Persistent defense was a key factor for Mt. Ararat in a 21-point win over Gray-New Gloucester. Cooper Sullivan / The Times Record

TOPSHAM — Forget the score.

That’s what the Mt. Ararat boys’ basketball team said to one another walking off the court at halftime with a 17-point lead over Gray-New Gloucester. The Eagles, who never trailed Tuesday night, came out of the locker room as if they were down by double digits, forcing turnovers and scoring in transition on the way to a 77-56 victory.

“Our goal was to play 32 minutes with intense defense, with a lot of ball pressure, and it’s sometimes tough to play an entire game with that intensity,” Mt. Ararat Coach David Dubreuil said. “And they proved me wrong, because they did the whole entire game.”

Nine players scored for Mt. Ararat, including five in double digits. Senior forward Joe Kessler led the Eagles with 14 points.

“I think that’s the best thing about us,” senior guard Nolan Greenleaf said. “We’re not one through five, we’re one through eight. Anybody can go off on our team. You can’t really game plan for one guy.”

Greenleaf (11 points, two assists, two steals) is one of two returning starters for the Eagles. Andrew Clemons, the other returner, scored 13 points while adding five rebounds and three blocks. Greenleaf said one reason for the sustained intensity was the group’s cohesion, which stems from summertime pickup sessions at Bowdoin.

Another reason is each player wants to earn a whiteboard sticker.

“It’s like the stickers on (football) helmets,” senior guard Logan Zoulamis said. “You gain them by making defensive plays or scrappy plays, not like scoring or anything like that.”

A transfer from Richmond, Zoulamis hopes the board will be updated Wednesday after he was involved in multiple jump balls or forced turnovers. Zoulamis finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two assists.

The smothering full-court press allowed Mt. Ararat (1-1) to regain possessions underneath the basket and go on runs. The Eagles had a 12-2 run in the first quarter and a 14-3 run to open the third. Gray-New Gloucester (0-2) had some spot-up shot opportunities but struggled to connect.

At one point in the third quarter, the Eagles led by 30.

“Our offense, we just try to spread everyone out,” Dubreuil said. “We drive, kick and shoot and, you know, the shots were falling. Then, obviously, just get right into defense after that, and just play good team defense. That’s the big thing.”

The Patriots return only one starter from last year’s Class A state championship team: senior guard John Patenaude, who scored 12 points. Senior forward Alex Baker added 10 points.

“We knew they had some horsepower in the full court and we, just as a team, need to get more physical,” Gray-New Gloucester Coach Ian McCarthy said. “Now, at times we were just outmatched, but it came down to effort in the full court.”

McCarthy believes that as the season progresses and his team gains varsity experience, all the breakdowns can be fixed.

“We’re still a young team, but long way to go,” McCarthy said. “We had some guys step up that hadn’t seen varsity minutes. I think that four guys had (their) first varsity points tonight, so there were a few good takeaways.”

Mt. Ararat returns to action at Marshwood (1-1) on Friday, while Gray-New Gloucester looks for its first win against Falmouth (0-1).