 points and we held them to 45. New Bedford was averaging 69 and we held them to 44. This group has come together so well. I just really like my team right now.”

Luke Westman lead the way for Newton North by making an impact on all sides of the ball, not just with points. He finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and four steals that all led to transition points for North.

North had a 15-7 lead after one quarter, but after turning the ball over multiple times, the Whalers (17-4) battled back and tied the score at 20 with three minutes left to go in the half. With North only having a 26-23 lead at the half, it appeared to be anyone’s ballgame.

New Bedford took the lead with five minutes to go in the third quarter, when they went ahead 29-28. In a matter of seconds, though, North was back on top 31-29 and continued to stretch its lead for the remainder of the game.

After not having a lead over eight points in the first half, North stretched its lead to 12 points by the end of the third quarter. It came on the heels of a 13-5 point run that appeared to swing all the momentum in North’s favor.

“As soon as they got the lead, I think that’s when we really clicked and we really stepped our game up and we never looked back,” said Newton North senior guard Avi Adler-Cohen (19 points). “I told the guys we had to punch first. We’ve got down early in other games and we had to battle back. Here we had the lead and we let them get back into it and kind of took it into an extra gear and finished it off.”

North stretched its lead to 14 in the early minutes of the fourth and again used transition opportunities sparked by turnovers to stretch its lead to as many as 19 points and eventually the 23-point victory.

In the final frame, the New Bedford players were becoming visibly upset with how the game was unfolding, and North took advantage of its opponents' low spirits.

“When you see that, that’s when you really have to step on their throats and you just have to keep it there,” Adler-Cohen said. “When you see them start to crumble that’s when you really can’t let up at all. You have to go to that extra gear because that’s when they’re weakest. That’s what we did and we expanded our lead from 10 to 20, and then the game’s over.”

North will play Mansfield Friday at the Garden, and the team knows it won’t be easy.

“They’re a good team, they knocked us out last year (in the D1 South quarterfinals) so I know it’s a huge revenge game for us, we don’t want to lose to them two years in a row,” Adler-Cohen said. “They’re talented, they’re the No. 1 seed in the South so you know they’re going to be good. But if we come in with a game plan and execute it I think we can play with anyone right now.”

“They’re a terrific passing team, they’re very very well-coached, so we know it’s going to be a good game, but we’re going to enjoy this right now and worry about that on Friday,” Connolly said.

DORCHESTER, Mass. –- It just didn’t feel like a consolation game at the Comcast IAABO Board 27 Tournament, at Boston College High School's McNeice Pavilion. Andover coach Dave Fazio even said it himself.

“You play in this tournament and it’s all about pride,” said Fazio. “So any game you play in any tournament against a quality team like Newton North is all about pride. We try to instill in our kids that it doesn’t matter whether its checkers or chess, it doesn’t matter, if you play in something competitive, you always play to win. That’s what it’s all about.”

And they did indeed play to win. The Golden Warriors bounced back from Saturday’s tough loss against St. John’s Prep to beat Newton North in a 75-66 win.

In the first 45 seconds of the game, sophomore Sam Dowden knocked down two three-pointers to give Andover a solid six point lead for the entire first quarter. Then, in the second quarter, Andover’s star Joe Bramanti scored 15 of his team’s 21 points to put his team up by 13. At this point, it looked as though it was Andover’s game for the taking. It was not, however, even close to being over.

After a Tevin Falzon basket with a foul to finish the second quarter, and a Luke Westman dunk to start the third, Newton North took the momentum back. Powered by Michael Thorpe’s 19 third-quarter points -- including three acrobatic three-pointers -- the Tigers went on a 20-6 run to take the lead at 51-46.

“That’s the player that I’ve been waiting for all season long,” Newton North head coach Paul Connolly said. “Michael has only averaged 13 points per game this year. He hasn’t shot the ball well. We’ve been a different team this year. That’s the level he’s capable of playing at. That’s what we need. Your leading scorer needs to play like that in the tournament. Mike had a period there where he was phenomenal but you know, they have Joe Bramanti, and he took over the game."

