DIXFIELD – When opportunities came their way, the Dirigo Cougars made the most of them, and that is why they remain undefeated in the Mountain Valley Conference.

Tom Knight, Colby Knapp and Tyler Chiasson combined for 42 points to lead the offense as the Cougars cruised to a 71-29 win against Telstar at Defoe Gymnasium on Thursday night.

Dirigo (6-0), ranked fifth in Western Class C, relied on its trapping man-to-man defense to disrupt the Rebels. The Cougars forced nine of 27 turnovers in the first quarter and led 26-5 midway through the second quarter.

“We were ready to play,” Cougar point guard Wes Gagnon said. “In practice yesterday, we knew we needed to be on (guard) about being rusty. So we had to work hard.”

The Cougars attack was controlled by a strong inside game anchored by 6-foot-8 center Tom Knight (16 points, five blocks, four assists) and 6-4 Knapp (14 points, six rebounds). Dirigo outrebounded the smaller Rebels 3-to-1.

Chiasson came off the bench to score 12 points, including a trey from the base line to end the first period.

“I don’t feel we were as sharp as we can be,” Dirigo coach Gavin Kane said. “It is a combination of things. We hadn’t played since Saturday in Florida and all the traveling.”

Telstar (1-4) regrouped and went on a 9-0 run to trail 26-14 midway through the second quarter. Andy Whitney, Jon Sabins and Bryce Walker (six points) made five straight free throws. Whitney made an underhand layup, and Ryan Hannigan made a conventional three-point play. The Rebels shot 21 percent from the floor.

Dirigo responded by scoring nine of the final 11 points to lead 35-16 at halftime. Knight dunked the ball, and Nic Crutchfield buried a trey.

Dirigo pulled away further in the third quarter behind treys by Gagnon (eight points six steals), Chiasson and Aaron Fenstermacher (seven points). Adam Law had five steals, and Enrico Ross added seven points.

Dirigo shot 50 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 11 times in the game. They made 14 of 31 free throws and immediately practiced from the charity stripe after the game. The Cougars developed depth and unveiled a second unit comprised of Erik Kersey, Kaile Underwood, Crutchfield, Fenstermacher and Chiasson.

“We were using two units in practice,” Knight said. “So, we decided to try using it during a game.”