FARMINGTON — Skowhegan turned up the defensive pressure in the third quarter to take a 55-40 win over Mt. Blue in a Class A North boys basketball game on Wednesday night.

Mt. Blue (0-7) managed just two baskets in the critical third quarter against a Skowhegan (4-3) team that changed defenses effectively.

“That’s what we want to do,” Skowhegan coach Tom Nadeau said. “We try to pressure the ball, sometimes hard, sometimes soft. Our bread and butter is the half court man-to-man.”

Clinging to a 28-22 halftime lead, the Indians relied on the half-court defense for a majority of the third quarter, forcing off balance shots while keeping the Cougars’ offense out of rhythm.

“We were able to hang with Skowhegan in the first half,” Mt. Blue coach Kevin Main said. “We shot well in the first half but couldn’t make a layup in the second half.”

Zack Mittelstadt (game-high 26 points) battled to keep the Cougars close, scoring on a variety of spin moves in the lane to stymie the Indians on the inside. Skowhegan countered with a motion offense that generated plenty of movement towards the basket where the Indians took advantage.

Issac Witham (team-high 23 points) opened the second quarter with a steal and layup to give the Indians their largest lead of the first half, 18-11 at 7:48. During a 43 second span, Mittelstadt responded hitting a conventional three-point play followed by a tip-in to cut the margin to 18-16.

It would be as close as the Cougars would get. Witham promptly drained a three-pointer from beyond the arc, along with a 10 foot jumper on Skowhegan’s next two possessions.

“We continued to work hard,” Main said. “Right now it’s just not working out.”

Four different Skowhegan players hit the scoring column in the third quarter as the Indians took a 40-26 lead. Cameron Barnes (12 points) opened the quarter hitting a driving lay-up, teammates Garrett McSweeney, Witham and Brendan Curran each scored two points in a six-point run at the end of the quarter.

“Mt. Blue was hungry for a win, so this is a good momentum builder for us,” Nadeau, whose team has won three of their last four games, said. “Our next step is learning how to handle the game in the first half.”

Skowhegan spread the floor in the fourth quarter when Mt. Blue continually sent the Indians to the free-throw line in an attempt at making a comeback. Skowhegan converted 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to finish the game making 13 of 18.

Mt. Blue made 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, including Mittelstadt’s 8 of 9.