Duxbury High was the only obstacle standing between the Whitman-Hanson boys’ basketball team and a Patriot League title.

But midway through the second quarter of the league showdown Tuesday night in Duxbury, the visiting Panthers were clinging to a 14-12 lead in a back-and-forth affair.

After a missed shot by Duxbury, Whitman-Hanson’s Cole Manning gobbled up a long rebound. Before his fingers even touched the rock, the senior point guard was looking up the floor. He flicked a lead pass that flew over the head of a defender before connecting with fellow senior Josh Rice in stride for an easy layup.

On the next Dragon possession, Manning corralled another long board, but this time fired a three-quarter court laser to Nick Smith, who converted another bucket in transition. The back-to-back feeds triggered a 13-0 run, and the Panthers never looked back en route to an easy 67-40 victory , and more importantly, a league title.

“It got us all excited and increased the tempo of the game,’’ Manning said of the sequence. “It’s just awesome getting [my teammates] the ball and having them hit shots and getting pumped up.’’

Manning finished with just 7 points — with 5 coming in the first two minutes of play — but he also delivered 8 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals in a 67-40 win.

He may not be leading the Panthers (16-0 through Tuesday) in scoring, but no player is more crucial to W-H’s success than than the floor leader.

With the start of the state tournament less than two weeks away, the fate of many programs, boys or girls, will be determined by their play at the point, steady and poised, or careless and inefficient.

“You need point guards that can play on both ends of the floor,’’ said Whitman-Hanson coach Bob Rodgers. “We don’t win this league championship without him.’’

At Marshfield High, senior Pat Acer had piloted the Rams to a 13-3 start.

“Acer means so much, he keys our defense, and he keys our offense,’’ said Marshfield coach Bob Fisher, who has spent 35 years on the sideline at the high school level.

“He’s an extension of me,’’ directing an up-tempo attack.

Senior guard Will Boisvert calls his backcourt mate “probably the hardest worker on the team.’’

“He’s got to get up and down the court really well,’’ added Boisvert, who thanks to Acer’s creativity, is averaging a team-high 19.4 points per game.

Fellow senior Jack Masterson pointed to Acer’s leadership.

“Off the court, he’s not the most boisterous guy, but when you’re on the court you better listen because it’s the right thing,’’ said Masterson, who drained a buzzer-beating 3 to help the Rams clinch the Atlantic Coast League title with a 69-66 win over Sandwich.

Acer acknowledged, “Once I step on the court, I’m just in a completely different zone.’’

He credits playing pickup games against his older brothers, James, 24, and Robbie, 20, with helping him develop his tenacity.

“Ever since I could walk I’ve had a basketball in my hand,’’ Acer said.

In Foxborough, senior Alex DuBrow has the Warriors pointed in the right direction. After his transfer from Hockomock League rival Sharon High prior to last season, DuBrow was reunited with first-year coach Jon Gibbs, whom he had known from camps and clinics run at Wheaton College.

With DuBrow running the point, Foxborough advanced to the Division 2 South semifinals for the first time since 2007.

“When you’re first taking over as a coach, there’s so many things that you have to worry about,’’ Gibbs said. “I know that I have a guy out there that I can trust that’s an extension of me on the floor.’’

“Last year I was out to kind of prove myself,’’ said DuBrow, who moved to town to live with his father. This season, he is averaging 15.9 points, 5.7 assist, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game.

“Now I’m just trying to make my team better every day.’’

Gibbs praised Dubrow’s ability to break the press, which allows the Warriors to set up their motion offense early in the shot clock.

He also plays with flair. Senior center Robby Lowley remembers a highlight play against Oliver Ames last season; DuBrow drove the lane, forcing the defense to collapse, before tossing a no-look, over-the-head pass to an open teammate for an easy layup.

“He’ll make plays that no one [else] can see,’’ Lowley said.

Not all teams rely on just one ballhandler.

Quincy High coach Dave Parry has a pair of floor generals: senior guards Dyreke Johnson and Quinlan Evans .

At 6-2, Johnson is an elite slasher who averages four-plus assists per game. He thrives on dribble penetration and kickouts. Evans, the team’s leading scorer (12 ppg.), keeps defenses honest with his precision from outside the arc, and excels at dumping the ball into big men or getting open for jumpers off the pick-and-roll.

“Other coaches say we’re kind of hard to prepare for,’’ Evans said. “If the defense throws something at us, we can just switch it easily and adjust easily.’’

Opposing defenses have certainly struggled to contain Manning and the 16-0 Panthers. Whether he is driving to the hoop, chasing down a loose rebound or setting up his teammates, Manning always keeps the D on its toes.

And the funny thing is, Manning actually comes from a hockey family. But as a high school freshman, he decided to stick with basketball for good.

“I just love the game,’’ he said. “ don’t know; it just comes to me.’’

Rodgers, with a chuckle, added, “Every day I thank God he chose basketball.’’

He’s not alone.

“He’s just dynamic on both sides of the ball,’’ Rice said. “We wouldn’t be here without Cole.’’

Matt MacCormack can be reached at mattmaccormack@globe.com.