HOLYOKE — It didn’t take a Chauncey Ruiz buzzer beater or an overtime thriller for the Holyoke boys basketball team to defeat Northampton on Tuesday night like it has needed in previous games this season, but the Purple Knights did have to dig deep after going the first three and a half minutes of the fourth quarter without a point.

Holyoke eventually wore down the Blue Devils with its full-court press, and easy buckets soon followed to lead the Knights to a 65-49 home win – moving them to a perfect 8-0 on the year.

The unblemished record is nice and all, but Holyoke head coach Juan Maldonado is more impressed with how the Purple Knights are winning these games, not just that they are. Holyoke has experienced game-winning shots, overtime nail-biters, defensive battles, offensive eruptions and everything in between through eight games, and it’s built a trust that has this team playing as well as anyone in Division 2.

“Yes, we’ve got good ball players, but I think it’s trust,” Maldonado said when asked what the key to success has been this season. “The boys really trust each other and the coaching staff, and we definitely trust them to make plays – especially down the stretch. We’ve been in different kind of games this year: blowouts, tight games and things like that. It’s a good thing, and the boys have definitely responded.”

The hosts raced out to an 8-0 lead that eventually blossomed to 12-2 in the first quarter, overwhelming Northampton with speed and pressuring the Blue Devils’ ball handlers into uncharacteristic turnovers. But Northampton ended the frame on a 6-0 run to get back within eight, 19-11, after getting to the free throw line seven times in the final minute and change.

In an environment as loud as John O’Connor Gymnasium, Blue Devils head coach Rey Harp left Holyoke proud of the way his team bounced back from an early hole when it would’ve been easy to fold.

“We know how good Holyoke is,” Harp said. “They’re on top of our league and undefeated for a reason. This was a chance to measure ourselves against the best, and we didn’t get this one, but coming out we knew there were going to be punches early and we knew we were going to have to make adjustments. I thought we flipped the switch and made it a game. If we don’t spot them that early lead, we basically played them even after that.”

Calvin Godbolt started to assert himself in the second quarter after seven points in the first. The Holyoke senior put up nine of his game-high 23 points in the second, and scored the Purple Knights’ last seven points to give them a 33-20 cushion at the break.

Between Godbolt, Aden Cabrera (16 points), Jordan King (nine points) and Jacob Andujar in the backcourt, opposing guards have their hands full. And toss in Ruiz (15 points) down low, Holyoke truly has no weakness – and that showed in the first half.

“Our backcourt, in the most humble way, is really tough,” Maldonado said. “They’re dogs. And my job is to not let them feel comfortable, to push them so they can be one of the top backcourts in western Mass., if not the state. We’re not quite there, but I think if I keep pushing them these guys have the potential to.”

Northampton came out of the third scorching hot, led by the streaky shooting of sophomore Brayden Nichols-Staples – who Harp called “tough-minded.” He scored eight straight points for the Blue Devils in a quarter where he scored 11 of his 16 points. Eli Reid and Henry Callan got in on the action as well as Northampton put up 20 in the frame.

The only problem? The Blue Devils also surrendered 20 to Holyoke. They didn’t inch any closer.

And in the fourth quarter, Northampton held the Purple Knights without a point for nearly four minutes. But it didn’t score any points, either. Again, the Blue Devils couldn’t get any closer.

“Welcome to our season,” Harp said. “It’s a matter of rhythm. We find it as quickly as we lose it. That’s what we’re trying to get a beat on. Certainly we had some effort from the guys that were out there, but give Holyoke credit because they put so much pressure on the ball that you can blink for a second and all of a sudden they’ve got two transition baskets.”

Holyoke eventually scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, and turnovers caught up to the Blue Devils as they coughed too many up to overcome.

Maldonado knew Northampton would put up a fight, so that’s why he stuck with his press for the entirety of the night. By time it got late in the contest, the Blue Devils simply ran out of gas.

“Some of the Northampton guys got tired,” Maldonado said. “We kept up the pressure for four quarters, and that’s ultimately what the game plan was, to make sure that they were shooting tired shots especially in the fourth. They got some good looks on our missed rotations, but they missed those shots because they were tired.”

Nichols-Staples’ 16 points were a team-high, Luke McGrath continued to play well for Northampton with 11 points and Naihmond Peters-Wolfe added 10 points while dealing with foul troble.

Northampton (4-6) has the rest of the week off before hosting Springfield Central next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Holyoke (8-0) will play in the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College on Thursday night against Pope Francis, a team that also holds an undefeated record. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.