Brockton — Brockton’s Cam Monteiro and Hingham’s Liam McBride have a lot in common.
Both have captained their high school basketball teams as ball handlers and both can shoot quality shots from anywhere.
So when the two elite talents went head to head on the same court Wednesday night at Brockton High School, both brought A-games, but Monteiro’s boxer survived to beat the final buzzer, 64-. You’ve won thrillers up to 62.
Speaking of similarities, both Monteiro and McBride led their respective teams with 18 points (Monteiro added 5 rebounds and 4 assists, McBride added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks).
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Hingham head coach Bob Kniffen said, “I think it’s a matchup that everyone has been eyeing.” “They ended up on the stats sheet pretty much equally. They both had their own looks…as good a matchup as high school basketball.”
“I think (Monteiro) is the top player in the state and I think Liam is the top player in the state and I think they both showed that tonight,” added Kniffen.
Monteiro extended Brockton’s lead to 61-55 with a right-handed flashbreak layup with two minutes remaining. Sophomore Blacten got a chance when his Baker planted a steal, but Hingham hit back with his 7–0 run. short time with a free throw attempt and his one technical foul on Brockton).
The rally was capped off with senior guard Nick Dubois popping off the dribble and a mid-range hit aided by a pair of screens at the top of the key. Haberman put him in the lead 62-61 with 1:26 remaining.
But it was Monteiro who gave Brockton the final rally. The junior guard broke through the Hingham Zone defense and inside the paint senior forward Dominic He dropped off his pass to Hopkins to put the Boxers ahead of him 63–62 with 45 seconds remaining. It was Hopkins’ first field goal of the night.
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“It was a really rough game at the start. I couldn’t drop anything,” said Hopkins, who made an all-around impact with four points, three rebounds and three assists despite one basket. You’ve finally got what’s most important to motivate us and come out victorious, so take it. ”
“Dom is great. He’s one of those guys, a real student-athlete. He’s a great kid – great in the classroom and in the locker room,” said Brockton head coach Manny Devalos. “I was really happy for him. I’m so happy that made the basket, and we trust each other.He didn’t have the best game, but Kam gave him a pass.
After two possessions, Monteiro (along with Baker) trapped McBride at half court and forced a turnover with an active hand to seal the win.
All night, Monteiro tied McBride’s defensive duties, with McBride scoring seven points in the second half to keep Hingham in the mix for the second half.
“It was really hard,” Monteiro explained of the task. He ran through the screen and was open. It was a tough assignment. He’s definitely a tough player.”
One of McBride’s most impressive moves came late in the second quarter when he moved into the left corner and two Brockton High defenders flew out to contest a 3-point attempt. But instead of lifting from deep, McBride attacked his baseline, keeping it away from the oncoming defense and gently lifting his finger when touched. Andwan led Hingham to within 1 of 31-30 with 45 seconds remaining.
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“Liam is a great player,” Devalos said. “Kudos to him. He is such a great player and shooter, so we had to focus a lot on him. I said to Cam – ‘Mano Imano, That’s your man.” Honestly, it was a great duel. ”
Monteiro shot on the right side in the first quarter and hit a 3-pointer from the left on Brockton’s first possession. With 7 points in the quarter and 11 points in the first half, it was just one basket.
Rounding out Brockton’s scoring run, Baker had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win, followed by 6-foot-8 freshman Chidi Nuwos Chidibele with nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocks off the bench. debut. Senior forward John Francois had 7 points and 7 rebounds.
For Hingham, senior forward Conor McCann had 15 points and five rebounds, junior guard Chase Melo had 12 points, and senior forward Eddie Lochte had seven points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“That’s the top team we played against,” Kniffen praised Brockton. Brockton won the match last year as well, he won by a margin of 73-69. “We are happy with our team. I think having the chance to play against a top 10 team early in the season will be beneficial and give us an opportunity to show where we are so far. .”
“Honestly, they really wanted to win their first game at home, so I’m really happy for them,” Devalos said. “We made it tighter than it needed to be. But as you know, Hingham is a really good team. Thanks to them and their coaching staff, they fought all the way. At first I felt a sense of déjà vu, but the guys have been talking about it all summer, so I have to finish and be mentally strong.”
“At the end of the day, the only thing that matters to me is winning,” Hopkins said. ) last year – hopefully we keep it running. ”
Brockton will next travel to Dorchester for a marquee meeting with BC High at 1pm on Saturday, while Hingham will return for the Patriot League game at Marshfield on Friday at 6:30pm.
“It really doesn’t stop. The trials are real,” Devalos said of the demanding schedule.