Mansfield Boys Defeat North Attleboro in Overtime

Competing in one of the toughest divisions in the state, there are no easy games in the Hockomock League’s Large School Division.

So it was fitting that the boys’ basketball team needed a terrific game-ending surge to earn at least a share of the Large School Division crown with a hard-fought 57-50 win in overtime against rival North Attleboro on Sunday afternoon at the James Albertini Memorial Gymnasium.

The win was the 10th straight for the Hornets, who have already earned a berth in the MIAA Division 1 South Sectional Tournament.

Mansfield sits atop the Large School Division with a 14-2 overall record, along with a perfect 11-0 league mark and a 6-0 division record. Franklin is second with a 12-3 overall record, a 7-2 league mark and a 2-2 division record.

The loss eliminated North Attleboro from division-title contention, dropping the Rocketeers to 9-6 overall, 7-4 in the division and 4-2 in the division.

Attleboro is fourth at 12-3 overall, 7-3 in the league and 1-4 in the division, while King Philip is fifth at 9-6 overall, 4-6 in the league and 0-5 in the division.

The Hornets will travel to Scituate for a non-league contest tonight at 6:30 p.m. Following a league bye on Tuesday night, Mansfield will attempt to win the division crown outright when the team hosts a talented Bombardier squad on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Albertini Gymnasium.

The Hornets captured its first league championship in 50 years last winter and will be looking to garner the inaugural Large School Division title with a win on Friday night.

On Sunday afternoon, the Hornets were trailing by seven points, 48-41, with less than three minutes remaining in the game. But the locals went on a 16-2 run through the remainder of regulation and overtime to knock off their rivals.

Mansfield scored the final seven points of regulation to pull into a 48-48 deadlock and force the extra session. Given a second life, the Hornets dominated the overtime, outscoring the Rocketeers 9-2 for the victory.

As always, it was tough battle between Mansfield and North Attleboro on Sunday. The visiting Rocketeers took a slim 10-9 lead after the first quarter and then outscored the Hornets 13-10 in the second quarter to take a four-point lead at the break, 23-19.

Trailing 10-6, Mansfield scored the final three points of the first and the first seven points of the second to open up a six-point lead at 16-10. But North Attleboro would respond in the latter stages of the first half. The Hornets were ahead 19-12, but the Rocketeers scored the final 11 points of the quarter to take their four-point lead at the break.

The third quarter went back and forth with Mansfield closing the gap to two at 34-32 after outscoring North Attleboro 13-11 in the third. The Hornets once again responded to a Rocketeer run in the third with one of its own. With North holding a 32-25 advantage, the hosts went on a 7-0 surge to tie the game at 32-32. The visitors scored the final two points of the period to take a 34-32 lead into the fourth.

The Rocketeers used a 14-9 run to open up their seven-point advantage at 48-41 before the Hornets turned the game around by scoring the final seven points of regulation.

Senior captain Michael Lofton continues to round into postseason form, collecting a double-double for the Hornets on Sunday with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Brian Hershman contributed 11 points, including three three-pointers.

Senior forward Chris Johnson also continued his fine play, coming close to a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Kevin Conner came off the bench to score 11 points for Mansfield on Sunday.