It didn’t take long for the CCRI men’s basketball team to figure out what it’s good at: scoring. Through their first seven contests the Knights are averaging nearly 87 points per game and have three players averaging at least 14. CCRI has proven that its explosive offense can score against just about anybody – now the Knights are looking for ways to keep the competition off the scoreboard.

CCRI poured in 97 points against rival Dean College last Thursday, only to lose 99-97 in overtime. The frustrating conference loss dropped the Knights to 3-2 overall, 2-1 in Region XXI, and brought CCRI to an early-season crossroads: the Knights could continue to try and beat their opponents in high-scoring shootouts or they could shore up their defense and become a more balanced team.

They seemed to make their decision over the weekend.

Following the setback against Dean, the Knights took to the road for a pair of games against Central Maine and Southern Maine. CCRI won them both, averaging better than 88 points over the two games, but it was the team’s defense that made the difference in the pair of victories. And that’s a trend the Knights are hoping to continue.

“I tell the kids that when we win games it will be because we played good defense that night,” CCRI head coach Rick Harris said. “We have a great offense, but we’re not going to win because we outscore people. And you saw that against Dean. We scored enough to win but we gave up too many points. We have to take pride in our defense if we want to become the team that we know we can be. That hadn’t really happened yet, but now I think they’re starting to see it.”

The Knights won 80-64 on Saturday, limiting Central Maine to one of its lowest offensive totals of the season, and outlasted South Maine 97-92 on Sunday afternoon. And while giving up 92 points to the Seawolves wasn’t ideal, CCRI’s defensive effort down the stretch proved to be the key to the Knights’ win.

“We trailed the majority of that game,” Harris said. “We just couldn’t seem to stop them from scoring. If we extended outside, they hurt us inside and if we collapsed, they started hitting threes. We were mixing it up and trying to find an answer to stop them but it really came down to some of our kids stepping up and playing really well.”

Sophomore Colin Burns helped spearhead the against Southern Maine, with freshman Mike Rivera and sophomore Doran Mitchell coming off the bench to play important roles. Mitchell contributed three steals and five assists while Rivera picked up two steals and four assists in limited minutes late in the game.

“Those guys came in and just got their hands on the ball,” Harris said. “Whether we were playing zone or man, they were deflecting balls and making things happen. We were in a run when they came in and they led us intensity-wise. Their play made the difference for us.”

But don’t count on the Knights sacrificing their fast-paced offense to save their defense.

“Teams are going to score on us because we score a lot,” Harris said. “And we’re not going to hold ball and run down the clock. That’s not how we play. We could keep scores in the 60s if we wanted to slow things down, but if we take pride in our defense we can score and still become a real good defensive team.”

Burns finished with 21 points in the win over the Seawolves and is averaging 15 points per game this year. Sophomore Dave Storti (16 ppg) and sophomore Pat Sturdahl (14 ppg) have also made major contributions to CCRI’s up-tempo attack.

Storti ranks second overall in field goal percentage (71 percent) among D-II players with at least 40 field goals made. As a team, the Knights rank second overall in all of Division II in field goal percentage at 59 percent.

“We can score,” Harris said. “We can shoot the ball and we have a lot of quickness. Our athleticism and our quickness is our strength. We’re a three-guard offense and we have some real depth at the guard spot with Sturdahl, Mitchell, Rivera and Ricky Fuller. Then we’ve got Burns and Storti who are kind of 2-3 guys. That’s what makes us go.”

The Knights athleticism doesn’t mean that they’re lacking for power.

Freshman center T.J. McKeiver stands in at 6 feet, 7 inches and ranks fifth in the division with 69 rebounds in seven games. And in addition to leading the team in leaping ability, freshman forward Johnny Stovall also ranks eighth in the country in rebounding with 66. The two combined for 25 rebounds on Sunday and consistently provide CCRI with a powerful combination in the paint.

“We have more than enough inside,” Harris said. “McKeiver is a beast on the boards and he’s pretty nimble in the paint. He’s going to be a heck of a player for us. And Stovall is just a jumping jack. He had three more dunks on Sunday and finished with 10 rebounds and 16 points.”

With Sunday’s win the Knights improved to 5-2 overall and have some big games coming up on their schedule. CCRI will host Orange County Community College, a potential regional-playoff opponent, on Saturday at 2 p.m. and will travel to take on Massasoit, the top-shooting team in D-II, next Thursday.

“Orange County is an important game and then we’ve got a big conference game against Massasoit,” Harris said. “And CCRI has built up such a good reputation through the years that we’re going to get everyone’s best game. We have to be ready because of that. But this is a fun group, we have a good mix and we are very excited about this season.”