AUGUSTA — Third-seeded Hampden Academy finished with eight 3-pointers and scored 40 points in the second half, pulling away from eighth-ranked Messalonskee for a 62-40 victory in the Eastern Class A girls’ basketball final Tuesday night at the Augusta Civic Center.
“We always have a really good second half,” said Hampden guard Katelyn DeRaps, who scored 15 points. “We always seem to pull away in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter.”
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Hampden (19-2) will face McAuley (19-2) in the state final at 4 p.m. Saturday at Augusta.
Messalonskee (11-10) led 16-14 late in the half, but DeRaps penetrated three straight times for easy layups, and the Broncos took a 22-16 halftime lead.
Messalonskee Coach Brenda Beckwith called it the first turning point, that allowing layups was something the Eagles had avoided in the tournament.
For Beckwith, the second turning point came midway through the third quarter. After Messamade it 22-22 on 3-pointers by Abbey Stacey and Mary Badeen (team-high 11 points), the Broncos got hot, scoring 21 points in the third quarter.
Julia Snyder (7 of 7 from the field for 17 points) had 10 points in the quarter, and reserve Jordan Maxwell hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Michaela Stephenson also drained a 3-pointer.
“I thought we came out really well (in the third quarter),” Beckwith said, “and then when we packed our defense in, they skipped it over the top and hit those 3s.”
“Everyone is a good shooter on our team,” DeRaps said. “Shooting’s pretty contagious with us. If one person makes a 3, I feel like everyone else starts hitting theirs.”
Megan Pelletier (10 points) hit a couple baskets in the third quarter, and Messalonskee was within 34-33 late in the period after a 3 by Badeen.
But Hampden scored 25 of the next 27 points, including a 16-0 run to start the fourth quarter.
“My kids,” Beckwith said, “I told them in the locker room: ‘You’re going to look back at that No. 8 seed and say, ‘We were that team that did that. We were the first team that ever came in and knocked off the No. 1 seed and made it to the Eastern Maine final.’ I said, ‘You’re going to forget what the score of this game was, but you’re always going to remember the march.’ “
BOYS
BANGOR 41, EDWARD LITTLE 38: Zach Blodgett made two baskets in the final minute as top-ranked Bangor (20-1) downed third-seeded Edward Little (19-2) to win the Eastern Class A title at Augusta.
Bangor will play Cheverus (21-0) for the state title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Augusta.
The largest lead for either team in the second half was five points — Edward Little led 25-20 in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
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