Newton North discovers plenty in reserve to handle Brookline
The top-ranked Newton North boys' basketball team encountered a bump on the road last night but survived a first-half jolt from Bay State League rival Brookline en route to a 50-37 victory.
The Tigers (12-0) started sluggishly and were down, 10-6, six minutes into the game.
A slight ankle injury to guard Anthony Gurley compounded the Tigers' slow start. But coach Paul Connolly substituted for the starting five and the reserves responded, going on a 12-2 run.
''I was really disappointed with our effort in the first half," Connolly said. ''But I challenged our three seniors Anthony, Corey [Lowe] and Jason [Riffe] at halftime and I was pleased with how they responded."
The Tigers opened the second half by stretching their lead to 40-25 with 10 minutes to play. But behind the play of Darren Martinez (9 points, 4 assists), Brookline cut the deficit to 43-35 with 4:15 remaining.
Enter sixth man Brandon Stephens. He nailed a 3-pointer -- on his way to a team-high 12 points -- on the next possession, effectively ending Brookline's challenge. Gurley and Lowe each chipped in 11 points.
Bay State: Senior Danny Druker (19 points) drained four 3-pointers to lead Framingham (5-7) to a 56-51 upset over Braintree (9-2) . . . Sixth-ranked Dedham improved to 14-0 with a 57-38 decision over rival Natick.
Big Three: Brian Rudolph scored 27 points as New Bedford defeated Brockton, 86-78, to snap a three-game losing streak.
Boston South: In his first varsity game, West Roxbury freshman Gerard Coleman scored 21 points and had six rebounds in the Raiders' 68-55 win over New Mission.
Catholic Central: Sophomore Rickey Titus hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left to preserve No. 12 Archbishop Williams's 54-52 victory over Cardinal Spellman. The Bishops' James Marcellus led all scorers with 23 points . . . Dan Quahrollin (22 points, 15 rebounds), C.J. Francis (17 points, 4 assists) and Hector Cintron (16 points, 8 assists) led North Cambridge Catholic to a 71-64 win over Matignon.
Middlesex: Lexington remained undefeated in league play with a 60-58 win over Belmont. Tom Henneberry had 19 points for the seventh-ranked Minutemen (13-1, 12-0).
Nonleague: Shawsheen sophomore Joe Gore (14 points) hit a 12-footer as time expired to lift the Rams to a 46-44 win over Manchester-Essex.
Girls' basketball
Bay State: Sixth-ranked Braintree (12-0) got 17 points from Mary MacDonald in a 55-31 win over Framingham.
Catholic Central: Savio Prep won its fourth straight, a 69-46 victory over St. Clement's. Sophomore Amanda McCarthy led the Spartans (9-4) with 21 points and six assists and guard Ashley Miller added 10 points and five assists.
Dual County: Senior guards Emma Santangelo (21 points) and Jenna Mackay (19) combined for 40 points in Wayland's 62-46 victory over Concord-Carlisle.
Middlesex: Belmont (4-8) upset No. 12 Lexington (9-3), 51-43. Belmont's Lauren Yanofsky scored 29 points and became the school's all-time leading rebounder (773).
Football
BB&N quarterback Adam Farkes will attend the University of Maine in the fall. Farkes, the co-MVP of the Independent School League, scored 19 touchdowns and led BB&N to a 5-3 record.
Globe correspondent Jared Pendak contributed to this report. 
