After watching two-time defending Eastern Maine champ Bangor stumble to a 1-3 start, the thought around the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference was maybe the Rams were due for a down year.

After Tuesday's 44-37 win at Mt. Blue, it's safe to say the league is in for no such luck.

The win improved Bangor's record to 5-4, and coach Roger Reed thinks the slow start was just a matter of a young team gaining experience.

"I thought we had big upside, because we're so young," Reed said. "We have 11 new kids not used to our system."

Sophomore forward Zach Blodgett came through with a big game at Mt. Blue, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. After the game, Reed said the words nobody in the KVAC wanted to hear.

"We're getting better," he said.