Scarborough made some three-pointers and had a productive first half Tuesday, but Bonny Eagle’s steady defense and good shot selection proved to be too much, as the Scots (3-3) topped the visiting Red Storm (2-4), 59-49.

“We have been working on good defense all week, and we played with a lot of intensity tonight,” said Bonny Eagle sophomore Casey McKague.

Scots coach Rick Simonds agreed, saying that defense had been an early-season weakness and that the win was “very much a team effort.”

The hosts’ defense proved to be the story of the game, as Simond’s hoopsters forced Scarborough to settle for deep outside shots.

“They made a lot of shots tougher because they played tight inside,” said Red Storm forward Jordan Hicks.

Scarborough wasn’t afraid to take those three-point shots, and in the first half they made three of four attempts. Two of them were junior Chris Albert’s only six points of the game, and came on back-to-back Scarborough possessions early in the second quarter.

The Red Storm offense was led by Hicks, who had 10 of his game-high 17 in the first half, and his team’s offense was effective throughout the first two quarters, leading at the end of the first 12-9 and losing the lead just before halftime, 32-31.

But the second half was quite different, as Bonny Eagle juniors Scott Proudman and Anthony Atkins took control of the game.

“Scott Proudman really played well in the second half,” said Simonds. “He has the ability to take control of a game because of his great athleticism and speed.”

The third quarter was dominated by the Scots’ junior duo, who combined for 14 points in that period. Atkins scored the final seven of the quarter on his own, with his last basket coming at the buzzer on an assist from Proudman.

“Anthony has a better scoring ability than anyone on our team,” said Simonds.

Atkins finished with a game-high 17 points, and Proudman had 11.

Scarborough scored only four points in the third, but rebounded in the fourth. Junior guard Jason Philbrick opened that quarter with two sets of free throws that started a Scarborough 8-0 run. Philbrick finished with 11 points, seven of them coming in the final quarter.

Again, defense proved to be the story of the game, as Scarborough moved to a tough full-court press and 2-3 zone defense that slowed their opponents’ progress up the court.

“We got ourselves into a hole in the third, and we had to press a little bit to get back what we lost,” said Red Storm coach Matthew Townsend. “We like to do that.”

Scarborough pulled back to within four points before they were forced to foul, and the game was soon out of reach. Bonny Eagle made six of their last eight free throws.

“We were playing with intensity after the half and defense was the key,” said Scots’ junior James Hanley.

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