From the outset, the Mt. Ararat boys basketball team was playing Eagles basketball, winning 50-50 balls, getting to rebounds and forcing the undefeated Hampden Academy Broncos into bad shots.

Zach Gilpin’s 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer changed the momentum for Hampden, and the Broncos ran away with a 59-37 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference victory, dropping the Eagles to 4-5.

“We were doing what Mt. Ararat basketball does, working really hard and trying to get every single loose ball,” said Mt. Ararat coach Aaron Watson, whose team held an 11-10 lead before Gilpin drained a trey after a 40-second Broncos possession. “We don’t say a loose ball is a 50-50 ball. We feel they are 80-20 balls that we should get.”

Gilpin was a one-man wrecking crew. He scored 17 points in the first half, finishing with a game-high 28, along with 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.

“We needed Zach to score tonight because we did struggle offensively,” said Hampden coach Russ Bartlett, whose team is 9-0 and hosts Brunswick on Friday. “He is an emotional player and can make plays, and he did when we needed him to.”

The alarm sounds

The start of the game was delayed by a fire alarm. Hampden, after playing six of its first eight games at home, with trips to nearby Bangor and Brewer rounding the early-season slate, had trouble finding its rhythm.

“It was a long trip, and it was tough with the fire alarm, trying to play at a high level from the start,” said Bartlett. “We came out a little bit flat and didn’t match their energy level at the start of the game, but luckily we made a couple threes and got momentum off of that.”

Shyheim Ulrickson and Mason Griffin each scored four points in the opening frame for the Eagles, who trailed 13-11 after Gilpin’s trey at the buzzer.

“They move the ball well and they are athletic and are just able to run the court,” said Griffin. “The shot at the buzzer in the first quarter really hurt.”

Hampden Academy, which made six of 10 shots from behind the arc in the first half, pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 19-4 for a 32-15 lead at the break. Gilpin added nine more points, while Matt Martin came off the Broncos bench to chip in five points.

The visitors continued their run early in the second half, sprinting out to a 42-19 lead on a Gilpin 3-pointer.

But, Mt. Ararat had one last gasp left, using a 14-3 spurt to close the third frame and get within 12 points, 45-33. Ulrickson had 10 of his team-high 18 points for the Eagles in the quarter.

“We’re not going to give up,” said Watson. “Our fans charged us up a little bit, and they helped us out. When they are positive, our kids respond to that. We just tried to get stops.”

“We showed for a little while in the third quarter that we could stay with them, and that will help us down the road,” said Griffin.

Hampden showed its experience in the fourth quarter, getting five quick points from Matt Palmer and Gilpin to pull away.

“That is a good basketball team,” said Watson of Hampden Academy, which shot 38 percent (18 of 47) from the floor and made 14 of 17 free throws, including 10 of 11 in the second half. “They were able to figure out where our weaknesses are. I don’t think that we as a coaching staff did a good enough job of adapting to what they were taking away from us.”

Ulrickson dished out three assists and picked up five steals, while Alex LaPierre led the Eagles with six rebounds. Griffin added six points, five rebounds and two blocked shots, while Gabe Pelletier had five points, including the Eagles’ only trey.

Mt. Ararat finished 14 of 43 (32 percent) from the field and made eight of 14 free throws.

“I thought our kids played really hard throughout the game,” said Watson. “It is going to take a night, like a Lewiston (a 43-35 Mt. Ararat victory), where a team shoots poorly. We tried to control the tempo. We know that we’re going to get pounded inside. We just didn’t have enough horsepower at the end.”

Palmer and Martin each had eight points for the Broncos, while Nick Gilpin added seven points. Palmer pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. The Broncos, who made nine 3- pointers in the contest, held a 29-21 rebounding advantage.

Hampden 59, Mt. Ararat 37

At Topsham
Hampden — 13 19 13 14 — 59
Mt. Ararat — 11 4 18 4 — 37
Hampden — Nick Gilpin 2-2-7, Cam Scott
0-2-2, Zach Gilpin 10-3-28, Tyler Norris 0-
3-3, Matt Palmer 3-0-8, Brian Fickett 0-3-
3, Matt Martin 3-1-8, Brendan McIntyre 0-
0-0. Totals — 18-14-59.
Mt. Ararat — Alex LaPierre 2-0-4, Jake
Demosthenes 0-0-0, Shyheim Ulrickson
6-6-14, Jason Tome 0-0-0, Mason Griffin
3-0-6, Tyler Roberts 2-0-4, Gabe Pelletier
1-2-5, Zach Greene 0-0-0, Jordan Castonguay 0-0-0, Kevin Carter 0-0-0. Totals
— 14-8-37.
3-point goals — (Hamp) N. Gilpin, Z.
Gilpin 5, Palmer 2, Martin; (MA) Pelletier.
Records — Hampden Academy 9-0, Mt.
Ararat 4-5.
Next — The Broncos host Brunswick on
Friday at 7 p.m. The Eagles visit Brewer
on Friday at 7 p.m.