AUGUSTA

Come high school basketball tournament time, there are the nerves that come with walking out from the locker room at the Augusta Civic Center and into the auditorium, with a large crowd of fans looking on.

Now take Hampden Academy, which entered Saturday afternoon’s Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal against seventh-seeded Brunswick riding a 10-game winning streak at the Civic Center, with a comfort level that is second to none on this grand stage.

The Broncos played like the three-time defending Regional champions, handling the Dragons, 63-46, to advance to Wednesday’s semifinals against No. 3 Messalonskee, which rolled behind Nick Mayo’s 31 points to a 58-42 win over sixth-seeded Oxford Hills on Saturday. The other semifinal matchup will be decided today, as the late session on Saturday was postponed due to the incoming blizzard.

“They are a really good team and 16-2 for a reason, with 11 straight wins on this floor,” said Hanson, whose Dragons finished 9-10. “We had to play perfect, and for the first quarter-and-a-half I thought we played perfect. Their skill level just wore us down. Defensively, they are one of the better teams in our league and held us to a season-low in points during the regular season (43-32).”

In a back-and-forth first quarter that featured five ties and four lead changes, Hampden (17-2) came away with a 16-15 lead after Nick Gilpin finished off his 10- point frame with a halfcourt buzzer-beater.

But, Brunswick hung in, trailing just 19-17 when Alex Bandouveres went hard to the hoop for a lay-up. The Dragons worked hard to get the ball down low in the post, with Bandouveres (nine points) and Corbin Teel (nine points) the main weapons.

Hampden, which was held to nine points in the second quarter, still extended its lead thanks to a 7-1 edge in offensive rebounds. The Broncos led 25-19 at the half behind Gilpin’s 14 points, while Bandouveres paced Brunswick with seven.

3-pointers rain down

The Dragons switched things up defensively to begin the second half, trying to take Gilpin away. But, the junior found teammate Jake Black open, and Black didn’t miss, unleashing a 3-point barrage that turned a close game into a 38-24 Broncos lead. Black swished three treys in a quick two-minute stretch, with Gilpin dishing out five of his game-high seven assists.

“Gilpin is first team and an All-State player, then we took him away in the second half and Jake Black hit those threes,” said Hanson. “It’s like you have to pick your poison with them.”

“They just played their game,” said Brunswick senior guard Taran Payne after playing his final game as a Dragon, along with classmates Bandouveres, Pearson Cost and Fynn Arthur. “I thought we had them in the first half. They shot the ball well. We played well and did what we had to do. We worked hard all season to get here. We played with a chip all season and just tried to play tough.”

Having graduated five of his six starters from a year ago, Hanson said his team fought hard to return to Augusta.

“Last year we lost five of our top six, with Bandouveres really our only starter back, so for them to will us back to the tournament says a lot,” said Hanson of his seniors.

Gilpin led Hampden with 20 points, with Black scoring all 15 of his points in the second half. Brendan McIntyre and Conary Moore split 18 points down the middle, with the Broncos shooting 44 percent (22 of 50) from the floor and making 11-of-17 at the free-throw line.

Thomas Hanson balanced Brunswick’s attack with 10 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out four assists. Payne also picked up four assists, with Cost chipping in eight points and Josh Dorr five. The Dragons were 17-of-45 from the floor (37 percent) and made 7-of-10 at the charity stripe.

No. 2 Hampden Academy 63,
No. 7 Brunswick 46

Eastern A Quarterfinal
Saturday, at the Augusta Civic Center
Brunswick — 15 4 17 10 — 46
Hampden — 16 9 23 15 — 63
Brunswick — Alex Bandouveres 4-1-9, Thomas Hanson 3-2-
10, Corbin Teel 3-3-9, Taran Payne 1-0-3, Pearson Cost 3-0-
8, Josh Dorr 2-1-5, JD Souza 0-0-0, Owen Rudalevige 0-0-0,
Allan Molnar 0-0-0, Caleb Cost 1-0-2, Fynn Arthur 0-0-0,
Colby Butler 0-0-0, Jaznell Burns 0-0-0. Totals — 17-7-46.
Hampden — Brendan McIntyre 3-2-9, Conary Moore 3-3-9,
Ian McIntyre 1-1-3, Nick Gilpin 8-2-20, Jake Black 5-1-15,
Nick Chasse 2-0-5, Zach Boss 0-2-2, Caleb Lord 0-0-0,
William Campbell 0-0-0, Jackson Gilmore 0-0-0. Totals —
22-11-63.
3-point field goals — (B) Hanson 2, P. Cost 2, Payne; (H)
Black 4, Gilpin 2, B. McIntyre, Chasse.
Records — Hampden 17-2, Brunswick 9-10.
Notes — Hampden faces No. 3 Messalonskee on Wednesday
at 7 p.m. in the Eastern A semifinals. Brunswick’s season is
completed.