WATERBORO — Kennebunk boys basketball coach Barrett Belanger knew his team would need to play close to a flawless game to hang with the seniorladen Massabesic Mustangs on Tuesday night.

“Two things we knew we had to do: Not turn the ball over and not give them transition points. I said, ‘if you come out and you make a statement early, you are going to play with them all the way through,’” said Belanger on his message to the Rams before the game.

The visiting Rams were able to get the job done early as they held a lead after one quarter, but the Mustangs rallied in the second quarter and took control in the third on their way to a 75-62 win in front of a large crowd in Waterboro.

Massabesic (5-0) started the game on a 7-2 run, but Kennebunk would outscore the Mustangs 17-8 the rest of the opening quarter to take a 19-15 lead into the second period.

“We came out and got our points, we played well defensively, so it was exactly the start we wanted,” said Belanger.

Zach MacKinnon scored eight points in the quarter to lead Kennebunk (3-2), which was able to match Massabesic’s intensity in the opening minutes.

“They were doing some screen-and-rolls stuff and they were screening MacKinnon and doing some double-screening, so we just made the adjustments,” said Massabesic coach Chris Binette.

Those adjustments quickly turned the Rams’ four-point lead into a 10-point Massabesic advantage midway through the second.

“I think in a matter of 45 seconds, all the sudden they were up nine points … and it’s that quick,” said Belanger, whose team struggled with Massabesic’s full-court pressure.

The Mustangs turned several Rams’ turnovers into quick transition points in the second period and took a 35-26 lead into the break.

“I said to the guys at halftime, ‘if it’s not for that 45 seconds of turnovers in transition, this is a tie game at halftime and you are with them,’” said Belanger.

Turning up the pressure on defense and turning that into fast-break points is key to the Mustangs’ success, according to Binette.

“That’s a big part of our game and teams are going to try and slow us down,” said Binette.

That up-tempo style would continue in the third quarter and the Mustangs would take complete control with a 26-12 scoring run in the frame.

“It’s part of our game and it starts with our defense,” said Binette of his team’s third-quarter scoring run.

Belanger knew the team that put together the best stretches of basketball would come out on top.

“I’ve said it before, it’s a game of runs – and who’s going to get more runs – and they had more than us tonight,” said Belanger.

Belanger, who saw his team continue to fight and actually outscore the Mustangs 25-14 in the fourth quarter, is hoping his squad will learn from Tuesday night’s battle.

“It gives them experience in playing in front of a large crowd, it’s probably the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of … and you are getting an idea of what a team that puts pressure on you feels like,” said Belanger. “When you make it to the playoffs, every team is going to put pressure on you and the crowds are going to be loud. This is just experience for when we can make a run later.”

Unlike Massabesic, which plays almost all seniors, Kennebunk has freshman Cameron Lovejoy at the starting point guard spot and another freshman – Tripp Bush – getting plenty of run off the bench.

“They are gamers,” said Belanger of his freshmen. “We trust both of them in the game and they go out and they know their roles. I say to every kid, ‘each of you has a role, whether you are one or 14,’ those two know their roles and they step up.”

For Binette, it’s nice to see his team continue to respond when challenged by opponents.

“We’ve had a couple (tough) games already. Marshwood did a good job and so did Gorham and we are just taking our punches and our kids are reacting to it pretty well,” said Binette.

Binette is happy to be undefeated through the first five games of the season, but he also sees plenty of room for improvement.

“I couldn’t of dreamed of anything better than 5-0 in my first year. Do I like where we’re at? I like where the record is, but I don’t like where we are at,” said Binette. “We have to continue to get better. There’s a lot of excitement in the community, but I see us getting better than what we are at this point.”

The Mustangs’ fast start to the season has helped bring in huge crowds – and the Massabesic players are loving it.

“I love it. The crowds keep getting bigger and bigger,” said senior Tyus Sprague- Ripley, who finished the game with 16 points.

“Our kids feed off the fans. They love that excitement, they deserve it, they deserve what’s going on right now. They have worked hard and we love the excitement in the crowd for sure,” said Binette.

NOTES: Senior Dan Amabile led Massabesic with 18 points and Ryan Gullikson finished the night with 16 … Kennebunk was led by MacKinnon with 19 points and Travon Bradford added 16. Bush chipped in with nine points and Lovejoy added seven … Kennebunk will make the trip to Biddeford on Monday, while Massabesic will visit Cheverus next Wednesday.

— 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.