Said Bramanti, who only scored two points in the third, “After [Thorpe] hit the third three-pointer, coach put me on him just to contain him and keep him out of his rhythm. Once someone catches fire like that, they are just going to keep going and going and going so you just put the clamps on him and hope he doesn’t keep going.”

Andover decided to then take a page out of Newton North’s book. Coach Fazio told his team to get the ball to Joe, and it turned out that was the right decision. Bramanti went off for 21 fourth-quarter points on various drives, three-pointers, and 11 free throws.

“[Getting to the line] is definitely a big part of my game," Bramanti said. "I was really trying to facilitate early on, but when we got down to the fourth quarter it was necessary for me to get to the line. We needed a break, and those are easy points."

Bramanti finished with 38 points, going nine for 16 from the field (including three 3-pointers) and stayed perfect from the line by sinking 17 free throws.

“This is a big win for us. This is a big win for our program,” said Fazio. “You’ve got to remember, the last two we lost was probably to the number one team in the state and the number two team in the state. Those two losses were against two really good teams. I think we have the best schedule in New England. We play against everyone. It was another great fight by our kids.”

Future Reference

-- While Bramanti may be known as the star for Andover right now, keep your eyes on junior James Costello. Costello finished with 20 points. Whether he was using his mean jab step to get by his man or jumping over defenders for offensive rebounds, there is no doubt that Costello is a unique player. At 6-foot-3, he does not have a true position but is the type of athletic player that every team could use. His coach and teammate would agree.

“I think these past few games, [James] has been tremendous,” said Bramanti. ”He’s been stepping up big time. He’s definitely progressed exponentially. I think it is good for him to have two good games for our game Thursday night against Brockton.”

“He is playing better and better," Fazio said. "He is going to be phenomenal. Hopefully, he’s going to carry the torch from Bramanti.”

-- For those of you making your predictions for the MIAA playoffs, coach Connolly shed some light on who he thinks will be the most successful teams. After having a surprisingly early exit last year, Connolly thinks the teams with the best guards are the most dangerous.

“Hurley took over the game against us yesterday," Connolly said. "Pat Connaughton is capable of taking over games. When you have a player who can take over a game with the ball in his hands, you are dangerous. We had Greg [Kelley] last year but it’s different when you have a big guy. Those are the guys who will make the big tournament runs."

NEWTON, Mass. –- Having the Brockton Boxers facing off against the Newton North Tigers on Superbowl Sunday was a bit ironic. Similar to the Super Bowl later that evening, there were two renowned programs from different leagues, going at it with bragging rights on the line. The tigers won the bragging rights in this Super Sunday tradition, a 62-48 victory over the Boxers on an unusually sunny Sunday afternoon.

Just like the Packers, the Tigers (11-4) started the game off with a bang by going on a 19-4 run in the first seven minutes of the game. Freshman Aaron Falzon -- who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, along with three 3-pointers -- was the key to this run as he scored 8 quick points on various post moves and outside shots.

“When he hits shots, his confidence skyrockets. We are really good when he starts hitting shots.” Newton North point guard Mike Thorpe said.

Thorpe was also a vital contributor, as he nearly had a double-double with 9 points and 10 assists. He had no issues with Brockton’s trapping zone defense, which changed from a half court press to a full court press often.

“We stayed disciplined and didn’t get flustered by their pressure,” Newton North junior wing Luke Westman said. “I think it is huge for our momentum. Beating a quicker and more athletic team is good for our confidence.”

“They were kind of throwing a 1-3-1 on us.” Newton North head coach Paul Connolly said. “It was all about the angles and the diagonal passes for us. The kids kept asking, ‘What are we running?’ and I kept telling them, ‘We aren’t running anything! We are playing basketball.’ That’s the funny thing about coaching. You are on the sidelines, but the guys are out there making the plays and we did that. We made enough plays to win.”

