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# Boykin's buzzer beater gives Nashua North boys basketball win over Nashua South
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/boykins-buzzer-beater-gives-nashua-north-boys-basketball-win-nashua-south/
- Published: 2017-01-28T15:02:19.000Z
- Updated: 2017-01-28T15:02:19.000Z
- Description: There were a handful of options for the Nashua High School North boys basketball to try to get a win in regulation Friday night.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, boys basketball, Nashua North, Nashua South, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

NASHUA - There were a handful of options for the Nashua High School North boys basketball to try to get a win in regulation Friday night.

There just wasn't a whole lot of time. Fortunately, for the Titans, Skye Boykin had the ball in his hands.

With 5.5 seconds to go in a tie game against Nashua South, the North junior raced the length of the floor and delivered a game-winning layup with six-tenths of second remaining to give the Titans a 57-55 win in a Division I game.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/jmnnnsbball012717-n23s11-1.jpg)

Nashua South's Kevin Genao goes to the basket as Nashua North's Sean Dezurick defends.

"Just push it up the floor," Boykin said. "We had a couple of shooters open, but I knew I could make the shot bringing it to the rim. That's what I did. It felt good. I didn't see the ball go in, but once I heard the crowd screaming, I knew."

The basket came after South's Richie Mercado had tied the game at 55 by making one of two free throws, as the lead changed hands three times in the game's final 35 seconds in front of a packed Belanger Gymnasium at South.

"This is an atmosphere that every kid should enjoy, every fan should enjoy and every coach should enjoy," North coach Steve Lane said. "The first look for Casey (Lane) was to go deep and that wasn't open. He got it to Skye and with 5.5 seconds left, that's plenty of time. Skye is a quick kid to get the length of the floor. That's a shot the kid is going to remember for the rest of his life."

While Boykin made the game-winner and finished with 12 points, it was Alonzo Linton who took over offensively in the second hald for the Titans (3-5), as he scored 19 of his game-high 25 points after halftime. CJ Barrett added nine points on three 3-pointers for North.

Mercado led the Panthers (4-4) with 17 points, as he scored the team's final eight points, including two 3s in the final 2:41\. The first one cut North's lead to 52-50, the second gave South a 54-53 lead with 34.3 seconds left, but Linton answered that hoop immediately with a basket of his own.

"We gave them 5.5 seconds to many," South coach Nate Mazerolle said. "It was a great basketball game, great finish at the end. I thought it was exactly what you want in a rivalry game.

"Keep them in front (on the final play), and what we talked about is that we never want to get beaten with strong hand drives. As I told them, a learning point, he went right down the floor with his right hand. He's very quick, so it's easier said than done, but we wanted to keep them in front and slow the ball down and not foul. He made a good move. We were there, he made a nice finish."

Kevin Genao added 16 points for South while Max Osgood was also in double figures with 12 points, as the Panthers had an eight-point lead in the third quarter and went up nine in the opening seconds of the fourth.

But both times, the Panthers couldn't make a play to get the lead to double digits, and the Titans responded to get back into the game. A basket by Genao made it 47-38 South just 10 seconds into the fourth, but Linton answered at the other end with a three-point play.

That started North on a 14-0 run that saw South go without a point for more than five minutes.

"The comeback, as far as that goes, I don't think the kids know anything else," Lane said. "They just know how to play hard and hopefully good things happen."