WINDHAM — Much like both of their seasons, Tuesday night’s Western Maine Class A boys basketball prelim game between Windham and Thornton Academy was a tale of two halves. And much like they did to end their season, the Eagles held on at the end for a 43-38 victory over the Trojans.

Windham started the season by winning six of its first eight games, then lost six of its final 10 ”“ including the final five without senior point guard Markus D’Andrea. But thankfully for the eighth-seeded Eagles, they still had senior guard Kevin Weisser.

Weisser scored 16 first-half points, including 12 during a second quarter that saw Windham extend its lead from 11-8 before the quarter started to 28-15 at the end of it.

“It was good to get up, especially at home. You want to set the tone early, kind of impose your will,” said Windham head coach Kevin Millington. “I thought Weisser did that particularly, really did a good job in the first half.”

While Weisser seemingly couldn’t miss in the first half ”“ he hit three 3-pointers, made six total field goals and outscored the Trojans by himself ”“ Thornton as a team found itself on the opposite end of the spectrum.

The ninth-seeded Trojans had just one point over the first 4:30 of the game until Kevin Barrett hit a mid-range jumper. But that was the first of just four field goals Thornton hit during the first half.

“The first half we couldn’t find a rhythm. We got into some foul trouble,” said Thornton head coach Bob Davies. “They played man-to-man defense in the first half, and it wasn’t overbearing, we just didn’t move well.”

Millington agreed that his team’s defense in the first half wasn’t of the shutdown variety, but it was compacted and forced the Trojans to settle for outside shots. Save for a pair of Demel Ruff 3s, Thornton had a hard time hitting from behind the 3-point line ”“ as well as from behind the free-throw line.

The Trojans were just 5 of 9 from the charity stripe in the first half, and 9 of 19 for the game.

“Definitely didn’t shoot foul shots well, and down the stretch they did what good teams do, they make their foul shots,” said Davies.

The Eagles went 7 of 9 from the line in the fourth quarter, which was just enough to hold on as they saw their 11-point lead at the start of the fourth dwindle to as little as five.

Thornton’s comeback bid was paced by Ruff, who scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the period, on a pair of 3s and a put-back.

“Demel’s been steady all year long, and he did it again tonight,” said Davies. “Whether it’s rebounding, or playing defense, and tonight he hit some big shots. He’s a kid that’s done a little bit of everything all year.”

Weisser was held scoreless in the final period after totaling a game-high 20 over the first three. Free throws by fellow seniors Troy Davis, Ryan Gorman, Jackson Giampino and Greg Gledhill helped pick up the slack for Windham.

“We just hung on. We didn’t play well in the second half, but we hung on and Thornton is a good team,” said Millington, who admitted he was “extremely” nervous in the fourth quarter.

Barrett added 12 points for Thornton, including seven in the second half after dealing with foul trouble for much of the first. Corey Hart and John Fogg scored four points apiece.

“I think we won the second half,” said Davies. “It’s hard to put yourself in a hole and then come all the way back.”

Windham advances to Friday night’s quarterfinal round, where the Eagles will face top-seeded Portland. Millington called the matchup with the Bulldogs “a daunting task.”

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.