Nashua South's Cody Jackson (20) keeps a close eye on North's Brody Sutton during Wednesday's rivalry rematch at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It’s a pretty simple concept in the sport of lacrosse: No ball, no scoring.

The Nashua High School South boys team understood that concept well, playing a great game of keep away in the final quarter en route to a 7-5 win over city rival Nashua North, and a sweep of their season two-game set of identical scores.

“After halftime we made a little bit of an adjustment and came out and played strong,” South coach Will Delanoy said. “Passing and catching. When you can pass and catch, good things happen.”

Like the other team not getting the ball. The game was tied at 2 at the half, and 4-4 going into the final quarter before South’s Owen Roy (hat trick) scored two goals in a two minute span, the second with 8:41 to go after Braedyn Thyne intercepted a Titan clear and Cody Jackson made it a 7-4 game with 5:27 left, even after he took a check. North’s Alec Jenkerson scored with about a second left, but way too little and way too late for the 1-14 Titans.

“Just a bunch of stupid lacrosse, I think, got us out of that game,” North coach Matt Muser said. “Credit to them at the end, they possessed the ball very well, they didn’t drop them, and we were pressuring them.

“It’s tough to win a lacrosse game scoring four goals; it’s even tougher when you don’t have the ball in the fourth quarter.”

The teams traded first quarter goals and then North grabbed a 2-1 lead with 7:07 left in the half on a Nick Wilkerson goal. But South’s Luke Lowell got the equalizer with 2:09 left in the half.

The Panthers gave a glimpse of what was to come in jumping out to a two-goal lead early in the third on a pair of Broden Landsteiner goals.

But North got the equalizers on scores by Brody Sutton and then Jenkerson, the latter’s with 17.5 seconds left in the third.

But the Titans couldn’t take that momentum heading into the fourth quarter, thanks to turnovers, etc.

“That’s kind of been our Achilles heel all year,” Muser said. “We’ll even play great defense at times, we’ll get the ball on the ground but we can’t complete the play. We can’t pick up the ball, or we’ll pick up the ground ball and we’ll throw the ball away in the clear.”

The goaltending was sharp in this one. South’s Jacob Lynn had nine saves, while North’s tandem of Jace Colon (15 saves) and late sub Andrew Cullinane (two) also played well.

But the key was possession, and the Panthers controlled faceoffs 12-2 with the work of Raiden Nuy-Chao. “That element helps out a lot, and then it’s just guys just understanding space and how to move, and when to pass the ball and not to hold it, it’s just learning. I was very pleased.”

Delanoy, his team now 3-12, wishes every game could be against North, because of the emotion involved.

“They get extra excited for these games,” Delanoy said. “It’s good to have that emotion and already be up for the game, instead of rolling in kind of like asleep.”