BROCKTON - The relentless trading of haymakers between the BC High and Brockton boys basketball teams ended with a decisive knock-out punch that silenced a once-electric frenzy of fans - at the home of the Boxers, no less.

Looking to complete a double-digit comeback effort, Brockton's Cameron Monteiro aggressively drove down the lane, absorbed the contact en route to a layup that rattled its way to knotting the score at 71 with nine seconds remaining in overtime.

Without a timeout to settle the pace, BC High's Mahari Guerrier was in the right position under the net to rebound a miss from Mike Loughnane to score the game-winning basket as time expired.

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“I’m too old for this,” BC High coach Bill Loughnane joked.

The Monteiro/Guerrier game-deciding scenario was preluded by additional late-game heroics by Monteiro. The sophomore guard retreated to receive the ball at half court, scrambled to the top of the key and flirted with a costly turnover, only to flip a one-legged runner from just inside the 3-point arc to set up the eventual overtime frame at 62 points apiece.

“Honestly, we were trying to get some type of ball screen. They fumbled the ball, but Cam’s a returning varsity player. He’s only a sophomore and he’s only going to get better," said Brockton head coach Emanuel DeBarros. "He has nerves of steel - I call him IceMan because he was fantastic in terms of being ready for the biggest moment. He stepped up big for us.”

Monteiro finished with 19 points, eight of which coming in the fourth quarter. 

“That was a fun game, it really was. I thought the first half, the flow, the kids were going up and down," said Bill Loughnane. "I think both teams picked it up a lot defensively, even though we both scored some points. I think every basket for both teams - you had to earn the points."

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Speaking of which, Mike Loughnane finished with a game-high 33 points to lead BC High in the win and he scored in a variety of ways, serving as the team's fire extinguisher during times Brockton's defense secured coveted stops. The senior skied for three dunks over the course of the night, one of which to punch home a loud lob during the Eagles' standout first quarter.

Brockton's Dajon Burton - who also hit three 3-pointers - accepted the defensive assignment on Loughnane and forced one of the state's premier players into difficult shots.

“It was tough," Mike Loughnane said of Burton's defense. "He’s a big, physical guard. He’s quick so he was able to get into me and I wasn’t able to get by him easily. I really had to work for every point. He’s tough to score on, for sure.”

“To try to go against him, it’s a large feat,” said DeBarros of Loughnane, who averaged 21.9 points per game last season. “He had to earn it and honestly, that’s all we wanted to do. And when you’re that good of a player and you earn it, hats off to you."

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The Eagles took off to such a quick start (19-6 at the end of the first quarter) in large part to the energy of their surrounding cast. The step-back jumpers and transition lay-ins of senior Greg Cooper amounted to 23 points and Guerrier, also a senior, finished with 14. Senior Will Doyle's 16 rebounds and 8 blocks solidified the paint.

“We tell guys - if you’re open you’ve got to shoot it. Tonight, I thought Greg was really good," said Bill Loughnane. "The 3-pointer he hit (in overtime) was clutch. Mike can score. Mahari does a little bit of everything. He rebounds, plays great defense, offensive rebounds which are huge," he said with the game-winner in mind.

Mike Loughnane assessed the production from Cooper, his backcourt mate: “It’s huge. He brings so much energy, he’s so athletic. He makes it tough for people on defense and then he can turn it around so quick and play offense. He really picked us up when our offense was kind of stagnant with his energy and that’s what he does well. It’s really helpful.”

As for the Boxers, the loss reluctantly rolls in as the team's second in a row by a narrow two-point margin. Brockton lost its season-opener to Dracut, 70-68 on Monday.

“We’re still building. We’ve got a lot of new guys so we’re just trying to gel," said DeBarros. "These guys are really a great group of men who are trying to learn."

"Today, you saw that, they’re building together," DeBarros added. "So, tough loss, but I told them I’m very proud of them because of the way they competed. That’s all we want, just to compete. You win with class, you lose with class and that’s all that matters.”