Newton North KO's Taunton

The best remedy for a tough shooting night is to get to the foul line.

That's exactly what Newton North's Anthony Gurley did in lifting his team to a 67-53 win over Taunton in the Division 1 South Sectional basketball semifinals last night in Brockton.

"One of our philosophies is more makes than the other team takes and tonight we got to the foul line," said Newton North coach Paul Connolly.

North led throughout the first half but Taunton fought back and finally got a lead, up by as many as 5 points with 10 minutes left in the game.

But Gurley (15 points) started making free throws (10 of 12) and Corey Lowe picked up the scoring slack.

The junior point guard scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half.

"Corey stepped up and made some big shots," said Connolly.

The game turned for North during a decisive 25-9 run that gave it a 57-46 lead thanks to some tenacious defense.

"I challenged the kids at halftime," said Connolly. "Defensively, we stepped up in the second half and shut them down."

The anticipated showdown between Newton North and New Bedford, the top two teams in Division 1 South, will take place Saturday at UMass-Boston. Newton North will be playing in its first Sectional final.

"It's a great day for Newton North basketball," said Connolly.

Division 1 North: Acton-Boxboro's Kyle Jackson scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 47-44 win over Cambridge Rindge & Latin.

Division 2 South: Catholic Memorial was led by Herb Tanner and Chris Donald, who scored 17 points each in a 76-62 victory over Norwood.

Division 3 North: Junior guard Max Kerman netted 26 points to keep Watertown (22-0) undefeated following its 80-72 win over Arlington Catholic in Chelsea . . . Lynn Tech was steady in beating Pentucket, 61-52, behind senior Corey Bingham's 14 points.

Division 4 North: Jim Young's offensive rebound and layup at the buzzer sent the game into overtime, and his two free throws with seven seconds left sealed Minuteman's thrilling 90-87 victory over Pope John. Guard Brian Benson (39 points, eight 3-pointers) missed a trey at the buzzer in a strong effort for Pope John. Peter Giannikopoulous added 26 for Pope John. Dave Santos scored 31 to lead Minuteman. Young, a 6-foot-5-inch senior center, missed six weeks before returning for the start of the tournament.

Hockey

Division 1 North: Burlington beat St. Bernard's, 5-2, in Chelmsford behind sophomore Bryan Snowdgrass's 25 saves.

Globe correspondents Jeff Powalisz and Cary Shuman contributed to this report; information from athletic directors, coaches, and their assistants was also used.