KITTERY — The turnaround continues.

The Wells boys basketball team, on the heels of a disappointing loss to York on Tuesday, bounced back with a 74-58 win over Traip Academy on Friday night.

The win continues the amazing turnaround for the Warriors, who were 2-16 last season, as Wells boasts a 9-5 record on the season. The win is the Warriors eighth in the last 10 games, after the Warriors began the season at 1-3.

The turnaround has not been lost on the mind of Wells head coach Troy Brown.

“We are just so happy that we’ve worked hard and have played in meaningful games at this point in the season,” Brown said.

The Warriors showcased on Friday night what has gotten the team to this point in the season; scoring from both forward Alex Furness and guard Paul McDonough, as well as well-rounded bench play.

McDonough was red-hot from the start, scoring 22 of his game-high 25 points in the first half. Furness spread the scoring out, notching 11 points per half for 22 in the game, but helped nail the dagger in the Rangers in the third quarter before both he and McDonough gave way to the Wells bench in the fourth.

“That’s where we need to be as we ease down the road to the tournament, if we’re going to be a tournament team,” Brown said. “If we have a team that’s going to make a mark up in Portland, we need those two guys to take the bulk of the scoring, but also get everyone involved, and I think they did a nice job of that tonight. I think they let the game come to them tonight, which was real nice to see, they didn’t force a lot.”

The Warriors started scoring right out of the gate, notching 27 points in the first quarter alone. Wells went to the locker room at halftime with a comfortable 40-26 lead.

Traip (7-7) made its biggest comeback attempt in the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run at one point. But Furness kept the momentum on the Warriors side, throwing down a one-handed dunk on a fast break, and McDonough nailed one of his four 3-pointers to keep a 14-point lead at the end of the quarter. The Warriors reserves entered the contest in the fourth quarter, and were led by Dylan Stevens and Cole Boston, who each scored four points.

Brown was impressed with the Warriors attacking style during the game.

“I think the biggest improvement we’ve made since the York game is attacking the 2-3 zone,” Brown said. “We were also getting some nice looks inside, getting fouled, and getting to the free throw line. Really penetrating the middle [of the zone], finding the baseline finding the baseline cutter for either a layup or a foul. I also thought our [defensive] pressure, our three quarter court pressure kept the tempo up. That’s what we need to do when a team plays a 2-3, we need to get the rebound so we don’t have to face it every single possession, because we’re not a possession team. We like to get out and go, and we need to do that a lot more.”

With the win, Wells is seventh in the Western Class B standings, and have an important contest on the road Feb. 1 against Cape Elizabeth. The Capers are 11-3 on the season, good enough for second in Western Class B, trailing only Greely, who are 12-1 this season.

The Capers beat Wells 61-40 in the opening game of the season on Dec. 10.

“That’s a big game for us,” Brown said. “We played them tough for three-and-a-half quarters at home. They went on a little blitz in the fourth and kind of put us away, and put us away good. I think we need to go up there, not make a statement, but play well against a good basketball team. Have a meaningful fourth quarter, and be in a position where it will be a tournament-type atmosphere.”

An atmosphere Wells should get used to.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.