WINDSOR — In a game notable for its high-octane offense, it was defense that allowed the Windsor High boys basketball team to pull ahead of visiting Rivendell in the fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought 76-70 victory on Wednesday night.

Noah Jenks led the Yellow Jackets with a career-high 34 points. Jenks, a transfer from Hartford High, proved to be too much for the Raptors’ man-to-man defense despite multiple matchups.

But Windsor still was trailing by seven points with just minutes left in the game when head coach Larry Dougher finally found an answer to the Rivendell offense: the full-court press.

“We did it out of necessity,” Dougher said after the victory. “We were down; we had to score. ... It hadn’t worked in the first quarter, but fourth quarter presses can go differently. ... Tired legs and intensity go a long way.”

Jenks would tie the game with a three-pointer with just over 5 minutes to play and iced the game from the foul line, knocking down seven of 10 attempts, including five in a row, to close out the win.

“He plays at his own speed. … We see flashes of it in practice, but this was the first time we’d really seen him do it in a game.” Dougher said of Jenks.

For Rivendell, the defending D-IV state champions, the duo of Jacoby Patterson and Finn O’Donnell powered the scoring. The pair combined for 54 of the Raptors’ 70 points.

“All credit to Rivendell. … They have championship DNA, and it really shows. Those two guards are two of the toughest players we’ve seen this year,” said Dougher.

The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak for the Raptors (3-1) dating back to last season.

Both teams started the game at a breakneck pace, pushing the ball up the floor off rebounds and turnovers and attacking the basket with quick shots.

Windsor gained an early advantage, relying on interior shot-making.

Rivendell easily broke through an early Windsor attempt at a full-court pressure, and a pull-up 3-pointer from senior Patterson gave the Raptors an early lead of their own.

Windsor would get layups from senior guard Brady Olmstead and sophomore forward Jenks to secure a three-point lead heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter would be defined by runs. First was a 7-0 burst from Windsor as it drilled back-to-back triples and a free throw to pull ahead at 26-20.

Three baskets at the rim by the Raptors in under a minute forced a Windsor timeout, and Rivendell still wasn’t done. A pirouetting jumper from O’Donnell and Patterson’s second triple of the half capped an 11-0 run to give the Raptors a five-point advantage.

If Jenks was the hero of the game’s end, Windsor senior guard Corey Lockwood was the hero before halftime. He nailed two shots, including a deep three at the buzzer, to send the Yellow Jackets into the locker room leading 34-33.

In the third period, Rivendell’s offense scored 24 points without the aid of a free throw. Leading the charge was O’Donnell, who racked up 12 points in the period with a succession of interior and midrange moves that flummoxed the Windsor defense.

The Yellow Jackets hung around, though, and were trailing by five points entering the fourth quarter.

Rivendell maintained that edge until Dougher redeployed the press that had been ineffective in the first half.

This time, the Jacks forced a series of turnovers before Noah Jenks knocked down a three from the top of the key with 5:20 left to draw the game level.

From there, it was all Windsor. A trifecta of layups from Lockwood, Olmstead and Jenks created a six-point cushion that the Raptors could not dent.

The win improved Windsor to 2-1, and it will face Green Mountain (2-2) on Saturday.

Rivendell will travel to rival Blue Mountain (1-1) Friday night.