AUGUSTA, Maine — Junior forward Julianna Allen scored a game-high 17 points and spearheaded a strong team rebounding and defensive effort to lead Mt. Ararat of Topsham to a 43-31 victory over Hampden Academy in the Class A state championship game in front of a big crowd Friday night at the Augusta Civic Center.
Mt. Ararat’s first girls basketball state championship capped a 21-2 season for the Eagles, who were the top seed in the South region.
Hampden Academy, seeded third in the North, finished with a 16-6 record and may have laid the groundwork for next season after advancing to the state final with a roster featuring only one senior.
The Broncos scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to pull within 25-21, but Allen responded with a low spin move and finish to extend Mt. Ararat’s lead to six points. After the teams exchanged misses and turnovers, Allen stole the ball and drove the length of the floor for a layup to give the Eagles a 29-21 advantage with 5:44 to play.
“We watched so much film on them so knowing their weaknesses we could take over and use our strengths in the end,” Allen said after the win.
With Mt. Ararat holding a 31-24 lead with under three minutes to play in the game, Hampden coach Nick Winchester called time out. The Broncos began fouling in the hope the Eagles would miss free throws. But senior guard Kennedy Lampert kept getting the ball and made seven of eight foul shots down the stretch to hold Hampden at bay.
Hampden Coach Nick Winchester said the full house environment was “awesome,” and had a message after the loss for his group of 10 freshmen and sophomores, and four juniors returning next season.
“I said to them, ‘You’ve got an opportunity to go back,’’’ Winchester said. “We have to spend the rest of this offseason heading into next season addressing all the things they did against us that made it hard for us to score.”
Mt. Ararat used a full-court press and mixed in some half-court trapping to make it hard for Hampden to advance the ball. The Eagles also contested shots, preventing any Bronco from reaching double-figures in scoring. Hampden shot 11 for 30 from the floor on the game and had 13 turnovers.
Hampden sophomore guard Eve Wiles led the team with eight points. Senior forward Caitlin Murphy added six points, as did sophomore guards Katelyn Adams and Aubrey Shaw.
A key point in the game came when Hampden’s 6-foot-4 junior forward Grace LaBree picked up her second foul and went to the bench at the 5:14 mark of the first quarter. The Broncos missed her inside presence at both ends of the floor for the rest of the half and trailed 14-12 at intermission.
Allen worked hard inside for eight points in the first half for the Eagles. She then sparked Mt. Ararat’s 7-2 run to open the third quarter with a pair of inside baskets, giving her team a 21-14 cushion.
“She took control of the game,” Winchester said about Allen’s effort after the game.
Winchester praised Mt. Ararat’s defense as well.
“Their ball pressure was intense. Every time we got into something and we’d get a shot, they contested what we had going to the rim. They played really well,” Winchester said.