SOUTH PARIS – It wasn’t a knockout blow, but it was a staggering one.

When the Oxford Hills boys’ basketball team raced out to an 11-0 lead Friday night, the Vikings hit undefeated Mt. Blue with its best shot.

It had the Cougars reeling but still in the ballgame. It was the kind of blow Oxford Hills needed to deliver early. The Vikings rode that stunning start and maintained the lead the rest of the way for a 59-49 win over Mt. Blue.

“That was great,” said junior guard Cody Hadley, who led the Vikings with 18 points. “It got us some momentum. It got us going through the whole game. We maintained that lead the rest of the game. I think that 11-0 run did it for us.”

The Vikings improved to 3-2 and hope Friday’s play is a sign of good things to come.

“That was a big win for us,” said Vikings coach Scott Graffam. “That was a game, obviously, we didn’t know whether we’d be in or not. Their 4-0 and had beaten everybody by like 100 points. Hopefully, this will get us going in the right direction.”

Not only was Mt. Blue (4-1) plagued by its start, but the Cougars also struggled against the Vikings’ zone defense. Mt. Blue was limited primarily to outside shots. When the shots didn’t fall, the Cougars struggled to keep pace.

“You have to give credit to Oxford Hills,” said Mt. Blue coach Jim Bessey. “They did a great job taking away Jamie (Sawyer) and Ben (Russell). They outplayed us. That happens from time to time. They have a veteran team and an experienced team. They’re well-coached. All credit goes to them.”

Josh Childs added 13 for the Vikings (3-2) while Jake Hall had 12.

Mt. Blue got 21 from Russell, 11 in the final quarter as he drained a trio of 3-pointers in a last-ditch rally attempt. Ryan Backus was the primary inside presence for Mt. Blue with 14 points.

In the first four minutes, Mt. Blue missed its first five shots and turned the ball over four times. Meanwhile, Oxford Hills ran off 11 straight points. Hadley started the run with a steal and then hit two free throws. After a jumper by Hall, Jordan Farrar scored off a steal and later hit a free throw. Hall scored on the press breaker off a Hadley feed.

“We came right out and the defense was great,” said Hadley. “The offense was going good. We got up on their passing lanes and got some steals. We got the offense going. It worked out well getting that big lead.”

Mt. Blue tried to pluck away, but the Vikings aggressive zone didn’t allow for much. The Cougars shot 20-for-51 in the game. Quite often, they’d get an outside shot, but the Vikings would get the rebound.

“We actually had a new defense,” said Hadley. “We worked on it all week. It worked out great for us.”

Mt. Blue cut the lead to four in the second quarter. Backus scored on a rebound and Jordan Hoyt hit a jumper as part of a 6-3 start that made it 18-14 with 5:39 left in the half. Hadley hit a pull-up jumper and then drilled a 3-pointer to build the lead again.

In the third, the Cougars produced 10 straight points and got within three. Backus, Devin Zamboni and Sawyer all hit field goals while Russell and Sawyer each had a pair of free throws to make it 33-30 with 1:43 left in the quarter. Oxford Hills came right back with a three-point play from Childs. Then two free throws from Jordan Collins made it 38-32. The Vikings started the fourth with a Child basket on a Hadley pass, and Hadley hit a 3-pointer for a 43-34 lead. The Vikings managed to execute against the Cougars’ press and the closest Mt. Blue could get was seven points the rest of the way.

“I think basically every single time we did something, they always answered back,” said Bessey. “We’d get it to five then they’re not only score one but maybe two and get it back to nine again. We felt we were always trying to get out of a hole.”