BRUNSWICK — Scrappy, physical, intense and disruptive.

That’s how the Brunswick boys basketball team plays defense, and the Dragons are proud of it.

“It’s what our identity is,” senior guard Brendan Shaw said.

“That’s just really what we’re going for, is a defensive-minded team that can speed players up and turn the ball over, play fast, capitalize those (mistakes) into offensive points,” added junior guard Jonny Porter.

Brunswick (2-1) did just that on Saturday in a 64-30 win over Messalonskee (1-3).

The Dragons made 27 deflections, leading to 17 points off 16 turnovers. Senior guard Logan Gray (six points) and sophomore guard Owen Quinn (seven points) each grabbed four steals.

Shaw was the leading scorer with 16 points (all in the first half) and Porter added eight points and two assists off the bench. Nine players scored for the hosts, and seven made at least three shots.

After Messalonskee scored the game’s opening bucket, Brunswick went on a 15-0 run over the next three minutes. Shaw made his first three 3-point attempts, then Porter either scored or assisted on the Dragons’ next eight points. Seconds before the first-quarter buzzer, Shaw made his fourth 3-pointer for a 24-6 lead.

“I haven’t been shooting well recently, but it’s great to get it started off on a good note,” Shaw said.

Brunswick’s game against Lewiston on Wednesday was postponed because of weather conditions, so the Dragons were trying to clear their mind of last Saturday’s loss at Bangor.

“We had five practices in a row … so we were ready to play,” coach Ben Clark said. “I felt like they came out and really turned up the pressure, and when we pressure the ball like that, and we can be that disruptive on (defense), I think we can be pretty good.”

Brunswick kept pressing in the second quarter to extend its lead to 37-16, then ratcheted up the defense after the halftime break.

Messalonskee’s Sean Achorn found Anderson Arbour for a 3-pointer on an inbounds play, but the Eagles were held scoreless for the remaining 7:31 of the third quarter. The Dragons led 53-19 heading into the fourth.

“Their length, their size, athleticism, they’re well-coached, so it’s extremely disruptive,” first-year Messalonskee coach Seth Farrington said. “It looks like there’s almost an extra player out there defensively.”

Senior guard Jeziah Stone led Messalonskee with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Peyton Kidd added seven first-half points and three steals.

Clark said his team is able to play disruptive defense because of high-effort practices and an unselfish team attitude.

“We talk about the ball’s got to move, and you got to trust each other. You got to do it together on offense, but we got to do it together on defense, too. You got to trust that if you’re going to leave your guy, if you’re going to pressure like that, that you’ve got a teammate who’s got your back behind you. So I think this group’s really bought into that.”