BANGOR – P.J. Dowe would prefer being back in the starting lineup for the Bangor Rams.

But the 6-foot-2 senior forward made the most of a reserve role Thursday night, hustling his way to six points, five rebounds, and a blocked shot in the fourth quarter as Bangor rallied to edge Brewer 45-43 in a Big East Conference boys basketball matchup at the Bangor Auditorium.

“I’m trying to get my spot back,” said Dowe. “I haven’t made many shots lately. I just wanted to come out and help the team, distribute the ball, go to the boards, try to make some shots, and make something happen.”

The win was the third straight for 4-4 Bangor, and during that stretch the Rams have allowed only 36.3 points per game.

“We’re a team based on defense; it’s what drives us,” said Dowe, who finished with a game-high nine rebounds. “We feed off our defense, and we played pretty good defense in the second half tonight and it fueled our comeback.”

Senior forward Mike Prentiss teamed with Dowe to help Bangor control the inside during the second half. He finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

“I thought they played great defensively throughout the game and gave us great moments off the boards, and they also hit some key baskets and free throws,” said Bangor coach Roger Reed.

Junior guard Aaron Gallant contributed a team-high 15 points for the Rams, as well as a strong defensive effort against Brewer standout Andy Frost. Frost scored 11 points, but made only 4 of 18 shots.

Sophomore guard Chris Wilson paced 2-5 Brewer with a game-high 22 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field.

Bangor scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to erase a seven-point deficit. Dowe made four straight free throws, then fed Gallant for a 3-pointer to forge a 35-35 tie. After Chad Astle made 1 of 2 from the line, Dowe worked the low post for a basket to give Bangor a 38-35 edge with 2:27 left.

Frost made a free throw with 2:12 left to account for Brewer’s first point of the final period, but the Witches got no closer than two points as Prentiss made one of two from the line and Jordan Heath hit four straight free throws in the game’s final 16.4 seconds.

“I thought both teams played pretty well,” said Reed. “We’re growing and getting deeper, right now we’re doing it by committee really.”

Gallant scored the game’s first two baskets before Wilson and Frost combined to score the next 16 points, with each accounting for two 3-pointers and eight total points.

But it was Bangor that ended the period on a high, as Prentiss beat the buzzer with a running 3-pointer to draw the Rams within 16-8.

“When Brewer had that 16-0 run on us, we could have packed it in but we didn’t,” Reed said. “We called time and I told them we’ve got to start playing it one possession at a time and work our way back into it and let the game play out, and we did that.”

That five-point run to end the quarter evolved into a 16-4 Bangor blitz as Gallant scored six points and Astle made a pair of 3-pointers to rally the Rams to a 20-20 tie, and teams remained stalemated at 22-22 at intermission.

Brewer reasserted itself in the third quarter, outscoring Bangor 11-3 over the final 4:08 of the period. Again Wilson was a catalyst, starting the run with a pair of jumpers. After Drew Francis scored twice on Frost feeds, Wilson converted a three-point play as the Witches took a 35-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

RAMS 45, WITCHES 43

Bangor (4-4) Brewer (2-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Heath 1 5 4 5 6 Wilson 8 12 22

Gallant 6 15 2 2 15 Bell 1 9 2

Dowe 1 4 4 5 6 Craig 0 2 0 0

Astle 2 5 1 2 7 Frost 4 18 11

Prentiss 3 7 3 6 10 Francis 3 3 6

Derosa 0 0 0 0 0 Miller 1 2 2

Anderson 0 0 0 0 0 Babin 0 0 0

Trundy 0 2 1 2 1 MacDonald 0 0

Young 0 0 0 0

Totals 13 38 15 22 45 17 47 43

Bangor 8 22 28 45

Brewer 16 22 13 43

3-pt. goals ? Bangor (4-13): Astle 2-5, Prentiss 1-1, Gallant 1-4, Heath 0-3; Brewer (5-19): Wilson 3-6, Frost 2-6, Craig 0-1, Miller 0-1, MacDonald 0-1, Bell 0-4

Attendance: 700 (est.)