STANDISH – The Portland High School boys basketball team pulled off a pretty big upset Tuesday night, getting a solid road win over previously undefeated Bonny Eagle.

Portland’s Mike Herrick dropped 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulldogs (2-2) past the Scots (3-1). Portland’s Peter Donato led all scorers with 21 points in the 66-47 win.

Entering the game, the Scots were looking to cement their place as one of the best teams in the state thanks to their dominating backcourt led by Dustin Cole and Cole Libby. After dishing Thornton Academy their worst loss of the season last Friday, the Scots looked to continue their outstanding play against an underachieving Portland squad.

Rather than treating their home crowd to another dominating performance, the Scots found themselves in an unfamiliar situation as they trailed 14-11 after the first quarter.

Despite a hot start from Libby, the Scots struggled to contain the lanky Donato down low and he seemingly pulled down every rebound or at the very least got a hand on every loose ball in his direction.

“He’s a finesse player,” said Portland coach Joseph Russo in regards to Donato’s playing style. “We told him not to try and overpower somebody because they’re all stronger than he is. But he’s a great player. He made some quick moves tonight. Even though he’s played great defensively he just couldn’t score.”

Although his scoring presence had been virtually non-existent in Portland’s back-to-back losses to Marshwood and Cheverus, Russo did not believe that it was do to a lack of physical ability. Instead Russo said that Donato’s struggles on the offensive end were purely “mental stuff.”

Even with Donato playing his best game of the season on both ends of the court, the Scots were able to avoid Portland’s big man with solid outside shooting from Cole and Libby, who were Bonny Eagle’s top performers in the contest.

Cole and Libby were able to keep the game close and swing the momentum back in the Scots’ favor thanks to a phenomenally executed inbounds play that saw Cole throw up a lob from half court as Libby streaked towards the vacated backside of the basket. Libby caught the ball at its highest point and finished in one motion to produce the biggest roar from the rowdy Bonny Eagle supporters.

Cole’s hookup with Libby capped off a defensive second quarter that saw the Scots take a 22-21 lead into halftime.

The Scots took the court in the third still riding the wave of momentum and jumped out to their largest lead of the night thanks to excellent defense. After the Scots took a 28-21 lead in the third quarter, the Bulldogs dug deep and stormed back to take a 31-29 lead heading into the fourth following a prolonged offensive dry spell for the Scots.

Portland’s second half reawakening was an encouraging sign for Russo, who discussed his team’s recent second-half struggles.

“Against Marshwood we were winning at halftime, came out, didn’t play well and lost,” he said. “Against Cheverus, we were trailing by two, didn’t play well in the second half and lost. We really stressed how important the second half was and they just played a little tougher tonight.”

The Bulldogs’ second-half toughness was put on display during the fourth quarter as Herrick and Donato took over the contest.

Even with Libby and Cole starting to heat up on the offensive end, Herrick was perfectly content with trading baskets, as he was able to penetrate the paint and finish contested shots while getting the Scots into foul trouble. When Herrick was unable to finish, Donato was able to use his height advantage around the basket to help the Bulldogs hang 35 fourth quarter points on the Scots.

“We needed it more than they did,” Russo said. “(Bonny Eagle) probably doesn’t believe that right now, but we did.”

The convincing road win gave Russo some hope for the rest of the season. “If we keep Mike Herrick healthy and Javon Pitts-Young stops following out every game and Nate Smart and Pete play together, then we are as good as anybody,” he said.

Russo said the Bulldogs’ ability to overcome a deficit on the road was a key factor in the win. “The most paramount thing was coming back after being down seven to a quality team in their gym,” he said. “It was awesome.”