HB's Alton Williams goes up for two against Souhegan's Ryland Raudelunas (14) and Sean Zerega (24) during Tuesday night's Division II clash in Hollis. (Photo by Rubén M. De Jesús)

HOLLIS — After struggling the past few seasons, it’s clear that the Hollis-Brookline boys basketball team is heading in the right direction.

The Cavaliers shined Tuesday night with their fast-paced defense as they secured a statement win against the Souhegan Sabers, 61-33.

“We had a couple of really, really fast stops of a drive simply because of our gap recognition,” said HB Coach Ryan Kelley, his team now 7-3 in Division II after a 1-2 start.

From tipoff, the 6-foot-6 Alton Williams (17 points, 7 rebounds), Yarie Ramas (11 points), and James Arthur (13 points, three 3-pointers) were electric on both sides of the ball. From racking up steals for easy transition offense to hitting timely 3-pointers, the Cavaliers looked like a brand new team from the last couple of seasons.

“Williams had a really strong, under-control game tonight–other than the missed dunk,” Kelley added with a laugh.

It wasn’t so one-sided at the beginning. The Sabers had a strong start, nearly matching the Cavaliers’ offensive output in the first quarter, after which HB had a 12-9 lead. Both teams looked evenly matched, with the Sabers 2-3 zone defense smothering driving lanes. Ultimately, the Cavaliers managed to slow down 5-5 Souhegan’s explosive output with their disciplined man-to-man defense.

Thus HB led 28-19 at the half, and then outscored Souhegan 20-10 in the third period to break things open. And the Sabers managed just four points in the last quarter.

“That’s on me, right? I’m the coach,” said Sabers Coach Peter Pierce, his 5-5 team now mired in a three-game losing streak. “We’re gonna watch every minute of film tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. Every minute and I’ll be there to lead them.”

The Cavs coaches credited their defensive effort to the leadership of John Paul Torgeson. Meanwhile, Weston Hickman, the Sabers’ lethal scorer, notched 12 points, attacking the rim whenever possible to help open up the floor for his teammates. But it wasn’t enough. Now Souhegan looks to bounce back at home Friday vs. Oyster River while Hollis Brookline is at ConVal.

“They’ll bounce back, Pierce said of his players. “They are competitors. There are a lot of kids (on the team) who compete in other sports. They’ll bounce back.”