BEDFORD - The Bishop Guertin of Nashua boys' basketball team didn't receive much hype during preseason, and that's just fine with coach Jim Migneault.

"Keep us ranked 15th," he said.

The Cardinals won't be flying under the radar much longer following an 89-74 defeat of Bedford in an NHIAA Division I lid-lifter Friday night. Senior forward Jeff Lunn led the way with 24 points, controlling the boards and navigating his way through foul trouble.

Junior guard Clyde Boykin scored 17 points, and junior guard Andrew Williams had 16 points in his first varsity start. Bedford junior Cameron Meservey netted 26 points and fueled a 30-point third quarter for the Bulldogs, but the Cardinals never gave up the lead.

"I thought this would be a much easier game, but they really showed us something," Meservey said. "They played hard, physical."

Boykin scored 13 points in the first half, and the Cardinals held a 42-24 lead at halftime. They upped the cushion to 20 points in the third quarter before the lead nearly evaporated. Jacob Capistran sank a 3-pointer as part of a 15-2 run for the Bulldogs, who cut the deficit to three points (53-50) on a pair of free throws by Meservey. Bedford senior captain James Caparell finished with 13 points.

The Cardinals (1-0) suddenly are a serious player in Division I.

"We had a great first half, and then let them back in the game. Then we finished strong," Migneault said. "You've got to like how we finished. I'm pretty happy with the way we played and were able to put up 89 points with a young group."

Williams, who played junior varsity last season, was the breakout player of the game. The 6-foot-3 swingman buried a 3-pointer and added a layup as BG closed the door midway through the fourth.

"There were times when our youth started showing through a little bit," Migneault said. "We gave up 30 points (in the third quarter) because of a lot of turnovers. Once we caught our breath and got our head together, we were good."

BG freshman Jack Zimmerman stepped up and played with poise, replacing Boykin (fouled out) in the fourth quarter. Lunn took control in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points in the final eight minutes. Williams had nine points in the fourth quarter.

Both teams proved to have considerable depth. Capistran scored 10 points off the bench for Bedford (0-1), and sophomore Ryan Brown chipped in nine points. Senior captain Samuel Thomas scored 14 points.

Watch out for the athletic Bulldogs and their fullcourt press. They'll be just fine in Division I.

"We can get better. We made too many turnovers. That's the reason we lost tonight. We'll be all right with some more practice," Meservey said. "Everything we did wrong is correctable."