BLACKSTONE -- When the defense is tough and the outside shot just isn’t working, it’s always best to get a closer view.

Justin Lewis netted 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and teammate Kevin Nee added a dozen points and 13 boards as Dual Valley Conference leader Hopedale High defeated Blackstone Millville Regional, 62-55, last night before a boisterous crowd at the BMR gymnasium.

After trailing 14-4 midway into the first half -- a victim of a stingy defense from a pumped-up Charger squad and some cold shooting beyond the paint -- the Raiders moved their offense under the basket.

As it turned out, that strategy worked to perfection.

With Lewis and the Nee leading the show, Hopedale eventually cut its deficit to two points by halftime at 28-26. Then the talented tandem ignited the second half as the Raiders nearly all of their points from underneath or from the free throw line (10-for-19). By game’s end, Hopedale had just four field goals from beyond the paint with just one of those coming in the final 16 minutes of play.

Lewis, who was 0-for-2 from the foul line, scored all of his points within two feet of the basket. Nee, the muscle-bound senior, snatched nearly all of his rebounds in the latter half.

"Justin Lewis and Kevin Nee did a great job inside and that was the difference," said Raider coach Tony Cordani. "Their defense forced us into not a great night offensively. The offensive rebounds were there for us tonight and that was the difference. Their defense was tough and they worked hard. They gave us everything we could handle."

Sophomore Alex Curry and freshman Jason Niro were the rebound leaders for BMR with just five apiece. Curry and junior Ron Powers each scored 16 points to lead the Chargers offensively. But Powers, who generally averages 8-10 boards a game, had only two rebounds yesterday.

"We knew the key to this game was rebounds and in the second half we just didn’t get those rebounds," BMR head coach Ethan Roe. "The first half we kept them off the boards but in the second half Nee and Lewis did a tremendous job. When you give them two, three or four shots..hey are either going to get fouled or get them in. They did a helluva job. That’s a good team over there."

With the victory, Hopedale improves to 4-0 in the DVC (9-1 overall). The Chargers drop to 1-2 in the league (1-5 overall).

Neither team could be blamed for a lack of hustle with both squads sticking with a man-to-man defense and fast-paced offense throughout the night. With five different players involved in the scoring, BMR broke open a 4-4 game at the start with 10 unanswered points for their 14-4 advantage with a little more than eight minutes left in the half. Matt Marcoux (10 points) scored four points during the streak on two baskets from just inside the arc. Powers, who also had four, scored the final points of the run when he made a nice move through a crowded lane and scooped in a shot off the glass.

The Raiders then began to shift their attack closer and slowly whittled down the lead, getting within four, at 20-16, with 6:17 remaining. Highlighted by a three-pointer from Curry, BMR went on a 7-2 run to jack the lead back to double digits at 28-18.

Hopedale was able to get it to two points by the half (28-26) by scoring eight points in 1:45. Ironically, six of those points came on a pair of three-pointers from Kevin Binney and Barrett Dziok. "We seemed to miss a lot of inside shots (at the beginning)," said Cordani. "We were cold from the floor. It was just a matter of time before the shots when in we just had to be patient. They fought back to get that lead to two at halftime and that was important."

After dead-locking the score twice in the early stages of the second half at 30-30 and 32-32, the Raiders took the lead for good on a nice move to the basket by Dziok with 12:32 remaining. Lewis scored 14 of his points in the final half.

"There is nothing they should hang their heads about," Roe said. "We did everything we could do. It was just we were out-rebounded in the second half. It all came down to rebounds. We didn’t win the battle of the boards and that’s what the game comes down to when it’s physical."

HOPEDALE (62) -- Kevin Nee 4 4-6 12, Kevin Binney 2 2-5 7, Barrett Dziok 4 3-3 12, Scott Fletcher 0 0-0 0, Justin Lewis 13 0-3 26, Mathew Stevens 2 1-2 5, Neil Tenenholtz 0 0-0 0, Steve Dorsey 0 0-0 0, Craig Gannon 0 0-0 0, Dan Villani 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 25 10-19 62

BMR (55) -- Chris Barroso 0 0-0 0, Tim Blakeney 0 0-0 0, Alex Curry 6 1-3 16, Mike Hill 0 0-0 0, Kevin Kenney 0 0-0 0, Matt Marcoux 5 0-0 10, Doug Meade 3 0-2 6, Jason Niro 1 0-0 2, Rob Paterson 0 0-0 0, Dere4k Pennie 0 1-2 1, Ron Powers 6 4-4 16, Bill Rival 2 0-0 4. Totals -- 23 6-11 55.

Halftime -- B, 28-26. Three-point goals -- H (2): Binney 1, Dziok 1. B (3): Curry 3. ©The Call 2003