Bedford boys basketball separates in 2nd half to beat Windham (video)

WINDHAM - It was midway through the fourth quarter of a game where the Bedford High School boys basketball team did everything it could to hold off Windham.

With the Bulldogs looking to extend the lead, Jack Hinton flipped the ball to Landon Ellsmore as he cut toward the basket.

Despite having a great look, Ellsmore dumped the ball off to Connor O'Rourke as he cut through the lane, and with no one in his path, the senior threw down a two-handed dunk.

The score quieted the Jaguars' crowd as the air felt like it left the gym, and moments later, Bedford was celebrating a 70-61 win over Windham in a Division I contest on Tuesday night.

"So proud of how hard they fought," Bedford coach Frank Moreno said. "That’s a really good team and we knew they would be shooting lights out. This is a tough place to play and it’s a great experience for our kids to grind out a win like that."

O'Rourke led the way with 21 points, 12 of which came after halftime, while Ellsmore added 18 points and Wiji Dak was also in double figures with 11 points.

After a back-and-forth start that saw the game tied at 16 going into the second quarter, Bedford (9-2) went up by six with 90 seconds to go until halftime and looked like it might take control of the game.

Instead, Windham (4-6) got a pair of 3-pointers from Tyler Jordan (14 points) and Jackson Blanco before Jordan scored in the final seconds to tie the game at 29 going into the half.

"I thought we competed," Windham coach Carson Desrosiers said. "The run at the end of (the first) half was a big run with some of the guys in the game. In the second half, we let them get on a run and we couldn’t get it going. We struggled to make a few open shots."

Jack Koutrobis (18 points) gave the Jaguars the lead when he sank a jump shot with just under six minutes left, but after the teams traded a couple of baskets, the Bulldogs started to control the glass at both ends of the floor.

Windham had a handful of one-and-done possessions, while O'Rourke and Dak helped Bedford get second-chance opportunities. A couple of putbacks by O'Rourke and a 3 by Dak highlighted a 15-4 run that gave the Bulldogs a 48-38 lead.

"We knew we had to get Connor O’Rourke involved in the game more," Moreno said. "That whole second quarter, he sat out with foul trouble. He’s a difference maker when he’s on like that. He carried us. He does all the dirty work for us. He’s blocking shots, he’s rebounding. It’s a luxury having him."

After a timeout, Windham responded, scoring six straight points to cut the gap to four going into the fourth quarter. A basket by Sam Roidoulis to open the scoring in the final frame made it a 48-46 Bedford lead, but the Bulldogs answered quickly.

Ali Shoukier scored to get the lead back to four and Hinton followed with a 3-pointer. A pair of 3s by Jordan and Koutrobis kept Windham in it, but a basket by Hinton and O'Rourke's dunk put the Bulldogs up nine and gave Bedford most of the momentum.

"For everything I’ve seen on film, they’re a slower team, and we really wanted to pick up the pace," Moreno said. "That was the game plan going into the second half and they held with us and it was a track meet."