The Hampden Academy boys basketball team won its fifth straight game on Wednesday night, dispatching Lawrence 63-50 at home and strengthening its control on second place in Class A North.
The Broncos added to their lead every quarter, turning a 28-22 lead at half into a 44-34 lead after three. It was their third consecutive double-digit victory.
With Wednesday’s result, the Broncos improved to 6-1 — not having lost since Dec. 12 — while the Bulldogs, from Fairfield, moved to 4-5, having lost three of their last four. The only team ahead of Hampden in the Heal Points Standings is Evans Sterling and the Mt. Blue Cougars, who are 8-0.
“We’re really playing our best basketball as of now, and I know we got better basketball to play,” Hampden senior guard Zach McLaughlin said. “That two week break for us [in December] was a little too much, but we haven’t looked back since.”
The Broncos were led by McLaughlin and fellow senior All-Conference first-teamer JJ Wolfington, who combined for 43 points and eight assists — including five assists from JJ to Zach.
“Whenever the ball touches JJ’s hands, good things happen,” Hampden Academy head coach Russ Bartlett said. “JJ’s real steady, he sees the floor great and the game gets simpler when he touches the basketball.”
McLaughlin led all scorers with 27 points — his average scoring output this season — 18 of which he scored in the second half, muscling through foot pain. On defense, Hampden’s pair of lanky brothers Liam and Andy Henaghen were a presence, steering the Bulldogs’ guards away from the basket.
“We’ve gotta do a better job of moving their players around; their length just overwhelms the shooter,” Lawrence head coach Jason Pellerin said. “We [can’t] let them sit in their spots. That’s a really, really good Hampden team.”
Pacing the Bulldogs’ offense were senior guards Gavin Lunt (16 points, two assists) and Dane Zawitowski (13 points, three assists).
“Those are two guys doing a great job for us this year; we have faith in everyone we put out there,” Pellerin said. “It’s a very balanced league. You just have to play hard, survive and get to the tournament.”
