NASHUA – Points have been hard to come by on some nights for the Nashua High School North boys basketball team.

Monday was not one of those nights.

For the second straight game, the Titans set a season high in points, and this time only needed regulation to do it. Unfortunately for North, Manchester Memorial scored a few more, as the Crusaders left the Gate City with a 93-83 win.

Jordan Lates had a game-high 39 points, making five of his 13 field goals from behind the arc while shooting 8 of 9 from the line. Matt Lavallee added 12 points, but no other Titan (5-11) was in double figures.

Trevon Maughn led Memorial (7-9), scoring 28 points, including 11 field goals, while Kabongo Ngalukukondi had 22 points and Malo Roumraj (13 points), Wade Gop (12) and Craig Preston (10) were all in double figures.

“If you were going to tell me we would score 83 points, I’d think we have a pretty good chance,” North coach Steve Lanes said. “We had a tough time guarding them. Their quickness and strength neutralized any of our chances to guard them on a one-on-one basis.

“We had to get helter skelter and pick up the tempo and they kept getting easy bucket after easy bucket. We weren’t very sharp defensively by any means, which led to giving up what seems like a thousand points in transition.”

The two teams combined for 66 field goals – just 13 of those from behind the 3-point line – and Memorial was 20 of 32 from the line. For the Crusaders, it was the fifth time this season they’ve scored more than 80 points in game, but for the Titans, it was just the fifth time they’ve scored more than 60 and almost 30 points above their season average.

“We’ve been working on our offensive efficiency quite a bit over the last month,” Lane said. “I tend to stress defense a lot and they aren’t always happy with me. We’ve had some troubles scoring the basketball. We had to take a different approach to how we attacked the rim and they’ve done a nice job attacking the rim with the dribble.”

But it was more of the same earlier, as North had just two points after the game’s first 4:30. The Titans trailed 10-2 at that point, but went on a 13-5 run to tie the game at 15 on a 3 by Lates early in the second.

Memorial answered with an 8-0 run, and after North cut the lead to four a few times, the Crusaders closed the half on an 11-5 run to make it a 36-26 game at the break.

The Crusaders led by as many as 16 in the third quarter, and by no less than 12, but North opened the fourth with a 12-6 run that made it a 68-61 game with 5:38 left to play. The Titans stayed in it, but every time it looked like they would close the gap, Memorial put together enough of a run to keep a comfortable lead.

“I don’t know how we got to 83,” Lane said. “We’re trying to run up and down, but their athletes just outdid us.”

North goes back to work Tuesday, when the Titans host Trinity in the last home game of the year. A win over the Pioneers (16-1) or against Alvirne (5-11) on Friday would guarantee the Titans of a playoff spot. If North loses both games, and Manchester West (4-12) wins one of its final two, the Titans will likely finish on the outside of the postseason picture.

“No guarantees,” Lane said. “One win and we’re in. If we don’t get any, West has a chance to pass us. I’m done trying to figure it out, we’ll just prepare for (Tuesday) and see if we can get a win.”

At Nashua

MANCHESTER MEMORIAL (93)

Trevon Maughn 11-4-28, Kabongo Ngalukukondi 6-9-22, Malo Roumraj 6-1-13, Wade Gop 5-0-12, Craig Preston 4-0-10, Brandon Scott 1-6-8. Totals: 33-20-93.

NASHUA NORTH (83)

Jordan Lates 13-8-39, Matt Lavallee 6-0-12, Brendan Barrett 3-0-6, Brennan Kastens 3-0-6, Ricky Constant 2-0-5, Ashea Bittle 2-0-4, Demitri Jackson 2-0-4, Drew Sheridan 1-1-3, Jefry Almonte 1-0-2. Totals: 33-9-83.

MEMORIAL (7-9) 12 24 26 31-93

NORTH (5-11) 10 16 23 34-83

3-pointers: M-Maughn 2, Preston 2, Gop 2, Ngalukukondi; N-Lates 5, Constant. Next game: North hosts Trinity on Tuesday.