At halftime, it looked like the Tigers were a lock to win at 33-16, but Brockton (9-4) did not cave in. Captain Treace Macklin, Jamal Reuben, and 6-foot-6 forward Sayvonn Houston each picked up the intensity level, starting off the half with an 8-2 run. The Boxers had to deal with one of their senior leaders Alain Lenord missing the game with a sprained knee, which allowed for Jaylen Blakely (16 points) and Shane Sims (8 points) to get more looks. Their efforts, however, were not enough for a comeback.

“I think that [the snow days] are hurting everybody but Newton hadn’t practiced either and they played pretty well,” Brockton coach Bob Boen said. “We haven’t had practice in six or seven days. My players were excited and telling me they didn’t need practice after Friday’s win but after today’s game we’ll change that attitude.”

“We are what we are this year,” Connolly said. “After a tough loss Friday against Wellesley, we had a great practice yesterday and to come back today and get a win against a powerhouse team. It feels good to get that 'W' today.”

Don’t Sleep On These Guys

-- There were two juniors who were particularly impressive: Westman (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Houston (eight points, four rebounds). Both of their coaches seem to like what they bring to the table.

“[Luke] is terrific”, Connolly said Westman. “He is really cerebral out there and he’s a three-sport athlete. He’s all-league in volleyball, all-league in basketball, and all-league in soccer. He’s a terrific volleyball player. He made all-league as a freshman and all-scholastic in the Globe as a sophomore. He’s a kid who plays basketball for three months every year. He’s just a balanced athlete and a terrific kid. He’s a kid who could go to an Ivy League school and play either soccer or volleyball.”

“Sayvonn is big and strong,” Boen said of Houston. “He’s a bigger center than our starting center. He gets a lot of nice things done inside. He needs to finish a little more inside but that’s something that hurt us too today. We weren’t finishing lay ups particularly well. We only shot about 50 percent from lay ups I would say. Sayvonn gave us a lift though. He’s coming along.”

-- After losing to Wellesley on Friday, Connolly shed some light on the Division 2 South sleepers:

“We aren’t making excuses; they were just better than us the other night. They are senior-oriented. They are a good team. I could see them winning the Herget side of our division although there are a few more games left on that side. I think they’ll make a run in the tournament. They shoot the three well. They’ve had 12 threes in one game and 13 in another. They’ve had six or seven games where they’ve had double-digit three-pointers. They can really shoot the ball.”

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Inside the bowels of Blake Arena, Newton North coach Paul Connolly stood flanked by his most promising young player, joking how hard he can be on him.

There are times Connolly yells, there are times he stomps. He constantly demands more. Then he’ll yell and stomp again. Ruefully poking a rolled-up box score into Aaron Falzon’s stomach, Connolly smiled, recalling how he’s gotten under the freshman forward’s skin at times.

“And he just keeps working,” Connolly said. “He’s made me a better coach.”

No surprise, Falzon’s quickly making Newton North a better team.

His team on the verge of an upset at the Hoophall Classic, Falzon scored eight of his game-high 19 points in a span of 67 seconds in the fourth quarter Sunday, rallying Newton North past Springfield Central, 58-56, on the campus of Springfield College.

Luke Westman added 11 points for the Tigers (7-2), who played without their leading scorer, Mike Thorpe. The junior guard stayed home Sunday with flu-like symptoms, which left ball-handling duties against the pressing Golden Eagles to Westman, among others, and the scoring load on whoever wanted it.

Falzon filled the void. The freshman shot 8-of-12 from the field, grabbed five rebounds and when needed, muscled up inside, a major area of improvement for a 6-foot-8 player Connolly said “would love to just go out and shoot 3-pointers all day.”

