LEWISTON—Using a rotation of 11 players to run their game-long press, the Lewiston boys’ basketball team methodically wore down its opponent from Brewer Friday. Limiting the Witches to just four field goals in the second half, the Blue Devils ran away with a 62-41 victory.

The Blue Devils (3-0) led 29-25 at the break and upped the lead to 43-33 heading into the fourth quarter. From there it was all Blue Devils.

The quarter began with center Steven Patrie finding an open Corbin Hyde underneath for an easy lay-in. After an offensive rebound and bucket by Brewer’s Zach Violette, the home team began a 7-0 run. Donne Agossou hit a shot from the wing before senior Shawn Ricker stole the ball at half court and took it the distance to put Lewiston up 49-35. Ricker then found Patrie inside to start a conventional 3-point play.

“I think they were tired,” said Lewiston coach Tim Farrar. “We rotated 11 guys in and they played just seven.”

When the Witches (0-3) were able to beat the press in the fourth quarter, they hurried their shots. The Blue Devils would grab the rebound and it was back down to the other end.

Brewer guards Brendan Newcomb and Yuhi Sasaki combined to hit just 5-of-27 shots for the game while their two big men underneath were held to just 10 attempts.

“Their press took away our legs,” said Brewer coach Ben Goodwin. “It sped us up and we took the first shot instead of making them play half-court defense on us.”

The rest of the game it was showtime with reserve center Erik Wilson driving for one score before collecting a feed from Hyde for another. Later on it was Patrie stealing the ball and going in for a basket. Ricker capped the game by teasing the home crowd on an uncontested layup. Just as it appeared he was going to dunk the ball, he dropped it down through the hoop.

“Coach got us going,” said Patrie, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. “He was telling us what we could do and the rest was up to us.”

The Blue Devils received a lift in the first half from junior guard Josh Thomas who scored 13 of his game-high 16 points before intermission. Last year, Thomas didn’t even play basketball. All he’s done this season is put up double digits off the bench in all three games.

“He comes in and just steps it up and proves he deserves to be out there,” said Patrie. “He’s our spark off the bench.”

Thomas hit a pair of 3-pointers and played well on both ends of the court.

“He’s done that in all three games,” said Farrar. “He’s another starter for us. He just starts four minutes later.”

The first half saw the teams go back and forth with small runs. The Witches began the game with a 7-2 run, only to see Patrie convert a Ricker feed before knocking down a long jumper.

In the second quarter, the visitors were able to get their offense jelling. A Newcomb press-breaking bucket was soon followed by a top of the key jumper by sophomore guard Mike Ogbonna, who had a team-high 11 points.

“In the second quarter we got some great opportunities,” said Goodwin. “Everyone got a touch and we got some good shots.”

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