FARMINGTON – Lewiston couldn’t have expected a better primer on what life will be like in their new league than Friday night’s KVAC opener at Mt. Blue, but it was the Cougars who couldn’t have asked for a better result.

In a game featuring contrasting styles, back-and-forth action on the court and on the scoreboard, clutch shooting and defense, Mt. Blue emerged victorious by a 55-52 score.

The clutch defense and clutch shooting ultimately won out. Steve Wells’ steal led to Peter Tinguely’s layup that put the Cougars up by three with 25 seconds left and Tinguely added a pair of free throws to give them some much-needed breathing room.

“I was just trying to get up the court (after the steal) and trying to get an open shot somehow,” Tinguely said.

Lewiston’s Bryce Bryant kept everyone on the edge of their seat with a 3-pointer that cut Mt. Blue’s lead down to two with 4.5 seconds to go. The Blue Devils had a chance to tie it after Wells made one of two free throws with 3.5 seconds left, but some aggressive Cougar defense kept Lewiston from advancing the ball past halfcourt for a 3-pointer before the buzzer sounded.

“They played extremely well, and what I was impressed with was how well they defended the perimeter,” said Lewiston coach Jason Fuller. “They did what they had to do. They pounded it inside. I don’t know that they shot a jump shot all night.”

“Defensively, we had a plan and we pretty much stuck to it,” said Mt. Blue coach Jim Bessey. “We tried not to get beat going to the basket and if we did, we didn’t help inside so they could kick it out to their 3-point shooters.”

Mt. Blue took advantage of its superior height in the paint and on the boards to overcome the Blue Devils’ strong 3-point shooting (7-for-16 from beyond the arc). The Cougars outrebounded Lewiston by a dozen and by a 2-1 margin on the offensive boards. Ted Neil, a 6-5 center, dominated inside, scoring a game-high 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and combined with 6-3 forward Brian Wells to give the Cougars numerous second opportunities.

“We knew they could shoot outside, so we had to guard them outside and punish them inside,” said Brian Wells, who had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Lewiston got its outside stroke going early, as Joe Lee (nine points) nailed a pair of treys to give the Blue Devils a 12-4 lead. But the Cougars put together an 8-0 run to end the first quarter with the teams knotted at 12.

With the game still tied at halftime, the Cougars continued to look inside to Neil to start the second half. But it was Brian Wells who gave them them an eight-point cushion, their largest of the night, with a pair of inside buckets sandwiched around the break between the third and fourth quarters.

“We could have folded there, down eight,” Fuller said. “Momentum was definitely going their way, but we battled.”

Labonte and Lee helped the Devils claw their way back in the fourth quarter. Labonte’s first trey of the period made it a four-point game. After two Tyson Morgan free throws pulled Lewiston within two, Lee gave the Devils the lead with a trey from about four feet behind the top of the 3-point arc that made it 45-44 midway through the fourth. Labonte followed with a cold-blooded three of his own, from the corner, to make it a four-point game.

The Cougars then put together a 10-1 run, keyed by a Neil layup off a steal that tied the game at 49 with 1:50 left. Brian Wells gave them the lead for good by making one of two from the line with 55 seconds to go.

“(Lewiston’s) point guard (Nick Beauchesne) was on the bench with a sprained ankle, but the Heal Points will be the same later on, and they’re going to win some games,” Bessey said. “So it was a tremendous win for us.”

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