He got the chance later Sunday in the Hoophall’s 3-point contest. Beforehand, he did his work inside, scooping in four lay-ups -- two on designed inbounds plays -- to turn a 50-46 deficit with 2:01 to play into a 54-50 lead Newton North rode to the win.

“Obviously it’s a big stage,” Falzon said. “I wanted to do well. [But] it just fell that way. My teammates found me on fast breaks, down low. It just came all together.”

So is Falzon’s game. Blessed with size but still building muscle, Falzon has floated in and out of the starting lineup as the Tigers have battled sickness and injury, most notably to Falzon’s brother, senior Tevin, who hasn’t played yet due to a wrist injury. He’s scheduled to return in early February, but in the meantime, Aaron has risen into a reliable player, averaging around eight points per game.

That was until Sunday, when he became the go-to option with the Golden Eagles buzzing around to the tune of 23 forced turnovers. Down by as many as 11 points in the third, Springfield Central turned up the pressure, gradually cutting into Newton North’s lead before exploding for 12 unanswered points bridging the third and fourth.

Now down, 44-39, midway through the final period, Newton North responded with its own 6-0 run before giving up four straight themselves. Falzon responded, taking a nice feed over the top from Korey Mui (10 points), banking in two inbounds passes and finishing a press-breaker with an easy lay-up with 54 seconds to play.

“He’s definitely exceeding at least my expectations,” Westman said of Falzon. “He stretches out the defense from other teams. He’s a big guy so we look for him inside, but he’s tough to guard from other teams. He can open up a lot for the other players.”

Springfield Central hit two late threes, but they were meaningless after Newton North iced the game at the line.

“He’s going to be a good one,” Springfield Central coach Mike Labrie said of Falzon. “I thought we did a good job on their perimeter game. In fact, they had no threes in the second half. However, they ended up beating us inside. … I think that killed us. The biggest factor was the size [difference], other than the foul discrepancies, 26-12.”

For Newton North -- ranked 17th in ESPN Boston’s MIAA poll -- the victory is a sign it’s turning the corner. Long accustomed to being a force in the Bay State Carey and a regional Massachusetts power, the Tigers returned just four players from last season and have spent the last two months trying to meld a young team together.

It seems to be working, thanks to the times they’ve survived adversity (like Sunday) -- and their own practices.

“These guys will tell you, I’m not easy to play for,” Connolly said. “When we get out of practice and we’re hanging out, I can be fun to be around. But for those two hours, I can be tough on them.”

As he said that, Falzon nodded with a smile.

“He asks a lot out of me,” he said. “I’ve played hard before but not like this. This is the hardest I’ve ever played.”

WEYMOUTH, Mass. -- Against Bay State Carey royalty, Jared Terrell climbed upon a mound of whistles, steals and dunks to assume his thrown. The Weymouth boys' basketball team is making a case for its own.

Amid a rash of Newton North turnovers, Terrell exploded for a series of gymnasium-shaking dunks to rally the Wildcats on Tuesday, before they held on at the free throw line for a crucial 56-51 victory.

The dynamic sophomore scored 16 points, including eight in the span of two minutes in the fourth quarter. In that time, he made four steals, helping turn what was a 37-34 Tigers lead at the beginning of the period into a 47-41 Weymouth advantage with 5:08 to play.

Streaking, flying and dunking amid deafening cheers, Terrell continued to establish himself as one of the state’s most exciting second-year players -- and Weymouth (8-0) as a strong candidate to end Newton North’s streak of eight straight Carey titles.

“Jared’s just a freakish athlete,” Weymouth coach Jim Dolan said. “We needed him to step up, make a couple steals and finish, and he did that.”

It was a rare win for Weymouth, ranked 12th in ESPN Boston’s MIAA poll, over its divisional rivals. Dolan said it was just the second time in his eight years coaching the Wildcats that he’s beaten Newton North (5-2), during which the Tigers, currently ranked 17th by ESPN Boston, found no equal in the Carey division.

