SOUTH PORTLAND — It’s a double-edged sword when teams play South Portland. The Red Riots are tall with an outstanding inside game, but they also have enough shooters to hurt opponents from outside.

Both were working Friday night as South Portland cruised to its eighth straight boys’ basketball victory – a 76-59 SMAA win over Windham at Beal Gym.

South Portland (12-2) was paced by 6-foot-5 senior Jaren Muller, who scored 30 points. The Red Riots led by 12 after one quarter and by 17 at the half, then stretched it to 23 early in the third quarter.

But Windham (9-5) made a run, cutting the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter.

A 3-point by Kevin Weisser and a layup by Troy Davis early in the fourth prompted a South Portland timeout, with the Red Riots still holding an 11-point lead. The Eagles eventually closed to within 64-57 with just over two minutes remaining before South Portland went on a 9-0 run to seal it.

Weisser finished with 32 points, including five 3-pointers. He scored his team’s first 12 points and had 18 in the second half.

Weisser and Muller matched each other point for point for much of the game. The passing ability of South Portland’s big men – Muller and Jack Fiorini – was impressive, as they demonstrated their knack of getting the ball to each other in good scoring position inside.

And the Riots balanced their strong inside game with deadly shooting from beyond the arc. They made seven 3-pointers, with 6-4 junior guard Matt Pelletier leading the way with three. He scored 11 points.

Nevertheless, Coach Phil Conley wasn’t entirely satisfied.

“We played one really good half, and the other one where we didn’t execute,” said Conley. “I wasn’t pleased with our second half.”

Fiorini, a 6-5 junior, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Muller had eight rebounds.

“They both pass the ball well and I thought they dominated,” said Conley.

Windham didn’t have starting point guard Marcus D’Andrea, who is sidelined for the rest of the season because of a broken hand. The Eagles missed his ballhandling, particularly early when they committed several turnovers that South Portland converted into baskets.

“South Portland is long and a very tough team to play against,” said Windham Coach Kevin Millington. “They have enough players who can shoot the 3.”

The Red Riots jumped out to an 8-2 lead, forcing a Windham timeout. Weisser kept the Eagles close for a little while, but South Portland ended the quarter with a 12-4 run to open a 26-14 lead. Kam Harper had five points during the surge, including a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Reserve guard Max Baker hit a 3-pointer from the side to give South Portland a 32-16 lead midway through the second quarter.

Muller scored 15 points in each half. Late in the game, he crumbled to the floor. It turned out it was a cramp rather than something more serious. Conley said the season flashed before his eyes when Muller went down.

“We got a little careless in the second half,” said Muller. “We played a great first half, though.”

The Riots were still missing junior guard Ruay Bol, who has been sidelined because of an ankle injury suffered a week ago against Cheverus.

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