RUMFORD — Cody St. Germain scored a game high 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to spearhead Dirigo, but 11 free throws in the fourth quarter made the difference as the Cougars grabbed a 58-50 win over determined Mountain Valley in a boys’ basketball at Puiia Gymnasium on Tuesday.

It was the first of three games between the rivals this season, and the initial encounter produced some dramatic moments.

Dirigo (2-0) scored from inside at will and enjoyed double-digit leads at the end of each of the middle quarters. But Mountain Valley refused to back down and trailed 50-46 with 321 left in the game.

“Any time we play Mountain Valley you expect physical play,” said St. Germain, who scored 22 points in a 67-52 season-opening win at Boothbay. “Our game is running and pressure and working the ball inside. We kept our composure down the stretch and came out here with a W.”

St. Germain (three blocks) scored to give Dirigo a 50-40 lead, but Mountain Valley buckled down. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Zach Radcliffe (11 points, four assists, four steals) and Andrew Child (8 points) provided hope.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Mountain Valley coach Rick White, whose team crushed Wiscasset, 65-36 “Even though it’s a loss, it was a phenomenal effort. The kids gave me everything they had and fought hard. You have to credit Dirigo, but we had our chances.”

The game had been tightly called and Ben Holmes was forced to sit with three fouls in the first half. But the Cougar forward made an impact with eight free throws in the second. There was a wide difference at the charity stripe, with Dirigo making 21 of 29 free throws and the Falcons were six of 12. Caleb Turner scored six points for Dirigo.

“Some keys guys really stepped up,” Dirigo coach Travis Magnusson said. “Cody was great inside and Ben Holmes (10 points, seven rebounds), who was in foul trouble, came up with some key rebounds. This is a great win for us and this was a great atmosphere.”

A 14-0 run in the second quarter, sparked by 10-straight points by St. Germain and a T.J. Frost (seven points, seven assists) drive, had given Dirigo a 33-22 lead at halftime.

Mountain Valley launched steady shots from beyond the arc, draining eight in the game. A basket by Isaac Roberts and two by Jake Theriault (10 points), combined with a Radcliffe trey ended a -0 run, as Mountain Valley trailed 39-31 late in the third quarter.

“In the first half, our pressure defense created the tempo,”Magnusson said. “In the second, we slowed it down and that was my fault. We lost the momentum, until the fourth quarter.”