But after surviving several scoring bursts by Newton North’s Michael Thorpe (23 points, seven rebounds), the Wildcats switched to an aggressive 1-3-1 half court trap -- dubbed “Rebel” by Dolan -- to force the Tigers into 10 fourth-quarter turnovers and 21 for the game.

It came after a brilliant third quarter in which Thorpe nearly outscored the Wildcats by himself, 10-11, and had Newton North up by as many as five points. Then Terrell hit, changing the game in a flurry of transition baskets.

“Just a couple of those breakouts,” Newton North coach Paul Connolly said. “I mean, Jared Terrell shooting a dunk is a very high percentage shot. When you give up those little runs in a one-possession game, those are huge plays.”

They were ones Weymouth was waiting on. Having broken 70 points four times -- and 80 twice -- already this season, the Wildcats don’t enjoy life in low-scoring affairs. Creating baskets often starts with their defense. Terrell’s making a habit of finishing them.

“The whole game, we’re just trying to push it, fast paced, and they slowed it down a little bit in the third quarter,” Terrell said of Newton North. “But then in the fourth, we picked it up a little bit, started playing our game instead of theirs.”

Terrell, of course, had help. Jon Perez added 10 points, Damian Lugay grabbed 11 boards and Khary Bailey-Smith hit six of his final eight free throws -- all in the final two minutes -- to push his point total to 10.

“We just had to play ‘D’,” Perez said, “and that’s what we did.”

It helped erase big nights from Newton North’s Luke Westman (11 points, eight boards) and freshman Aaron Falzon, who was bloodied by an elbow to his left eye but returned to total 10 points and seven rebounds.

But in the end, the Tigers went as Thorpe did. Weymouth held him to a free throw in the fourth quarter.

“He got a little tired,” Connolly said. “Keep playing, you’re not coming out, I’m sorry. He’s a First Team all-league player, they have some kids in there, trying to get in his head, talking trash to him. But he had none of it and just battled and played. It’s just a tough ending.”

It may be the beginning of change in the Bay State Carey.

“Hey, this is their year to maybe win the league,” Connolly said. “We’ll see. They have a senior-oriented team, they’re good, they’re tough. We’ll keep going, though. My guys will be back.”

ODDS AND ENDS

-- After the game, Connolly raved about Falzon, a promising forward who can shoot from the outside and is learning how to body up in the paint.

“I’ve been on him, I’ve been riding him,” Connolly said. “I know all the prep schools are on him, and they’re feeding him a bunch of [non-sense] about going here, doing this. To be honest with you, I can care less about that. That kid has never worked so hard in his life playing the game of basketball and learning the game of basketball, learning how to play the right way. Once he gets the athletic piece, once he gets a little more bounce, he’s going to be really, really, really good.”

Connolly then referenced Terrell, who’s well-built for his size and has the athleticism to easily thrown down transition dunks.

“And Aaron doesn’t have that bounce yet,” Connolly said. “That’s the separation. That’s why they talk about Jared Terrell as a Division-I athlete. … [But] I think the sky’s the limit for Aaron.”

-- Dolan didn’t want to look too far ahead regarding his team’s chances to win the division despite Tuesday’s win. He instead cautioned that his team needs to stay in the moment.

Unfortunately, that also likely means no practice Wednesday with heavy snow expected to hit the area.

“We want to get better every day,” Dolan said. “It happened to be Newton North tonight. I think we got better, got some defensive stops. It’s a win in the Bay State league. They’re tough to come by.”

The Second Annual Bay State Catholic Conference Challenge took place Saturday at DeFazio Field in Needham. And, for the second season in a row, the Bay State Conference came out undefeated.

The 1 p.m. kickoffs had two intriguing matchup’s with Bay State Carey Leaders Weymouth (6-1-2 overall) taking on Catholic Conference leaders St. John’s Prep (5-1-2 overall), also the Defending D-1 State Champs Catholic Memorial (2-2-2 overall) matching up with the Braintree Wamps (3-2-4).

