Windham used a slight height advantage and some excellent defense in the second half for a come-from-behind 52-35 victory Tuesday against visiting Sanford.

“Windham played well in the second half. They beat us up on the boards and executed offensively,” said Sanford coach Doug Roberts. “We didn’t play well, we didn’t play together, and we didn’t play smart down the stretch.”

The first quarter favored the Redskins (2-4), who were able to capitalize off the shooting of senior guard Andrew Fortier. He scored 11 of his team-leading 16 points in the quarter, and he did his best Reggie Miller impression by hitting shots from everywhere on the floor.

The exclamation point was when Fortier hit two three-pointers just before the end of the period to extend the Sanford lead to 17-10.

The Eagles’ Kyle MacQueston knew Fortier could present a problem.

“We played well,” the senior guard said, “but Fortier was a threat and opened up shots.”

After early foul trouble, Windham center Will Clemmer returned in the second quarter and made his presence known, blocking shots on two consecutive Sanford possessions.

Clemmer and his teammates closed the gap and went into the locker room with a 25-20 deficit.

Zach Cantor, the Eagles junior guard, thought the end of the first half was key to sparking a comeback.

“We were able to turn the game around right before the half,” he said. “We were able to get three steals and a couple buckets off our press.”

Windham was able to carry the momentum over into the second half and then took control of the game.

Clemmer led his team with 19 points, nine of which came in the third quarter. During that period Clemmer and his teammates outscored their opponents, 14-4. That point differential gave the Eagles a 34-29 lead.

Cantor noticed a tremendous change in play after the intermission

“We had more energy in the second half. Clemmer stayed out of foul trouble and we crashed the boards,” he said. “There was also good communication in our zone defense.”

The Eagles closed out the game in the fourth quarter outscoring Sanford, 18-6, and Fortier was kept under control in the second half, hitting just one shot – from six feet behind the three-point line.

“(Windham guard) Derek (Hanrahan) did a great job guarding (Fortier),” said MacQueston “He hit a couple shots that weren’t Derek’s fault.”

What was most impressive about Hanrahan’s performance was that he was able to successfully play defense on Fortier and still contribute on the offensive side of the ball. He scored 12 points, all off jump shots and free-throws.

Windham (2-4) travels to Noble (0-6) today (Jan. 6), hoping to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

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