The Windham Bombers boys’ basketball team may have had to wait longer than usual for their season to start but they are hitting the ground running. Windham capped off its opening week by overcoming a slow start to trump Northeastern Athletic Conference Stripes Division rival Chalker 69-31 last Friday evening at Marty Hill Court.
“I think compared to our game on Wednesday, we almost looked like a different team,” said Coach Cody Apthorpe. “We played with much better pace and played a solid game that I think we are going to play this year to be successful.”
Since the Bombers (2-0, 1-0) moved to the NAC Stripes Division in the 2016-17 season, they have not lost a game against Chalker, with their last loss coming in the playoffs when the Wildcats belonged to the NAC Stripes Division and Windham was a member of the NAC Stars Division.
“I think over the years when I was growing up Chalker was a non-league game,” noted the third-year coach. “Seeing them more consistently has given our team a little more of an idea of what to expect.”
In addition to playing a familiar opponent, the Bombers have started the season with a hungry mindset. After one of the most memorable seasons in football history which saw Windham advance to the second round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VII Region 25 playoffs, it delayed the start of the basketball season by at least a week.
That meant approximately five weeks of practice and according to Apthorpe, there was only so much practice the Bombers could have without feeling anxious to finally start their season.
“It was very difficult because it was practice, practice and practice and no games but we fought through it and we did everything that we needed to do,” noted senior guard Carlos Bruton.
On Friday night, the Bombers got off to a slow start, falling behind 8-5 in the first period.
Although it was only Windham’s second game of the season, Bruton said Windham knew better than to be plagued by a slow start.
“After the first few plays that they scored on, we knew we were playing slow,” he noted. “We knew we were better than them and we just needed to pick up the pace and speed it up.”
The Bombers went on a 13-0 run to build a 10-point advantage at the end of the quarter, and the senior guard sparked Windham’s offense out of its slump by scoring eight points in the opening quarter.
The Bombers continued swinging the momentum in their favor by going on a 10-0 run at the beginning of the second period, as Chalker did not score its first points until junior point guard Tanner Kelson knocked down a free throw with 4:19 remaining in the quarter.
Windham’s defense forced eight Wildcats’ turnovers, and ultimately outscored Chalker by a 21-5 margin to create a 39-13 advantage at the half.
“For us, our athleticism and quickness is something that we definitely strive to do on the defensive end of the floor because when we do that, that is where our strength is on offense in the middle of the floor playing with space and playing with a lot of pace,” noted Apthorpe.
Bruton continued pacing Windham’s offense by scoring 10 points in the second quarter. He finished the game with 27 points, grabbing seven rebounds and recording one assist.
“Normally I shoot three-pointers and make them but Friday night was not really my night so I was like, alright I have to find a different way to help out the team and that was on defense, offense and transition,” Bruton said.
Apthorpe said that while Bruton still has the same athleticism that makes him a dynamic scorer, he has committed himself to play more of a two-way game.
“What I appreciate about Carlos this season so far is that in all of those scrimmages, as well in a couple of games, there is really no half mode for him,” he noted. “He has been very committed to playing at a high level of energy the entire time he is in the game and I really think that is a step forward for him from last year.”
The Bombers continued rolling in the third quarter, going on a 20-9 run to extend the lead to 58-22 near the end of the quarter, triggering the running clock when the lead reached 35 points or more.
Windham will return to action when it hits the road to face NAC Stripes Division rival Pymatuning Valley in Andover on Friday afternoon at 12 p.m.
