BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford boys basketball team got a big win on Friday night against Massabesic, and not just because the Tigers rallied back from a double-digit halftime deficit. Biddeford won for the first time this season ”“ and last season for that matter. After going 0-18 a year ago, The Tigers ”“ and second-year head coach Justin Tardif ”“ finally felt the thrill of victory after starting this season 0-2.

“It felt great because we’ve been working hard for two years and it finally paid off,” said sophomore captain Patrick Pearl, who scored a game-high 20 points in the 57-54 win.

“I was so happy for the six returning players that had to deal with the season last year. I was so happy for them, because they worked really hard in the offseason and in the summer,” said Tardif, a 2004 Biddeford graduate that took over for his former coach, Mike Fecteau, before last season. “We worked as hard as a team that was trying to go for a state championship, and here we are just trying to go for our first win.”

That elusive first victory didn’t come in Biddeford’s first two games, as they faced SMAA playoff regulars in Scarborough and Gorham, but against a fellow struggling program in Massabesic, Tardif said he felt like his team had a chance.

“We had played them tough the first time we played them last year, so there’s no question there was some confidence. If there was a game that we were going to win, Massabesic was one of those games that we had a better chance than playing against Portland or Cheverus or Deering,” said Tardif.

The Mustangs also came into the game winless ”“ after losing at Portland in its only previous game of the season ”“ but they proved to be a difficult opponent in taking a 33-22 halftime lead on their home court. Despite no one on the current roster having won a varsity game, the Tigers still believed they had a chance in the second half.

“Everyone on our team stayed positive and stayed together,” said sophomore captain Austin Dutremble. “We knew we were still in the game, we knew that we could win, and all we had to do was come out strong in the second half and that’s what we did.”

“Our coach, he said ”˜just one basket at a time. Get a couple stops.’ It was a big change when we started getting turnovers and you could get easy buckets,” said junior captain Jason Vadnais, who hit a big 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to cut the deficit to six.

The Tigers kept momentum going in the fourth quarter, as they outscored Massabesic. The Mustangs scored just 21 points in the second half, as Tardif’s team played a tough man-to-man defense that stifled the Massabesic attack.

When the final horn sounded, the Biddeford players ”“ and coach ”“ were finally able to happily walk into the locker room and celebrate after a 20-game losing streak.

“It was a great feeling. After all the hard work we put in we finally have something to show for it,” said Dutremble.

“It was just kind of a bad mood for the rest of the night after all the losses, and it felt good to just ”¦ everyone could be happy and in a great mood after the game,” Pearl said of a different feeling in the locker room after a long-awaited win.

The players were especially happy to see their coach get his first coaching victory, which came much later than any new coach could hope for.

“It was great to see that because I know how much he’s invested in the program, and how much time he puts in. He was so excited for that win,” Pearl said of Tardif.

“He was really happy. As soon as we got into the locker room he told us that we’re going out to dinner after to celebrate,” said Vadnais.

Tardif said he told his team that he admired them for staying coachable and continuing to work hard and believing in what he and the coaching staff were preaching despite not winning a game last year. Now that the elusive victory has finally come, Tardif said he wonders what his team can accomplish next.

“Now the thing that I’m interested to see is where we do go from here, since we got that monkey off the back. Will that confidence now kind of lend itself to some other wins now?” said Tardif.

The Tigers will get their first shot at another win when they host 1-2 Westbrook on Tuesday.

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.