BANGOR, Maine — The Hampden Academy girls basketball team was held to its second-lowest point total of the season in its Class A North game against arch-rival Bangor at the Red Barry Gym on Tuesday night, but the Broncos received 12 points and 10 rebounds from 6-foot-4 senior center Grace LaBree and never trailed en route to a 37-27 triumph.
Hampden Academy’s win was its ninth in a row and the Broncos improved to 10-1 on the season. The Broncos had averaged 58.9 points per game in their previous eight wins.
Bangor fell to 8-3 and has now lost two straight and averaged only 24.5 points in those two losses while playing without injured senior guard and tri-captain Avery Clark, who is one of the team’s leading scorers and rebounders.
The Broncos scored the game’s first 10 points, including three LaBree layups to start the game, and Bangor couldn’t get any closer than five the rest of the way.
The determined and gritty Rams pulled to within six at the half and, after falling behind by as many as 11 in the third period, rallied to within 29-24 on Emily Caulkins’ 8-foot runner with 5:27 remaining in the contest.
But the Broncos scored the next five points on an Aubrey Shaw free throw, a base line layup by LaBree off a Katelyn Adams pass and a layup by Naia Studley after Studley gathered in a long offensive rebound and went the length of the court.
Dalaney Horr scored for Bangor with a lefthanded layup with 2:54 left but freshman point guard Studley answered 39 seconds later with a layup after LaBree kept the possession alive by tipping an offensive rebound to her.
Bangor didn’t score again until Lucy O’Connell’s free throw with five seconds remaining as the Rams turned the ball over several times in the last five minutes of the game after closing to within five.
“These games between us are always very, very physical,” said Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester. “Defensively, we were really good. We just had a couple of breakdowns on high ball screens with Dalaney (Horr).”
Hampden played tenacious man-to-man defense and had an edge in rebounding over the smaller Rams.
“My biggest disappointment is the way we handled their (full-court) pressure. They did a good job applying pressure and being physical, and we hadn’t seen that in a while,” said Winchester. “We didn’t respond great to it but, in the end, we made some free throws, we got some baskets and we got the ball where it needed to be.”
He added that getting out to the early lead was helpful because “it gave us a little bit of a cushion. Had we not done that, it could have been a little different at the end.”
Bangor’s full-court press forced a lot of Bronco turnovers but the Rams also turned the ball over repeatedly and shot just 26.3 percent from the floor (10-for-38) while the Broncos shot 42.4 percent (14-for-33).
Bangor first-year coach Kristin Hermanson said her team worked hard on defense.
“We just need to learn to play with what we have. Tonight we battled and that’s what I’m asking for. But Hampden’s a good team and it’s going to take a lot more than just our defense. We have to score points,” said Hermanson. “We have players who have not had to be scorers and now they have to be scorers. Which is good. They should be scorers.”
LaBree’s first three baskets came off lob passes over the Bangor defense to her and Adams added a pair of free throws and a basket in the paint to make it 10-0.
Bangor missed its first five shots and turned the ball over eight times before Horr hit a three with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter to supply Bangor with its first points of the contest.
Bangor made a series of runs but the Broncos were always able to answer to maintain at least a five-point lead.
LaBree also had two blocked shots to go with her game-high 12 points and 10 rebounds. Studley had six points, two rebounds and two assists; junior guard Eve Wiles had five points, four rebounds and three steals; junior guard Shaw had five points and two steals and junior guard Adams chipped in with four points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Chloe Watson had three points, four rebounds and two steals and sophomore guard Mallory Lausier had a basket and two rebounds.
Senior guard and tri-captain Horr paced Bangor with 11 points and three steals. Senior guard Gabby Roy had seven points, five rebounds and two steals and junior guard Caulkins had five points, four rebounds and two steals. Junior guard and tri-captain O’Connell had three points and five rebounds and senior guard Clara Oldenburg produced a game-high five steals, three rebounds and a foul shot.
Both teams will be in action again on Friday as Hampden Academy will host Mt. Blue of Farmington at 6:30 while Bangor will travel to Topsham to take on Mt. Ararat at 7.