DIXFIELD – The cozy confines of Defoe Gymnasium has provided plenty of excitement throughout the years.

Thursday night was no exception. The Lisbon and Dirigo boys’ basketball teams hooked up in a battle that saw the score tied or the lead change 17 times.

Levi Ervin sank the eventual winning free throw with 49.5 seconds left and Lisbon went on for a 49-45 win to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Greyhounds received some big plays down the stretch from Chris Kates (11 points, eight rebounds), Aaron Farmer (14 points) and center Tim Sautter.

Dirigo had taken a 44-43 lead on a pair of free throws by Brandon Berry with 3:14 remaining in the game. But the Cougars made some costly turnovers and missed shots down the stretch.

Lisbon (5-4) needed the win to get back on track. The team played conservatively in the fourth quarter, but made three of six shots.

“I’m just so pleased with the way the team played,” Lisbon coach Doug Sautter said. “We had looked at film of the Georges Valley game and the guys were just standing around. But, not tonight because they kept moving, set screens and looking for the ball. It’s the best job we’ve done all season.”

Dirigo (1-8) had taken the lead on a conventional three-point play by Spencer Berry, however, it proved to be short lived as Farmer buried a jumper. The Cougars (32 percent shooting) failed to score on their next possession and Tim Sautter eventually scored off an offensive rebound.

“The difference in the fourth quarter was we missed six free throws,” Dirigo assistant coach Wade McLaughlin said. “But, Lisbon was calm and didn’t get rattled after we had taken the lead on them. I have to give them a lot of credit for being able to do that.”

Cougar head coach Donnie Hebert was serving a one-game suspension.

Lisbon was effective in the low post and made several high-percentage shots in the second half. Ervin and Farmer controlled the boards.

“We were patient on offense,” coach Sautter said. “We played some good man-to-man defense and got some big rebounds by boxing out.”

Dirigo received a solid inside game from Marc Gagne (10 points, seven rebounds) and Craig Langervin (nine points.)