CORINTH – For the Penquis Patriots, offensive execution so far this winter is admittedly a work in progress.

But defense? That’s been a staple of the program’s success throughout its recent run at the forefront of the Eastern Class C boys basketball world – and nothing has changed.

Led by brothers Justin and Jordan Allen and junior forward Devin Perkins, the Milo-based Patriots limited Central High to 29 percent shooting from the field Monday night to earn a 58-35 victory over the host Red Devils.

Only an overtime loss to Class B power Hermon separates 8-1 Penquis from an unbeaten record, and over the last two seasons the Patriots are now 25-4.

“We have high expectations for ourselves because of last year,” said Justin Allen, a senior guard who finished with 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds. “We were right in [the tournament] last year, and we came back out and worked hard to get back there again this year.”

Perkins returned after missing most of the first quarter with a bloody nose to score a team-high 15 points. Jordan Allen, a junior guard, contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.

“That’s a tough trio,” said Penquis coach Tony Hamlin. “It’s hard to avoid guarding all of them.”

The Penquis formula is basic: Hold your opponents to, say, 45 points or less, and then you need only 46 or more to win.

“We just want to deny the lane and make it difficult for teams to function for 32 minutes,” said Hamlin, whose club is allowing 42 points per game.

“They’ll function for a while but generally as the game wears on it will be harder for teams to score if we continually apply pressure.”

Adding to the Patriots’ defensive success against Central was the fact they did it without fouling – sending Central to the line for only four free throws. While Penquis shot just 5 of 14 from the line, that was still one point better than the Red Devils, who were 3 of 4.

And when the Patriots forced turnovers, they capitalized. Penquis forced five turnovers in the second quarter, and scored off each to build a 23-12 halftime lead.

Perkins sparked a 7-0 run to start the second period. First he fed Jordan Allen for a layup after a steal by freshman Alex Zwicker. Perkins then hit a 3-pointer, and converted a Jordan Allen steal into a layup to give Penquis a 17-6 lead and force a Central timeout with 6:15 left in the half.

“The turnovers hurt us,” said Central coach Eric Smith, whose youthful Red Devils (3-8) were coming off a solid win over Dexter. “They’re a team that keeps the pressure on you.”

Central crept within 24-17 on a basket by junior forward Mike Julian early in the second half, and was within 36-28 as junior guard Joey Kane scored five of his team-high 14 points in the third period and freshman guard Danny Kane hit a 3-pointer from near the midcourt stripe as the quarter ended.

But Penquis outscored Central 11-2 over the first 4:27 of the final period to put the game away. Perkins went inside to score six points during that stretch, while Justin Allen added a baseline drive and center Nick Young scored on a follow-up shot. When Drew Hamlin made 1 of 2 from the line with 3:33 to play, the Patriots were back to a 47-30 cushion.

“This group doesn’t have a lot of swagger,” said coach Hamlin. “Sometimes I wish they had more confidence, because I don’t think they fully appreciate how many games they’ve won and how other people might view them. You’ve got to have a little swagger and a little confidence, but this group isn’t that way.

“But they are a tenacious group, they don’t want to lose.”

PATRIOTS 58, RED DEVILS 35

Penquis (8-1) Central (3-8)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Jo. Allen 6 14 1 2 14 Underhill 1 4

Ju. Allen 4 9 3 9 12 Parker 0 0 0

Andrews 1 1 0 0 2 Palmer 0 1 0

Faulkingham 1 1 0 0 2 Strout 1 3 2

Hamlin 1 4 1 2 3 Smith 0 0 0

Carey 0 1 0 0 0 Elliott 2 14 4

Perkins 7 10 0 1 15 J. Kane 6 15 14

Young 4 7 0 0 8 D. Kane 2 6 5

Morrill 0 0 0 0 0 Julian 3 4 6

Zwicker 1 2 0 0 2 Nickerson 0 0

Totals 25 49 5 14 58 15 52 35

Penquis 10 23 36 58

Central 6 12 28 35

3-pt. goals ? Penquis (3-6): Perkins 1-1, Jo. Allen 1-2, Ju. Allen 1-3; Central (2-9): J. Kane 1-2, D. Kane 1-3, Underhill 0-1, Elliott 0-3

Attendance: 400 (est.)

JV: Penquis 52-51