JONESPORT – The Narraguagus Knights are a bit of a schoolboy basketball contradiction, in that they typically complement the fast pace of full court defensive pressure with the more deliberate nature of a patient offense.

That combination, and the ability to capitalize on available fast break opportunities, were pivotal Wednesday night as the Harrington-based Knights held off Jonesport-Beals 67-62 in a matchup of two of the hotter teams in the Downeast Athletic Conference.

“We ran the ball well tonight,” said Knights’ senior gaurd Jason Strout. “Normally we slow the ball down more and try to be more consistent, but tonight we hit the open man when we ran and we shot well.”

Narraguagus, ranked sixth in Eastern Maine Class C as the week began, iis now 9-3 with its seventh straight victory. Jonesport-Beals, 13th in Eastern D, saw its eight-game winning streak end and fell to 8-5.

“The way the Heal Points are shaping up, this was a huge game for both teams,” said Narraguagus coach Ron Brown. “This is a big win for us. The kids are really starting to come together, and if we can continue to learn the difference between good shots and bad shots, we’ll be OK.”

Narraguagus used strong perimeter defense to force Jonesport-Beals into 22 turnovers, 14 in the first half as the Knights built a 30-16 lead.

Jonesport-Beals rallied in the second half behind the play of 6-foot-1 post players Derrick Beal (21 of his 23 points in the second half) and Erik Balchen (17 points off the bench), but the battle back from a double-digit deficit proved too much against a balanced Narraguagus attack that featured four scorers in double figures.

“We had way too many turnovers,” said Jonesport-Beals coach Ordie Alley. “They’ve got a lot of good athletes, and a whole group of good shooters.”

Senior forward Jamie Bailey led the Knights with 17 points, despite being the focus of a box-and-one defense in the first half. Strout added 14 points, while Saben Rossi contributed 12 points, five assists, and a solid defensive effort against Jonesport-Beals standout Abraham Beal.

Beal scored 16 points, but nine came on three 3-pointers in the game’s final minute.

“[Jonesport-Beals] is big and they rebound well,” said Bailey. “And we know they have a good shooter in Abraham, but we feel like we have one of the best defenders in Saben Rossi and he shuts players down well.”

The Knights also got a big lift from junior Cory Worcester, who scored 11 points overall and hit a pair of 3-pointers to key a 10-2 run at the end of the second quarter that gave Narraguagus its 14-point lead at the break.

Jonesport-Beals began working the ball inside early in the second half, and Derrick Beal and Balchen combined to score seven unanswered points as the Royals pulled within 30-23 midway through the third quarter.

But Bailey stemmed that momentum with a 3-point goal, and Strout scored twice during a subsequent 9-0 run that pushed the Narraguagus lead back to 49-34 by the end of the period.

The Knights held a 63-47 cushion when Eric Peltier converted a three-point play with 1:51 left in the game, but Derrick Beal scored four points and Abraham Beal followed with three straight from beyond the arc.

But while the Royals were scoring, they couldn’t force enough late Narraguagus turnovers, as Zach Worcester and Cory Worcester converted press-breaking layups to keep the Royals at bay.

KNIGHTS 67, ROYALS 62

Narraguagus (9-3) Jonesport-Beals (8-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

C. Worcester 4 4 0 2 11 Alley 0 1 0

Checker 0 2 0 2 0 Balchen 8 16 17

Strout 7 15 0 3 14 A. Beal 6 17 16

Bailey 7 14 2 3 17 D. Beal 9 13 23

Rossi 6 10 0 0 12 Berry 0 4 0

Z. Worcester 2 4 0 0 4 Chandler 3 6

Peltier 3 10 3 5 9 Lamson 0 2 0

Griffin 0 1 0 0

Libby 0 1 0 0

Totals 29 59 5 15 67 Totals 26 61 15 62

Narraguagus 14 30 49 67

Jonesport-Beals 10 16 34 62

3-pt. goals ? Narraguagus (4-8): C. Worcester 3-3, Bailey 1-2, Checker 0-1, Peltier 0-2; Jonesport-Beals (3-9): A. Beal 3-7, Alley 0-1, D. Beal 0-1

Attendance: 450 (est.)

JV: Jonesport-Beals 90-58