Friday was “Pack-the-Gym Night” in Windham as the Eagles hosted Bonny Eagle, and the cheering didn’t stop as the hosts defeated the Scots, 58-53, in an overtime duel of evenly matched teams.
The crowd was jumping, chanting, stomping and screaming all night in a slugfest that went back and forth for the entire game.
Eagles guard TJ Tandberg gave the fans a reason to cheer. He finished with 16 points, including two three-pointers and the opening basket in overtime that helped the Eagles (9-7) soar above the Scots (9-7) late in the game.
“(Tandberg) is our leading scorer,” Windham coach Kevin Millington said. “We need him to make shots to win.”
But there were two other big standouts for the Eagles in this game as well. Senior Derek Hanrahan had 12 points, while classmate Will Clemmer added 15 in the paint and on the foul line.
“(Hanrahan) is our senior captain and we need him to step up in games like this one,” said Millington.
While Hanrahan sank a pair of threes, Clemmer remained a big target in the middle of the floor that the Eagles could go to.
But this game was not dominated by Windham. Bonny Eagle led the game from midway through the second quarter until midway through the fourth.
Spreading the scoring around and getting every player into the game, the Scots had few single player standouts, but junior James Hanley provided the edge they needed in the second quarter.
Four of Hanley’s 10 points came in the second quarter. When the Eagles’ half-court trap seemed to be working to perfection, Bonny Eagle’s guards got Hanley the ball in the paint and he gave the Scots their first lead with 2:46 left in the first half.
Junior Ben Delcourt sank a three-pointer and junior Anthony Atkins added a basket for the visitors, and their halftime lead was 23-21.
The third period remained tight as Windham provided an answer to every Bonny Eagle hoop. Hanrahan made important threes when his team needed them, sending the gym into an uproar.
Clemmer remained consistent, and senior Jordan Scanlon added a pair of baskets to keep Windham in the game.
But the Scots remained in the lead until midway through the fourth period, when Tandberg took control for Windham. He hit seven of his points in the fourth, including a three with only four minutes on the game clock, giving Windham a 49-46 lead.
Hanley’s putback tied the score a short while later, and several valiant attempts to win the contest in the final seconds of regulation fell short.
Tandberg stepped up and made the first shot of the extra period, giving Windham a 51-49 lead. Bonny Eagle, which played a very clean and smooth offensive game for much of the night gave up turnovers in each of their first three possessions of the overtime.
The Eagles converted those turnovers to points, and Clemmer and Hanrahan closed the game on free throws. The home fans poured onto the court, surrounding the Windham players, and joined in a maroon circle of jumping and cheering at center court.
“We hadn’t provided an exciting home game for the Windham fans yet,” said Millington, “but this one was a good one.”
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