The first half hour between Weymouth and St. John's Prep saw little scoring chances, but that changed with 11:04 remaining in the first half when the Wildcats began to apply some serious pressure. Senior captain Zak Stuart worked his way to the end line and delivered a cross towards Akere Tambi, but St. John’s goaltender Adam Collea was in a good position and punched the cross away from Tambi.

But Collea was helpless one minute later on a Wildcats corner, which wasn’t headed away from danger. Weymouth junior TJ Butler volleyed the second ball straight into the side netting so sweetly that no keeper in the state would have saved it.

“It was pretty good, one of my top ones," Butler said of the goal after the match, “I felt like I got pretty lucky there, it just popped out and I put it in.”

Butler had another strike moments later sail just over the bar. Weymouth took a 1-0 lead into the half.

The Eagles had their two best chances in the final 11 minutes of the game. The referee awarded an indirect free kick inside the penalty box to St. John’s, which Deklan Robinson struck into Weymouth’s wall. In stoppage time, Jake Gourdeau had a free header from the penalty spot, which sailed over the bar.

Weymouth won by the final of 1-0 improving to 7-1-2 while St. John’s Prep fell to 5-2-2.

Catholic Memorial found themselves ahead after just two minutes thanks to Owen Carroll, who finished from just outside the six-yard box. Braintree tied the game up 11 minutes later off of a long throw in and the teams went into the half tied at one. And while CM had the run of play from the moment Braintree scored at was the Wamps who went in front for good with a half an hour to go after Rob Ross found Jared Rizzo streaking in and Rizzo finished low far post.

“We didn’t start too well, but we finished well,” Rizzo said. "I think we’re starting to pick it up and will put a little run together.”

There were three games at three o’clock, and on paper No. 10 Brookline verses BC High seemed like it would provide the most excitement. BC High got on the score sheet first when Yago Tome scored with 2:24 remaining in the first half sending the Eagles into the break with the one-goal edge.

Senior forward Pietro Gaudiano put the Warriors back on level terms with just 16:03 remaining in regulation, and for the second season in a row the two teams played to a 1-1 draw. The Warriors (now 5-1-3 overall) are on their worst run of the season with a loss and two draws in their last three games, while the draw was the fifth of the season for the Eagles who move to 1-1-5.

Newton North picked up their second win of the season over Malden Catholic (2-3-1), ending the Lancers two game winning streak. Sophomore Michael Kaye and junior Luke Westman were on target for the Tigers (2-4-3) in a game that head coach Roy Dow thinks is a big step forward for his team.

“I think this is our first game where we really played well for 80 minutes," Dow said.

And it was just the second clean sheet of the season for Newton North. “In the back we were winning everything, our guys have adopted the mentality if it’s in the air coming to our back line to win it in the air, so that really helped us today.”

Needham versus Xaverian rounded out the three o’clock contests with the Rockets picking up a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from junior Quinton Pangier and sophomore Mac Steeves. It was the first goals of the season for both players, but for Steeves it was a long time coming after having three goals called back in 2010 by referees decisions.

Steeves is no stranger to scoring, having scored eight goals as a freshman. But he admits it was good to get off the mark this year.

“It actually felt really good, hoping to score a few more this season and pick up a few more wins,” Steeves said.

The Rockets are 3-4-1 after the game while Xaverian is still in search of their first victory at 0-5-3.

The challenge moved from four games to five this season, and will become a regular fixture for all the teams involved.

“This tournament is going to go on from year to year, everyone seems to like it” Needham head coach Don Brock said. “We try to do this in the middle of the year to give it a tournament flavor and it’s been well received so far.”

The Bay State Conference leads the Catholic Conference in this particular challenge 7-0-2 which started in 2009.