DIXFIELD — There was little doubt who was in control when the Dirigo boys’ basketball team rallied to remain unbeaten in a Mountain Valley Conference game Saturday night.

An eruption in the second half and the Cougars’ adjustments — both physically and mentally — helped pave the way in a 71-58 triumph over Hall-Dale at Defoe Gymnasium.

Senior Robbie Babb and freshman Riley Robinson each scored a game-high 20 points, and an 18-4 advantage on the free-throw line helped lead the offense.

Dirigo was nearly the victim of looking too far ahead, as Hall-Dale jumped in front by double digits early. This was only enhanced by the Cougars’ cold shooting and an inability to get back defensively, which led to numerous fast breaks for the Bulldogs.

“We mixed things up in the second half,” Dirigo coach Travis Magnusson said. ”We used a couple defenses that we hadn’t shown before, but it came down to our pick-up intensity level and the pressure defense. We had to come back after having been down by 14 points.”

Dirigo (5-0) went on an 11-2 run in the third quarter behind a pair of baskets by Kaine Hutchins and a basket and free throws by Babb to trail, 44-41. A putback by Dylan Kidder off a missed free throw and a 3-pointer by freshman Gavin Arsenault gave the Cougars a 47-46 lead at the end of three quarters.

“Our intensity really helped us turn things around for us in the second half,” said Babb, who scored three-straight baskets in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. ”The level of energy was high on the bench as well as the players on the floor. Once we got every thing going, we looked to attack, and it opened up our transition game.”

Hall-Dale (3-2) didn’t go away and regained the lead on a basket by Wesley LaPointe and a trey by guard Michael Woods (17 points, three treys). Several second-chance baskets and 49 percent shooting that aided the Bulldogs’ cause.

Dirigo refused to panic and erased the deficit with 10-straight points by Robinson, including two treys, a basket and four free throws. A trey by T.J. Frost (seven points, seven steals) gave the Cougars an insurmountable 60-51 lead. Dirigo outscored the Bulldogs 24-6 in the final six minutes of the game.

”We had a lot of respect for Hall Dale,” Magnusson said. ”A big difference was when Sam Shepard (12 points, nine rebounds) picked up his fourth foul (5:04 left in third quarter) and I bet he sat for 10-12 minutes, and we were able to take advantage.”

The Bulldogs led 25-12 before a huge run pulled Dirigo to within 29-26 following a conventional three-point play by Babb. The Cougars committed eight turnovers in the game.