Windham 54

Bonny Eagle 32

The Windham girls’ basketball team flexed some defensive muscle to earn a 54-32 win over Bonny Eagle Tuesday night in Standish. A pair of Kelseys paced the Eagles. Kelsey McGowan led all scorers with 20 points and Kelsey Babb chipped in 17. The Scots were led by Messina Provencher, who had nine points.

“A couple of people stepped up,” said Windham coach Jessie Mayol. “We didn’t have Riley (Graves), Helen (Libby) just got back. Kelsey and Kelsey stepped up and did a lot of scoring. But it was a good team win; everyone contributed something.”

The game got off to a very slow start as both teams struggled to find the basket. Babb scored the first four points of the game to give Windham a 4-0 lead. They would never trail. It wasn’t until 3:37 to go in the first quarter that the Scots were finally able to get on the board when Provencher scored on a layup. The Eagles defense held Bonny Eagle to just six points in the opening quarter and held a 9-6 edge to start the second.

“It was a really chaotic game,” Mayol said. “On the road you never know what you are going to get. I just kept telling the girls to stay composed.”

Both teams got off to a slow start again in the second quarter. But the Eagles finally took control of the game. McGowan recorded eight of her 20 points in the second quarter and once again it was the Windham defense that helped them stretch their lead. The Eagles ripped off a 13-2 run midway through the second, with McGowan and Libby the main contributors. The Scots had recorded only three points in the quarter until two late baskets from Tabitha Martin. The Windham defense allowed only seven Bonny Eagle points in the second to take a 25-13 lead into the half.

“We tried to mix up our defense a bit and go with some full court and half-court stuff,” Mayol said. “Helen (Libby) brings a defensive intensity that we have missed without her. She is kind of all over the place trying to anticipate. Our guards did a nice job anticipating the passes to the wing and our post players have done a nice job. Our boxing out is coming. We are still working on that, but it’s coming.”

McGowan took command in the third quarter as the Eagles continued to pad their lead. She recorded eight more points in the third; Babb had five points in the third quarter as well. The Eagles weren’t able to make any long runs in the third but for every basket the Scots made, the Eagles made two. At the end of the third, Windham had opened up a 20-point advantage and led 44-24 and were shooting 10-14 from the free throw line.

“We focused on (free throws) yesterday,” Mayol said. “We have been struggling a little bit from there. Once we stop thinking and we step up there with some confidence we can knock them down.”

In the fourth, any notion of a Bonny Eagle comeback was quickly dismissed as Babb and McGowan led a 9-0 run early in the quarter. Mayol pulled her starters with a 27-point lead and little time to go. The Scots finished the game with a 6-1 run, but it was too little and much too late.

The loss drops the Scots record to 0-8. They were scheduled to face Gorham on Thursday. The win was much needed for the Eagles as they improve to 2-7 on the year. They were scheduled to take on McAuley on Thursday night.