Sports

NIXON’S THE ONE IN BOYS’ VICTORY

The term “distraction” is heard often in pro sports when players enter the final year of their contract and don’t want to deal with negotiating a contract during the season.

It’s also used frequently when high school players are figuring out where to go to college. To most observers, both seem like nice “distractions” to have – a big contract or a free education.

Boys & Girls senior Zamal Nixon seems to be in a situation where he could fall into that trap, with college coaches watching the point guard’s every move – and that presented coach Ruth Lovelace with a problem.

“People are in his head all the time,” Lovelace said. “I have to tell him to focus on the team right now and I tell the coaches, ‘I just need him for a few more weeks. He’s yours after that.’ ”

So far, Lovelace has been impressed with how Nixon has handled things, and yesterday, with several coaches looking on just off the court, he was no different. The 6-2 Nixon, who transferred prior to his senior year from Xaverian, led the second-seeded Kangaroos into the PSAL AA quarterfinals by scoring 18 points in an 85-70 win over No. 18 Grady.

On Sunday at St. John’s, the Kangaroos will play No. 7 Frederick Douglass, a 64-54 winner over 10th-seeded Port Richmond.

“I try not to get caught up in it,” said Nixon, who has made visits to Wichita State and Fairfield and is still being looked at by Hofstra, Providence and St. Bonaventure. “I know I’m not going to make any decisions until everything’s done, so I don’t think much about it.”

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In the other second-round games: No. 8 Kennedy hung on to beat No. 9 Campus Magnet, 75-74, and will face top-seeded Lincoln after the Railsplitters routed No. 17 Thurgood Marshall, 102-48.

Fifth-seeded Canarsie beat No. 12 South Shore, 83-69 and meets No. 4 Wadleigh, which advanced with a 83-52 victory over No. 13 Lehman. Sixth-seeded Cardozo outlasted No. 11 Jefferson, 83-75, and faces No. 3 Wings Academy, a 71-52 winner over No. 14 Monroe.

dan.martin@nypost.com