READFIELD — Of all the Maine boys basketball teams that were expected to improve significantly this year, the Maranacook boys were probably near the top of the list. This week has been a good test of that forecast.

The Black Bears survived tough road games against Monmouth Academy and Mount View earlier this week. They kept their roll going Saturday night, defeating visiting Mt. Abram 76-64 in a fast-paced Mountain Valley Conference showdown.

“There were a lot of people who thought we were going to be really good, but we had to prove it,” said Maranacook coach Travis Magnusson. “We were (8-11) last year, so at the start of this year, we hadn’t proved anything yet. To be 4-0, I honestly didn’t expect it.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Jack Fontaine erupted in the first quarter. The Maranacook junior drained three 3-pointers as part of a 15-point quarter to pace the Black Bears to a 25-21 lead. It was a much-needed burst from Fontaine, as Mt. Abram’s offense was in a rhythm of its own, led by Killian Pillsbury with 11 points.

• Gage Mattson sealed the deal. Although Maranacook led by as many as 20 points in the second half, Mt. Abram (2-2) briefly pulled within nine. But Mattson, a freshman, scored eight points in the fourth quarter to keep the Black Bears in control.

“I think (my early success this season is a product of) playing with my teammates’ energy,” Mattson said. “Offensive rebounding — getting those easy two points — free throws and all of that stuff has helped contribute to the team.”

• Maranacook dominated Mt. Abram on the boards. Although the Roadrunners’ Brennan Mitchell brought down 14 rebounds, the Black Bears had a 45-27 rebounding edge.

WHAT IT MEANS

• Maranacook, which not only returned the majority of last year’s roster but also added Mattson and got senior Elijah Freeman back from injury, has exceeded expectations. The duo of Fontaine and Mattson has been fruitful for the Black Bears, the early leader in Class C South.

“We’re just a lot closer, I feel like,” Fontaine said. “We work well as a team. It’s great to have Elijah back; we lost him in the fourth game (last year), and he’s picking up a new role. He’s playing well, Gage is playing well — the whole team is playing well, and we love each other.”

• Mt. Abram has lost back-to-back games for the first time since January 2022. The Roadrunners, who fell 87-57 against Monmouth Academy on Thursday, lost just once all last season en route to their first state title.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“We weren’t rebounding well early, but we did better after that. We really tried to put bodies on more guys instead of just going after it. We don’t want to try and block shots; we want to take charges and then box out. We tried to block too many shots in the first half, and that had us messed up a little bit.” — Travis Magnusson

“My teammates were just finding me, and I was taking what the defense gave me. I felt good in warmups, and our team played great in the first quarter. … We’ll work on (what we did wrong) in practice, and we’ll get it back for our next game Tuesday.” — Jack Fontaine

STAT LEADERS

• Mt. Abram: Brennan Mitchell (30 points, 14 rebounds), Killian Pillsbury (19 points)

• Maranacook: Jack Fontaine (27 points, nine rebounds), Gage Mattson (24 points, 12 rebounds), Elijah Freeman (seven rebounds)

UP NEXT

• Mt. Abram: vs. Hall-Dale (3-0), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

• Maranacook: vs. Oak Hill (1-1), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday