AUGUSTA, Maine — Nick Gilpin was deferential to more experienced teammates during his first two years of high school basketball, a posture that helped Hampden Academy win one state championship and two Eastern Maine titles.
But the junior point guard is the most veteran of the Broncos, and his assertiveness Wednesday night brought Hampden to the brink of yet another regional crown.
Gilpin amassed 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists while upstaging Eastern Kentucky-bound Nick Mayo as the second-ranked Broncos defeated No. 3 Messalonskee of Oakland 58-47 in a Class A semifinal at the Augusta Civic Center.
“We tried to throw several looks at him to keep him off balance, and Gilpin just played like a man tonight,” said Messalonskee coach Pete McLaughlin. “He dictated. We ran two guys at him, and he was splitting them and attacking. We couldn’t stay in front of him. Everything we tried to do he manipulated.”
Hampden (18-2) will play the winner of Wednesday’s late semifinal between No. 1 Edward Little of Auburn and No. 4 Lewiston for the regional title at 4:15 p.m. Saturday.
After a relatively quiet first half, Gilpin — the Darling’s/BDN player of the game — choreographed a Hampden offense that committed just two turnovers after intermission, scoring 15 points and creating open looks for his teammates.
“Come the second half, we took care of the ball a lot better, we limited our turnovers,” said Gilpin. “We got a lot of good looks, and we also got a lot of shots in transition and did a pretty good job of limiting how many points Nick Mayo had. He’s a great player, and it was good that we had four practices to prepare for him.”
Junior forward Conor Moore drew the primary defensive assignment against the 6-foot-8 Mayo, but when the KVAC Class A player of the year gained possession anywhere near the basket, a second and third defender nearly always joined the effort.
Mayo finished with 21 points, but he managed just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in the first half as Hampden built a 25-18 lead.
“I really tried to get in his face and make him a driver,” said Moore, “and I knew I’d have help, so I really just tried to play tough on him.”
Messalonskee (14-6) got no closer than six points after intermission as Gilpin picked apart the Eagles’ defense both with the dribble and the pass — often to classmates Brendan McIntyre (12 points, seven rebounds) and Jake Black (11 points, six boards).
“Nick’s a great player,” said McIntyre, whose offense included a late-game dunk with an offensive rebound. “He looks for himself, but he looks for his teammates first. He knows we trust him when he drives to the hoop, but we also know if me or Jake or Conor is open he’ll find us. We know he works his hardest because he’s trying to get what we all want.”
