HAMPDEN, Maine — Hampden Academy demonstrated confidence and cohesiveness on the offensive end during Friday night’s boys basketball opener against Skowhegan.
It wasn’t until the Broncos turned up the defensive intensity that they finally distanced themselves.
Hampden outscored Skowhegan 19-5 in the third quarter while pulling away for a 67-44 Class A North victory.
Coach Russ Bartlett’s senior-laden ballclub limited the Indians to 2-for-12 shooting in the third and exhibited efficient offense to put the game away.
“I thought our defense in the first half was inconsistent with our effort, and we didn’t recover with enough urgency to put pressure on shooters,” Bartlett said. “I thought the second half we did a better job of that.”
The Broncos, who won the 2015 state championship and four consecutive regional titles, received a 22-point performance from Nick Gilpin. The poised senior guard grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists to help facilitate Hampden’s 23-for-44 (52 percent) floor shooting.
Gilpin made eight of 11 shots and went 5-for-5 from the foul line.
“It was nice to finally come out here and play in a game that counted toward the season coming forward,” Gilpin said.
“They played really hard, so credit to them for doing that,” he added. “We’re probably an intimidating team, coming into our place after our success last season, so we have a big target on our back.”
Sophomore Ian McIntyre was a potent post presence, scoring 13 points (6-for-6 shooting) with four rebounds. Senior Brendan McIntyre netted eight points, while Jake Black and Billy Campbell added six points each.
“We knew we had a size advantage, and we wanted [Ian McIntyre] to touch the ball early and often,” Bartlett said.
McIntyre enjoys his role in Hampden’s well-balanced scheme.
“It’s good because if I’m getting doubled or I’m not having a good game, I’ve got guys all around me that can do a lot of good things,” he said.
Skowhegan, which is shorthanded because of injuries, demonstrated good offensive balance. Issac Witham tossed in 14 points, while Garrett McSweeney (five rebounds) and Cam Barnes tallied 12 each.
Coach Tom Nadeau’s Indians, who shot 31 percent (15-for-49), had difficulty matching up with the bigger Broncos and got into foul trouble.
Skowhegan trailed only 34-26 at halftime, but Hampden opened the third quarter with a 15-3 run. McIntyre got the surge started, scoring from down low, then Gilpin sank two free throws and made a 17-footer in transition.
Barnes answered with a back-door layup off a Brendan Curran pass, but two McIntyre foul shots, one by Conar Moore and Gilpin’s 3-pointer play pushed Hampden’s lead to 45-28 with 5:14 to play.
Witham countered with a free throw, but Nick Chasse made a baseline runner and Zach Boss converted a putback to make it 49-29.
“We had a few things not go our way to start the third quarter and they got momentum,” Nadeau said. “You can’t give a team like that momentum, and they took advantage.”