Durfee and Taunton boys basketball to meet again in 'Skip' Karam tournament final

FALL RIVER — The Durfee and Taunton High boys basketball teams will meet again in a rematch final.

The Hilltoppers and Tigers get set to clash for the second straight year on Thursday after winning both of their respective opening-round games in the 2022 Thomas "Skip" Karam holiday tournament at B.M.C. Durfee High School.

Taunton (4-0) pulled out a last-minute win over Dartmouth in the earlier game, while Durfee (3-1) won convincingly in the nightcap over Brighton.

Last season, the Hilltoppers upset the Tigers, 77-72.

Here's a recap of Wednesday's opening-round games:

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Taunton 61, Dartmouth 57

In the battle of unbeaten teams, Division II Dartmouth gave Division I Taunton all it could handle throughout the game. Dartmouth led for much of the way despite losing its first game of the season.

"I thought we played hard," head coach Nick Simonetti said. "Turnovers and missed free throws, that's the game right there. If we cut that in half, it's a game right there."

Dartmouth (5-1) rode the shoulders of junior center Hunter Matteson, who scored a game-high 32 points. But he was held to just one field goal in the fourth quarter, thanks to the swarming defense of the Tigers.

"We were working hard on the defensive end and a little bit of discipline on the offensive end," Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey said. "We knew we could penetrate, and it took the kids long to figure it out. Once we did that, it was our offense. It was pretty impressive with a bunch of kids who worked together."

Junior guard Troy Santos, who scored a career-high 44 points in the first game of the season, poured in a team-high 17 points, including 13 in the second half.

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"Al [Morisseau] and Chris [Volcy] stepped up big time," Santos said. "That won us the game tonight. My shot wasn't falling, but I'm not worried about it."

Dartmouth led after one quarter, 14-13, before the Tigers regained the lead and went into the locker rooms with a 27-23 lead. In the third quarter, Dartmouth took the lead 45-39 heading into the fourth quarter.

Besides Santos, Taunton had a balanced scoring attack led by Tyson Carter, who finished with 14 points. Chris Perault and Jakari Innocent each recorded nine points, while Morisseau ended with seven points.

Aiden Smith finished in double figures for Dartmouth with 13 points.

Durfee 90, Brighton 41

The Hilltoppers led from start to finish against the Bengals in the second game. Brighton had its only lead (3-2) of the game on a three-pointer by Habaab Hessien.

Durfee took a 25-3 lead after one quarter and took a 48-16 lead into the locker rooms. The lead climbed to 40 points midway early in the fourth quarter.

Jeyden Espinal scored a game-high 25 points, including 18 in the first half. Avonte Lamore finished with 11 points while Devontae Stewart added 10 points. Overall, 14 different players hit the scoring column for the Hilltoppers in the victory.

Hessien led Brighton with a team-high 23 points.

The holiday tournament is named after former Hilltopper great Thomas "Skip" Karam. A Massachusetts Hall of Fame coach, Karam endured a remarkable career on the Durfee bench. The longtime head coach amassed 659 wins over a span of 36 years, with a winning percentage of 85%.

A re-dedication of the basketball court last season renamed it the Thomas “Skip” Karam Basketball Court.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: 'Skip' Karam tournament sees Durfee, Taunton boys basketball rematch