Scarborough 51

Windham 59

It seemed that each time Scarborough tried to make a run in the second half Saturday afternoon, Windham had an answer.

After extending their lead to 10 early in the third quarter, the Eagles (3-2) never allowed the Red Storm (3-2) to get closer than eight in the fourth quarter, winning 59-51 in an SMAA boys basketball game at Windham High School. The game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was moved because of snow.

“Today, we executed our offense when we needed to, we executed our set plays, our out-of-bounds plays and even our delay game when we needed to,” said Windham coach Kevin Millington. “We’ve just got to make more free throws.”

The Eagles made 15 of 24 foul shots in the game and were 5 for 8 in the fourth quarter. Scarborough made 19 of 29 from the line and was 14 for 17 in the second half. While the Red Storm got to the line and converted in the third and fourth quarters, Windham was able to handle the full-court pressure to get some easy baskets.

Scarborough led 20-17 in the second quarter, but Windham closed the first half with an 11-2 run. It was 28-22 in favor of the Eagles as halftime. Windham pushed its lead to 36-26 with 5:11 to go in the third after Jackson Taylor and Garrett Clemmer knocked down 3-pointers. Clemmer finished with a game-high 24 points, 15 coming in the second half.

“They had some good possessions,” said Scarborough coach Joe Johnson. “They made us work. We were trying to pressure the basketball on defense. We got a steal here or there, but for the most part, we couldn’t get our hands on it.”

Scarborough trailed by 10 at 44-34 entering the fourth. But every time the Red Storm appeared to gain momentum, Windham struck back. With less than four minutes to play, the Red Storm got a defensive stop and got a good look inside with a chance to get within six, but a layup rimmed out and the Eagles went the other way. Clemmer converted on the break and the lead was back to 10 at 54-44 with 3:32 left.

Clemmer has stepped up as the Eagles’ top scorer through the first five games, though his points can come under the radar.

“He was the difference,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think he scored 24 points. He did it quietly.”

Millington said Clemmer’s points aren’t flashy because they all come within the framework of the offense.

“He’s not the type of player that you run a lot of set plays for, or that you’ll see in the highlights,” Millington said. “He does his thing, gets open shots, makes his layups and usually makes his free throws. That’s how he gets his points.”

The Red Storm lost guard Garrett Alofs, who was in charge of guarding Clemmer, to a sprained ankle in the first half. The team has also been without guard Chris Bernard, who broke his wrist in the preseason and is expected back in mid-January.

Conor Sullivan led the Red Storm with 14 points. Zach Bean added 13, including an 8-for-8 performance from the foul line. As Scarborough lacks height, it relies on its speed to pressure opponents and create easy baskets.

“We’re going to be undersized every night,” Johnson said. “Our strength is our speed and quickness. We’ve got to take advantage with that.”

“They’re very, very tough to match up with,” Millington said. “They’re very quick. They’ve got a heck of a wheel offense – a back door, dribble-drive offense. Our big guys are pretty athletic, but having to chase them around a little bit gives us a little trouble. It’s not really our identity to play zone. We want to play man-to-man.”

Windham’s two losses have come to Deering by three points and to Cheverus by 10. If the Eagles execute offensively, Millington believes they can play with anyone in the SMAA.

“Against Cheverus the other night, we had three layups that we missed,” Millington said. “They’re way too good a team to miss those shots. If we start converting those opportunities that we create for ourselves, our defense will keep us in games and we’ll have a chance to be OK. Because we only average in the 50s point-wise, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, it’s going to be a good game.”

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