NEW GLOUCESTER – The boys’ basketball team from Eastgate Christian Academy will get better before this season is complete. A scarier thought for the rest of Class D after Tuesday night’s season-opening game: so will Elan School.

Elan might have more athletic players on the court and coming off its bench than either of the last two seasons, when it reached the Western Maine final before falling to Valley High. The biggest element the Buccaneers lack is experience, something that comes in abundance in authoritative victories such as their 81-30 rout of the undermanned Eagles.

Angel Alberto bolstered the Poland Spring-based Buccaneers with 24 points and 15 rebounds, and that was in playing time tempered by frequent substitutions. There was no noticeable loss of momentum with any combination coach Peter E. Rowe shuffled into the game.

“We’re young, we’re green, but we’re very athletic,” Rowe said. “I think Alberto is the best big man in Class D. He always had that ability, but we didn’t need it as much.”

Alberto, fellow frontcourt standout Fred Heberling (six points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots) and swingman Ben Dreyer (11 points, five steals) are the only returning players who saw significant playing time during Elan’s last playoff run. Will Colfield-Rivera added 12 points and nine boards for the Buccaneers, who used three separate runs of double-digit, unanswered points to roll up the wide margin of victory. Albert Simone chipped in 11 points in a reserve role.

Seven different players scored in the opening period, when Elan scored the final seven points to snag an 18-8 lead. The Bucs launched the second stanza with another 11 straight points before two free throws by Timothy Barclay stopped the surge.

Sophomore Nate Damm led the way with eight points and Barclay added seven for Eastgate, which suited up only eight players. Two juniors missed the game to attend a college-level course that meets on Tuesdays until later this month.

“We won two scrimmages,” said Eastgate Christian coach Brett Damm. “We wanted to see where we stood against a team like this, and we did.”

One of the missing players was Eastgate’s lone six-footer, which complicated matters against Alberto, Heberling and friends. The Eagles pulled down only four offensive boards and were outrebounded by nearly a three-to-one margin overall.

“The thing with us is that we run such intricate offenses that one mistake can mess up our entire flow,” Rowe said. “Obviously we’re at our best when we can get out and run the floor. We’re just trying to keep improving.”

Again, frightening for the private schools in Class D.

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