SANFORD — The Biddeford boys basketball team held a 22-21 lead over Sanford at halftime on Wednesday night, but the host Spartans took control in the second half as they picked up a 62-43 win over the Tigers.

The Tigers used 10 points from Kyle Norton to take a 15-8 lead after the opening period.

“I was proud how the kids came out in the first half and competed after a tough loss to Fryeburg,” said Biddeford coach Justin Tardif, who saw his team’s zone defense limit the Spartans in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Ethan Belanger scored six points to lead the Spartans on a 13-7 run to cut the Tigers lead to one at the break.

Sanford (5-8) took control in the third thanks to 10 points from senior guard Tye Laviolette. The Spartans would finish the quarter with a 20-2 scoring advantage as they took a 41-24 lead into the fourth.

“We gave up two points in that third period to really change the flow of the game,” said Sanford coach Paul Nolette.

Nolette pointed to one play that really turned the momentum in the Spartans’ direction.

“I thought Tye made a big play, a scramble play, early in the third quarter,” said Nolette. “He dove for a loose ball out of our pressure, we got it, made a hoop then we went on a six-to-eight nothing run right away off turn- overs … our defensive intensity picked up, they missed some shots and we were able to get out of here with a victory.”

Belanger would score 11 of his gamehigh 23 points in the final quarter to help the Spartans outscore the Tigers 21-19 and secure the victory.

“Taking care of the ball and playing for 32 minutes is still something we need. Our turnovers usually lead directly to points the other way,” said Tardif.

Biddeford (1-11) was led by Norton with 11 points. Dillon Boutin came off the bench to score his first career varsity points as he nailed three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish with nine.

“The highlight of the night was senior Dillon Boutin stepping in and playing well in the fourth,” said Tardif. “It was a credit to his positivity all season when it would have been easy to go negative. His willingness to ask the coaching staff multiple times after practice, ‘what can I do to help make the team better’ showed his maturity and caring for others first. It was a great reminder why we play high school sports.”

Nolette was happy to get a win over a hard-working Biddeford team.

“Biddeford’s well-coached, Justin does a good job … and they were playing really well in the first half, with a lot of enthusiasm. It was a big game for us, we needed the win,” said Nolette.

Sanford got 10 points from both Laviolette and Brad Bouchard and six apiece from Romano, Ethan Emard and Frankie Veino.

Biddeford will visit Brunswick, while Sanford will make the trip to Bonny Eagle on Friday night.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.