Staff photo / Brian Yauger Brookfield sophomore Blake Hammond (24) goes up for a layup during Friday’s game against LaBrae at Brookfield High School. Hammond finished with 18 points in the win.

BROOKFIELD — As the race for the Gray Tier of the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference tightens, Friday’s tilt between Brookfield and LaBrae had some real implications.

The winner would stay within a game of league-leaders Newton Falls and Ravenna Southeast, with matchups against the two teams on the horizon. The loser, while not out of the race, would have some extra ground to gain if they want the league crown.

After losing in the first meeting, Brookfield shut LaBrae down in the first quarter and kept the Vikings at bay for the remaining 24 minutes in a 51-40 victory.

“We’ve been on the wrong side of quite a few of these (quarters),” Brookfield coach Shawn Hammond said. “We’re in the mix for the league, which is our first goal, and we knew one of us could be knocked out of the top two spots, so the kids were motivated. We lost last time. We were coming back from some injuries, some guys were out of town and it was an early game. You wish both of these games were late, so they’re both like (this one). We knew we had to come out firing and defend the post and defend the 3-point shot. I thought the kids battled because we’re undersized, but they held their own.”

Brookfield’s Blake Hammond epitomized that on Friday, leading the team with a game-high 18 points. Sophomore Joseph Hook added 13.

LaBrae was led by Lucas Glaser, who had 16. Austin Rowe, who scored 30 the last time against Brookfield, was held to 10.

Vikings coach Chad Kiser saw a lot of mental mistakes. For a team with more varsity experience than the sophomore-laden Warriors, that’s not a recipe for success.

Outside of the second quarter, where LaBrae scored 19 points, the Vikings were held under 10 in each quarter.

“We stayed pretty flat,” Kiser said. “We came out in the second half and didn’t execute. We took about our first five possessions, took four quick four shots, trying to pound the ball in, and we settled for quick threes that didn’t go and it’s going back the other way. A lot of mental mistakes tonight. They worked us in the second half, and we thought we came out pretty flat to start. We missed in our zone, we lost shooters, we didn’t move, threw the ball away a couple times and let them jump out in the lead.

“I thought our second quarter, we played really well, got after it and got the intensity up, tied that back up and then instead of keeping that momentum going, had some poor decision-making right to start the third quarter. We did not execute offensively. We got a few guys that panicked with the ball. … Very, very poor shot selection, and we didn’t play well together.”

On Tuesday, LaBrae goes to Liberty to take on the Leopards with an opportunity to refocus.

The Warriors’ next two games are arguably their most important, going up against Southeast and Newton Falls in back-to-back games. They host the Pirates on Monday.

“Right now, every game is important,” Shawn Hammond said. “That’s what we’re stressing to these guys. They don’t get easier because we go Southeast and then Newton Falls in a row. This is just one at a time. I know those two play tonight, so see how the league’s going to shake up, because one of them is going to have two losses. We keep an eye on it, but we just try to take care of ourselves.”