Midway through the regular season, Joe Johnson, the Scarborough boys’ basketball coach, likes the way his team has fought back after losing two straight games early.

Johnson will look for more consistency from his team the rest of the season because, at least through the first nine games, “it’s been a roller coaster,” he said.

The latest thrill was a 58-43 win Tuesday over Cheverus, the defending Western Class A champion.

The Red Storm placed three players in double figures in improving to 5-4. They are ranked sixth in the Heal point standings heading into tonight’s game at Noble. Scarborough hosts Deering at 1 p.m. Monday.

Johnson’s assessment through nine games is apt. The team opened with a five-point win at Gorham, lost to Westbrook and Marshwood, then beat Windham. The Red Storm followed with a 3-point loss to Portland before playing in the Red Claws Christmas Tournament at the Expo, which they won by beating Greely in the final.

Then it was back to the regular season and a 28-point win over Biddeford, followed by a 21-point loss to South Portland. The Red Storm evened their record at 4-4 with a 49-44 victory over Thornton Academy a week ago, setting the stage for the Cheverus upset.

The Red Storm are where they are because of offensive balance, aggressive defense, a strong work ethic and senior leadership.

“I feel we’re starting to come together,” said Johnson.

“Defensively, we’re pretty physical and we’ve got guys who can shoot. I think we’re a tough team to scout because we have a number of scorers. We can play guys in different situations.”

The Red Storm start Dylan Russo and Brendan Hall in the backcourt with Ben Wessel, Kolbey Adams and David Conceison in the frontcourt. Kevin Manning, Connor McCann, Johnny Passarelli, John Wheeler come off the bench.

Against Cheverus, Wessel got the Red Storm off to a fast start by scoring 12 of his team-high 14 points in the opening quarter as they jumped out to an 18-11 lead. Manning scored eight of his 11 points in the second quarter to keep his team in front. Hall was the other double-figure scorer with 10.

Johnson said Manning has “a pretty jump shot.”

“Kevin has been the best shooter in our program for two years,” he said.

Every player has a role, and the starting five can all shoot the 3-pointer. Wessel is asked to guard the opponent’s best player and also score. Hall, the point guard, looks to control the tempo. Adams is a physical player and rebounder. McCann is a defensive specialist. Conceison plays power forward and is arguably the most improved player. Wheeler is the backup point guard.

The Red Storm are determined to make the tournament this season after finishing 8-10 a year ago. Their recent surge gives them confidence that they will be in the postseason, but Johnson knows his team will have to continue its strong play.

“It’s still only January,” he said.

A DEERING and Cheverus game is usually not just another regular-season game. Such is the case tonight when the local rivals meet at Cheverus. Deering (9-0) is ranked first in Western Class A, while the Stags (7-2) are second. Because Cheverus has dropped two of its last three games, the game carries a little more weight for the Stags.

“It’s a statement game,” said Cheverus Coach Bob Brown. “Can we play with Deering? They’re obviously No. 1 and very talented.”

Another SMAA rivalry game has Portland at South Portland, both 7-2 teams. It’s a boys-girls doubleheader at Beal Gym. The girls will play at 5:30 and the boys will follow.

JOSH BRITTEN became the third Yarmouth player to score 1,000 points. Britten scored 25 points in a win over Poland on Tuesday night to surpass the milestone. He has 1,011 points.

John Murphy is the career leader with 1,206 points. He graduated in 2009. The first to go over 1,000 points was Steve Morris in 1968. He finished with 1,024 points.

Britten has a good chance to surpass Murphy, as the Clippers have nine regular-season games left and also have a chance to make a deep run in the Western Class B tournament.

LIAM MAKER of Greely scored 47 points last Tuesday at Traip Academy in what could be an all-time school record. At least it is in Coach Ken Marks’ 25-year tenure with the Rangers. Travis Seaver and Chis Young held the previous high during that span with 38 points. Remarkably, Maker had only one 3-pointer. The majority of his points came on drives to the basket. He shot 17 of 22 from the floor and saved his most productive quarter for the end, as he tallied 19 points in the fourth to enable Greely (5-4) to fend off Traip, 86-76.

“Our goal for the second half of the season is to become more aggressive offensively,” said Marks. “Liam is taking it upon himself to get us over the hump. He was driven.”

Maker, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored 15 points in the first half and 32 in the second.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH