WHS basketball wraps up successful summer schedule

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity summer basketball team wrapped up a successful season with their final practice at Windham High School on Thursday, July 31. For the final week of practices, the varsity team had Windham’s seventh and eighth graders join them. This was a great opportunity for seasoned players to teach younger players and younger players to learn from potential teammates and role models. The varsity team finished their summer season with an impressive 12-2 record.

Windham sophomore Boston Krainis is about to tip the ball
in the basket during a scrimmage in the final practice of
the summer prep basketball season at Windham High
School on Thursday, July 31.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“Right now, we’re just focusing on each other, and coaches are getting us better,” said Windham senior AJ Moody. “We appreciate them (helping) us in the gym and bringing us together. We’re not afraid of anything (as a team). I can’t wait to face the teams we’re playing; it’s going to be a great (winter) season.”

Moody said mentoring the younger kids gave them a preview what it’s going to be like playing on varsity; it’s not easy, so it’s best to learn and begin to make that transition to the program’s expectations and playing style now instead of later.

The younger kids get mixed right in and learn the skills of the game from high school players. The development of both younger and older players emotionally and skill-wise is incredible.

"It's been a great group of guys,” said Windham varsity boys’ basketball coach Chad Pulkkinen. “We’ve had an extreme level of commitment ... they’re motivated. One of our things this year is ‘entitled to nothing’ - we don’t deserve anything yet; we haven’t earned anything yet. It was a great group of hungry guys that make good decisions on and off the court. It starts with our top guys, Tyrie (James) and AJ and we got some junior leaders in (Luke) Drottar, Landon Wyman and Colin Janvrin plus Boston (Krainis) and Sean (LeBel). They are the ones that are most committed, they’re picking guys up, they’re trying to help those young guys because they’re going to need guys to come and help them (on the court) and step in to have success with this team. Our pace of play is really good, and our defense is outstanding, I really love what our guys can do on the defensive side.”

During the summer the team traveled to East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania for a team camp where they could connect with each other and play the game.

Pulkkinen said he saw a lot of growth, maturity-wise, but also connection-wise, and that’s the biggest question for the team, can they connect together? The varsity guys are focused and want to work for it every day and that’s the mindset coming off two championship wins.

“It helps me learn what to expect from them, because our offense is a lot of anticipation, learning how they play,” said Windham sophomore Krainis about how the summer season helped him prepare for the winter. “Playing with Tyrie and AJ ... learning how they play. We’ve gotten hungrier – just because we’re the state champs doesn’t mean we deserve anything. We’ve got to keep working. The offense has been running really well. Everybody’s getting open shots, we’re scoring a lot of points, defense is great.”

Players will stay ready for the winter season by hitting the gym or the weightroom, or by playing a fall sport. The team will be around each other this fall, and they’ll keep working and cheering each other on.

While it’s too early to give a forecast of the varsity boys’ basketball season, Pulkkinen said they’ll be playing hard come winter; the team will be fun to watch and you’ll see the two determined seniors, James and Moody setting the tone. <

Windham varsity basketball shuts down Greely with strong start

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity summer basketball team faced Greely High in Cumberland on Monday, July 7 and its defense came out strong with Greely barely able to reach 10 points by halftime. All the while, Windham’s offense ran up the scoreboard with multiple players hitting three-pointers and the Eagles emerging with a 79-49 victory.

Windham senior Tyrie James wont be stopped as he heads
to the hoop during a summer prep basketball game against
Greely at Greely High School in Cumberland on
Monday, July 7.  PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“I was just trying to come out here and play my best basketball,” said Windham junior Colin Janvrin, who knocked down at least five three-pointers. “We pushed the ball really well in transition and getting to the paint and kicking out for open threes or taking the layup if it was there. Something we got to work on is stopping middle drives; Greely would get to the paint a lot and have kick-out threes and it would just hurt us. We’re very confident with the team we have, and I think we’re going to go pretty far again and we’re going to have a really talented team this year.”

The Eagles took the court hungry and right away Windham sophomore Boston Krainis opened the game with a three-pointer. Moments later he hit another three-pointer.

Windham defense significantly held back Greely as they were unable to put many points up in the first part of the first half. Windham offense rebounded.

Senior Tyrie James sunk two three-pointers in a row. Janvrin sunk two three-pointers in the first half. Windham had a buzzer beater before the end of the half.

After one half, Windham led, 37-13.

“We pushed the ball well, I feel like we found our open shooters,” said James. “Defensively, we were pretty solid; we could work on rebounding. Everything you can work on, obviously. It was a great game in a hot gym, and we played well. There’s still more to work on and improve. We try not to let (the heat) affect us, but eventually it’s going to affect everyone; just got to stay hydrated.”

James said while summer wins are nice, players and teams can change a lot before the winter season begins, so it’s vital to not put too much importance on winning games.

The second half brought Janvrin opening with another three-pointer; then Moody followed suit as Windham intensity remained high – as well as temperature.

Janvrin sank two more three-pointers as Greely gained a bit of traction and closed the gap, but only a little.

Krainis hit two three-pointers as Windham answered by pulling away more. They were able to maintain the lead until the final buzzer.

“The guys just played hard,” said Windham varsity boys’ basketball coach Chad Pulkkinen. “We’re trying to find out our identity, trying to figure out the chemistry our guys can have. We’re trying to find roles ... and I was proud of the guys; they did what they needed to do defensively. That’s what we can control how hard we play on the defensive side; our guys were pretty aligned there. We moved the ball really well and made a lot of shots, so that was important. What we need to work on is helpside defense, we let up a little bit and we got to keep that mentality to fighting to the last whistle and not give in; don’t worry about the scoreboard, just play through it. Those things we can improve on, we got a young team. Summer’s been great; the kids are bonding getting together, participation numbers are really big. Guys are getting into the gym early and getting their own shots up, so (there’s) a lot of hunger.” <

German foreign exchange student excels on basketball court

By Matt Pascarella

Windham foreign exchange junior Eduard Pertuch played soccer growing up in Germany. Now as part of the Foreign Exchange program at Windham High School for the 2024-2025 school year, he played on the WHS junior varsity basketball team this winter and also played American football for the first time during the fall season.

Windham foreign exchange student Eduard Pertuch, a junior,
navigates his way through Deering players during a JV
basketball game at Windham High School on Friday, Feb. 7.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“Going all the way back to tryouts, Edi's leadership, character, and positivity were captivating,” said Windham boys JV basketball coach Noah Estey. “He has only been playing for two to three years, but he consistently came to me wanting more coaching and feedback because he was extremely motivated. He consistently asked what he could continue to work on to become the best player he could, both for this year and for when he returns to Germany. His work ethic was second to none and was one of our most important players this year due to his leadership, work ethic and contagious positivity.”

Windham is a much bigger school than Pertuch is used to, but he’s enjoyed his time on the court and in the classroom. He likes that there are more and more people to meet and different things to experience.

While he struggled a little at first, he quickly adapted.

“I really like the community,” said Pertuch. “They picked me up from day one, everybody was really, really friendly.”

In Germany, basketball is very popular. Pertuch is a big fan, and it was one of the main reasons he wanted to come to the United States was to experience how Americans played the game.

“It’s an amazing program,” said Pertuch of Windham’s basketball program. “I really love that from the first steps they took to putting a team together that you can trust on the court and off the court. I love competing, I love competition ... seeing your friends out there ... just makes me happy and makes the team happy. It was a great experience.”

Coach Estey said Pertuch was a pleasure to work with and coach. They had many good conversations about the difference between how the game is played in Germany versus how it’s played in the United States.

It’s not an easy adjustment to make coming into a program with student-athletes who have been in the program playing together for years.

According to Windham sophomore and Pertuch’s basketball teammate Sam Redlon, he is one of the kindest, generous, and friendliest people he’s ever met; an outstanding teammate who makes others around him better with his positivity and never gives up on the team.

Redlon said it was fun to play basketball with him. Pertuch was a mentor, a team guy and it was good to have his knowledge at Windham.

“I had him as a teammate for both football and basketball and no one cared more and cheered harder for his teammates than Edi did this year,” said Windham freshman Boston Krainis. “It was impressive to watch how quickly Edi picked up American football after never having been exposed to it. In basketball he was a willing shooter, diving on the floor and celebrating with his teammates. One time the referee misunderstood his enthusiasm and gave him a technical foul. The entire team declared him the happiest person to ever get a technical. The season was much better with him on the team.”

Pertuch says he wants to thank his coaches for their kindness, time and the effort they put in and gives a special thanks to Coach Estey for his patience and to the team for all they’ve done for him. He’s grateful for everything and this was a season he won’t forget.” <

Windham boys’ freshman basketball pulls ahead in final moments of Gorham game to earn win

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham boys’ basketball first team squad, comprised of all freshman players, traveled to play Gorham on Monday, July 29 and ended the summer with a victory.

Windham freshman Colton McLeod goes up for a layup
on Monday, July 29 in the final game of the boys' First Team
basketball summer season against Gorham.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Windham trailed the Rams for most of the game, then took the lead with roughly a minute left and held off Gorham to earn a 33-30 win in the final game of the summer basketball season.

“I think one of the biggest things is they stayed composed,” said Windham First Team coach Cameron Brown. “We’ve had a lot of close games this summer and there’ve been times we kept our composure and times we kind of lost it. It reflects on the scoreboard when we play within ourselves and we know what we want to do; towards the end of the game, don’t get too sped up, those are the things that have been successful for us. Just being down three, you know [Gorham] is going to go for a quick three-pointer ... the biggest thing for us was high hands without fouling and they executed really well.”

Windham was slow to start, but this would all change later in the game. Gorham held a small lead but Windham’s Quraunte Pender put the Eagles on the scoreboard.

After battling hard, Windham came within one point of a tie game. They worked hard to get rebounds, though Gorham kept the lead by getting several turnovers. Windham was rebounding and tied the game at 14. Gorham took the lead 18-16 at the half.

“They had the lead most of the first half and that was tough,” said Windham’s Boston Krainis. “But moving the ball, cutting, spacing, and obviously Jalen [Stephens] with the big three [-pointer] at the end and we were able to pass it around, move it in the last two minutes and finish up the game there.

In the last 30 seconds, Windham looked to see who was open, tried to get open, moved around and waited until Gorham fouled – they just didn’t want to turn the ball over.

Pender tied the game at 18 in the second half. Gorham still led, but the game was within reach. Windham snagged a few rebounds, and Gorham led by four with six minutes remaining.

Windham’s Parker Frost hit a three-pointer and Windham is now down by one point with just four minutes left. Stephens sunk a three-pointer with a minute left in play.

“We really took pride on defense when they were driving down the court,” said Windham’s Mason Rulman. “We tried to make no turnovers while on offense, that helped us win. We focused on what we were doing, not trying to make mistakes, we were able to get to the basket and score. We put a lot of work in at practice and it shows when we come out here and play.”

Coach Brown said that his biggest takeaway from the summer season is that the team came in and they wanted to learn, they wanted to get better; and they put themselves in situations so they could get better.”

He said they know what this program can be, and they want to be a part of it. <

Windham Middle School boys’ basketball teams split against Biddeford

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham Middle School boys’ seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball teams took on Biddeford at home on Monday, Jan. 29 in one of the final games of the season. Windham’s eighth grade team had the lead going into the half and held back Biddeford to get a 39-33 win. Windham seventh graders fought hard against the Tigers, but fell 49-35, despite a push toward the end which closed a wide gap between the teams.

Windham eighth grader Boston Krainis drives to the basket
during a boy's middle school basketball game against
Biddeford at home on Monday, Jan. 29.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Eighth Grade

“I think we played well in spurts, and I think we were a little lost at times,” said Windham Middle School eighth grade boys’ basketball coach Adam Manzo. “They held it together and made some free throws down the stretch and made the plays at the end; it wasn’t our best game by any means, but sometimes you have to win ugly. They take on things and retain things really well, but at times it looks like we just forget what we learned. First quarter ... press went well; we rebounded the ball in the first quarter. They become both too selfish and too unselfish [and that needs work]. We pass the ball when we should just shoot the ball and sometimes, we don’t pass the ball when we should. They’ve been playing together for so long that sometimes they forget there are four other people on the floor and it’s ok to give that ball up.”

Windham jumped out to an early lead and grabbed rebounds and moved the ball effectively. They scored several times and their defense kept Biddeford practically scoreless early on.

Windham continued to take shot after shot, but in a low-scoring second quarter Biddeford’s turnovers helped them catch up, although Windham still maintained the lead, 18-11 at the first buzzer.

“The first quarter we moved the ball well, great teamwork,” said Boston Krainis. “Second quarter got a little sloppy, giving up offensive rebounds and third quarter was all right and then fourth quarter we turned it on, shots started falling, getting the lead up defense ... great game, overall.”

Krainis said defensive rebounds need work. Although, he thinks they’ve definitely improved since the start of the season.

Windham opened the second half with a basket. They continued to get rebounds. They fought for the ball and kept a comfortable lead.

Biddeford slowly creeped up and soon was within striking distance of turning this game around. Windham pressured and did not let that happen.

“We had good passes; the ball wasn’t moving as fast, but I feel we could have moved it a lot better,” said Werani Anthony. “We had a good game overall – shots were going up, layups were going up, our passes were good. I think we need better quarter vision on the court, because we had open plays in the paint a lot and couldn’t get the ball to them – other than that we played a pretty good game.”

Seventh Grade

A three-pointer by Dezi Grant put Windham on the scoreboard. Ryan Manning sunk a couple foul shots. Riley Gallagher sunk a three-pointer. Despite this, Biddeford pulled away in the first quarter.

Windham’s offense slowly picked up. Biddeford grabbed turnovers and ran up the scoreboard. At the half, Biddeford led 26-16.

Windham fought for the ball in the second half and never stopped trying. They got some rebounds and closed the points gap a little as they entered the fourth quarter.

“We played very hard; we were just getting beat by [Biddeford’s] size,” said Manning. “I think we need to get more rebounds. We did good offensively ... heading into the third quarter, coach really motivated us, and we really pushed it hard. Our offense [went well]; we ran a couple plays that got us baskets.”

Manning said they need to be more aggressive, especially if they want to flip scores. He thought they were a little soft during this game.

As the clock wound down, Windham grabbed rebounds and sunk several baskets. They had a push at the end, but it wasn’t enough.

“We didn’t pull it all together on a consistent basis,” said Windham Middle School seventh grade boys’ basketball coach Craig Dickson. “We weren’t pulling all the things we had learned together all at once. It’s a great bunch of kids but it’s hard, I just try to keep building their confidence and telling the kids to shoot [the ball]. I think they periodically demonstrated aggressiveness. Any time my guys can be tough and aggressive, the grit that it takes to win. We’ve been consistently working on dribbling and shooting – I don’t ever want to deter a kid from shooting. I’ve seen the progress – kids are getting better, their shooting more and their confidence is going up.” <

WMS boys’ basketball splits games against St. Brigid

By Matt Pascarella

In the final games of the season, Windham eighth and seventh-grade boys’ basketball played St. Brigid Catholic School in Portland and split two high-intensity games on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Windham seventh grader Roni Anthony blows by an
opponent while keeping his eyes on the hoop during a
game against  St. Brigid School on Thursday, Jan. 26.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Windham’s eighth-grade team came out strong but let up and St. Brigid took the lead. Windham battled back the entire game, but St. Brigid got the 60-39 win.

Windham’s seventh-grade team played a close game separated by only a few points as the clock was close to running out. The Eagles held onto their lead and won 47-46.

Eighth Grade

Windham grabbed rebounds early to drive their score up quickly. Windham’s Boston Krainis hit a three-pointer.

Despite Windham’s strong abilities, St. Brigid jumped out ahead. Windham fought hard to catch their opponent.

St. Brigid grabbed several turnovers. Windham continued to snag rebounds and shooting shots at basket, but they weren’t falling. At the half, Windham trailed 36-23.

“We came out flat and they were ready to go,” said Krainis.

Krainis said if Windham rushed offensively, if they calmed down, they may have been able to turn the score around. Krainis said the season went pretty well.

In the second half, Windham had quick hands and moved the ball. Windham had closed the gap between the teams some, but St. Brigid still had a commanding lead.

Windham worked hard and did their best but wasn’t able to get ahead.

“We got off to a good start, the first four minutes,” said Windham Middle School eighth-grade boys’ coach Adam Manzo. “Then we went through a dry patch where we couldn’t put the ball in the hoop. The other hard part is the second half of the season we haven’t played a lot ... so I think it’s tough playing against competition, we had to knock a little bit of the rust off early.”

Manzo said the team competed from start to finish and he never questioned their effort, which was something they discussed in the beginning. They are a highly coachable group of kids that he enjoyed coaching all season.

Seventh Grade

Windham was aggressive with great offense and defense from the start and grabbed rebounds. Windham held St. Brigid to three baskets in the first quarter.

St. Brigid tied the game at 14 in the second quarter.

Windham continued to move the ball and inched out ahead 18-17 midway through.

“That’s probably the most exciting game we’ve had all season,” said Windham Middle School seventh-grade boys’ coach Craig Dickson. “To have it so close ... I thought we’d have an easier time, but St. Brigid played really tough defense and were double teaming; luckily, we played the eighth-graders two practices in a row; they played full-court press on us the whole time and that was helpful.”

Dickson said Windham did a good job with their full-court run and jump and created chaos on the court that resulted in a bunch of turnovers. Dickson is disappointed the season is over; he wished he had a couple years with the kids. It was a good year though.

The second half was a nail-biter. Windham’s Roni Anthony sank a three and Windham regained the lead. Their solid passing resulted in several baskets.

Intensity remained as the clock wound down and the scores were very close. The game was tied at 41 with two minutes left.

St. Brigid was not able to get by and Windham ended the season with a victory.

“I think we did really good,” said Anthony. “We played as a team, we had good passing, good shooting, good overall.”

Anthony said they played well on defense; on offense they were passing and getting assists. They were excited for this game and pleased with how the season went. <

Windham Middle School boys’ basketball a challenge for Scarborough

Windham eighth-grader AJ Moody shoots above a Scarborough
defender during a boys basketball game at Windham Middle 
School on Jan. 10. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Middle School’s seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball teams were solid competitors against Scarborough on Jan. 10.

Windham’s eighth grade team found their momentum in the second quarter to make a comeback. They gave Scarborough solid competition but lost 43-34 at the final; only their second loss of the season.

Windham’s seventh grade team was down at the half but pressured in the second half. As the clock ran out, Windham had pulled ahead, and the Eagles got a 34-31 victory.

Eighth Grade

Windham was scoreless in the first quarter. In the second quarter Windham turned up their intensity. Their offense picked up and their defense slowed Scarborough as Windham made a comeback. Scarborough led 23-11 at halftime.

Windham eighth grade boys’ basketball coach Adam Manzo said Scarborough is a really good team and Windham played well defensively. Manzo said the offense struggled a bit. Windham had good looks, but shots weren’t falling.

“We’ve been able to put the ball in the hoop quite a bit but haven’t been able to stop the other team,” said Manzo. “Holding Scarborough to 43 points was pretty good.”

In the second half, Windham kept their energy up and pressured. Windham trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter.

Windham’s AJ Moody hit a three-pointer. Windham fought hard to make up their deficit but came up short.

“We did great,” said Moody. “We pushed the ball better in the second half.”

Moody said they found their groove in the second half but got into it a little too late.

Windham’s Tyrie James said they did good but started slow. If they had come out stronger, they could have won the game.

Seventh Grade

Windham was aggressive from minute one. The game was close. Their intensity was high as they showed Scarborough, they had brought their ‘A’ game.

Scarborough had a narrow lead for most of the first half and led 24-17 going into the second half. However, this game was far from over.

Windham hit a three-pointer early on in the second half. They were quick to grab rebounds; Windham’s Sage Foss sunk a three-pointer. Soon, the game was tied at 25.

In the third quarter Windham defense only allowed Scarborough to score three points.

There was less than six minutes left in the game and it was tied at 27. Windham’s momentum continued as they took a three-point lead. Windham defense held off Scarborough and with 27 seconds left, Windham remained up by three. The clock ran out and Windham earned a well-deserved victory.

“They put in their effort,” said Windham seventh grade boys’ basketball coach Craig Dickson.

Dickson said he talked to the team at halftime about increasing aggressiveness and he thought they did that well. He said Windham got the win through grinding away; the game was so close, but the Eagles had a little bit more heart.

Windham’s Landon Wyman said the team had good hustle toward the end of the game. Windham turned up the intensity in order to win.

“The entire team was playing at their best” said Windham’s Boston Krainis.

Krainis said everybody wanted this win and knew they had to play tough in order to get it. <

Huge fifth inning hands CR Tandberg a 10-run Little League win

Fifth grader Mason Rulman of CR Tandberg bats
during a Windham Little League game against
Westbrook 2 played at Ciccarone Field at
Lowell Farm in Windham on Monday, May 10.
CR Tandberg defeated Westbrook 2, 11-1.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Little League’s majors division squad CR Tandberg flexed some muscle and racked up a 10-run victory over visiting Westbrook 2 at Ciccarone Field at Lowell Farm in Windham on Monday, May 10.

The teams were tied for the first four innings, and in the fifth inning CR Tandberg kept the bats swinging and the hits coming to beat Westbrook 2, 11-1.

In the top of the first inning, CR Tandberg fourth grader Joey Small made two stellar catches to get Westbrook’s first two outs of the game. Fifth grader Zach Gaudet did a great job on the mound for CR Tandberg for over three innings.

In the third inning, Westbrook scored. In the bottom of the fourth inning, fifth grader Boston Krainis singled, fifth graders Aiden Rinaldi and Mason Rulman each singled. Krainis made it home to tie the game at one.

CR Tandberg’s pitching and defense made it really hard for Westbrook to make it around the diamond.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, it was a slugfest for CR Tandberg. After Small walked, sixth grader Matt Cole singled. Sixth grader Blake Webster walked and now the bases are loaded. Small stole home. Krainis walked and a runner came in, 3-1 CR Tandberg. Gaudet crushed the ball way into the outfield for a double and drove in two runs.

“I really like that I hit a double (that far),” said Gaudet. “It was a good feeling, when I first hit it; it was a pretty nice double. It would have bounced and hit the warning track probably.”

After Rinaldi walked, the bases are loaded again. Rulman sent the ball into the outfield and drove in two more runs. Sixth grader Gage Chicoine got on base. Fifth grader Lincoln Rulman singled and drove in two runs. Cole singled and drove in two runs and CR Tandberg got the win.

“The kids are really coming together well as a team,” said coach Tim Gaudet. “It’s a new team so it’s taken them a few games to come together; I think once they find that out they’re really going to play hard. We have a really good set of kids here ... they came together in the fifth inning and played well.” <