WATERBORO — After a 67-49 defeat to Thornton Academy on Dec. 20, a loss that dropped his team to 1-4 on the young season, Sanford boys basketball coach Paul Nolette said the No. 1 thing his team was lacking wasn’t talent, it was confidence.

The kind of confidence you’d need to go into the gym of your fiercest rival and come away with a 24-point victory.

“We had lost our way,” Nolette explained. “We’d lost our mojo.”

Less than a month later, the Spartans have regained that confidence, and it showed on Monday night, when they opened up a 26-10 lead after one quarter and rode it to a convincing 71-47 victory over Massabesic in an edgy, emotional atmosphere at Massabesic High School.

It was the sixth win in a row for Sanford (7-4) since the loss to TA, pushing the Spartans into the top five in the Western Class A MPA Heal Point standings.

“After that Thornton game, I told the kids we’re starting fresh, we’re 0-0 and it’s a brand new season,” Nolette said. “For us, it’s all started on the defensive end. We only gave up 47 points today, and the past six games, that’s been our average. It’s been about playing defense, rebounding and getting up and down the court.”

On the other side, it was a frustrating loss for Massabesic (2-7), which has shown its chops this season with close losses to Deering and Scarborough. But the emotion of playing in front of a packed house seemed to get to the Mustangs early in the game, as they turned the ball over seven times in the opening quarter and dug themselves a big hole.

“I wouldn’t discount the fact that emotions had something to do with it,” Massabesic coach Ramone Jones said. “We talked about it, we tried to address (it) and make sure that everyone was ready to play and let the crowd do what they do.

“We couldn’t score for the first three minutes of the game, and it just kept snowballing. We just couldn’t execute it.”

Sanford had no problem executing in the opening minutes, shooting out to an 8-2 lead three minutes in. Massabesic managed to get back within 10-6, but Sanford pulled away from there, ending the quarter on a 16-4 run as the Spartans hit five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, three from point guard Evyn Nolette.

“We talked about trying to get a quick start. I didn’t realize we’d get 26 in the first quarter,” coach Nolette said. “That’s the quick start that we needed.

“Like most teams, when we get a rhythm going and build a little lead and start getting some confidence, that’s the whole key.”

Nolette hit six 3-pointers in total as part of his game-high 27 points, with the Mustangs continually failing to find him behind the arc.

“It’s funny because he’s struggled with his consistency shooting the ball so far this year,” coach Nolette said. “But last game, he hit five (3-pointers), and today he hit six, so he’s feeling the stroke. And when he gets it going, it just opens up things so much more.”

Sanford continued to build the lead in the second quarter, heading into halftime with a 40-20 lead. And after the teams stalemated in the second quarter with 10 points each, Nolette opened the fourth with his final 3 of the night to put any doubts about the final outcome to rest.

“We couldn’t guard Nolette at the beginning, and he just got off,” Jones said. “We didn’t execute that part of the game plan.”

In addition to Nolette’s 27, Jordan Tranchemontagne scored 14 and John Morgan added 11 for Sanford.

Dan Amabile led Massabesic with 20 points, 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter, while 6-foot-6 center Cale Thornton added nine and made several big blocks.

But the Mustangs’ inability to take advantage of their obvious height advantage inside, along with 24 total turnovers and the Spartans’ pinpoint shooting from the outside, was too much to overcome.

“I really don’t know what it was. We tried to execute our game plan and it didn’t happen,” Jones said. “We didn’t score in transition, we turned the ball over uncharacteristically; it was difficult tonight.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected].