HAMPDEN, Maine — Hampden Academy sophomore guard Aubrey Shaw hit just one 3-pointer in the Broncos’ Class A North game against Camden Hills of Rockport on Thursday night but it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Shaw connected from the top of the key with one minute remaining to snap a 33-33 tie and send the Broncos on their way to a 43-33 triumph in an intense defensive battle featuring Hampden Academy’s tenacious half-court man-to-man against Camden Hills’ swarming and relentless full-court press.
Sophomore guard Eve Wiles sank all four of her free throw attempts to sew up the win and junior guard Madelyn DiCentes added three more.
The Broncos improved to 3-1 while Camden Hills absorbed its first loss after four wins.
Shaw’s 3-pointer came off a handoff from 6-foot-3 junior forward Grace LaBree.
“My defender went under Grace so it was like a screen for me. It wasn’t a designed play. It just happened naturally,” said Shaw who added that it felt good when it left her hands.
“That was a (defensive) miscommunication and it was the worst time to have one,” said Camden Hills coach Samantha Bragg.
“That was very important. That really got us going,” said Wiles.
Following the three, the Windjammers made an errant pass and they wound up fouling Wiles, who made both.
The Windjammers wound up fouling Wiles again after another unproductive possession and she made two more.
Wiles said she told herself to “stay calm. We needed these.”
“This was a game we had to have,” said Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester. “The kids played well defensively. We’ve been a better defensive team than I thought we’d be.”
“Our defense is a big part of our identity as a team and who we want to be,” said Shaw.
“Our main goal was to execute on defense tonight,” added Wiles. “We were worried about their shooters. They have very good shooters. We did pretty well.”
The Broncos held Camden Hills to a 28.6 shooting from the floor (14-49) including a 10.5 percent showing (2-for-19) beyond the 3-point arc.
“We’ve been in a little shooting slump these past couple of games,” said Bragg, whose Windjammers had carved out a 32-19 win over Skowhegan in their previous game after averaging 54 points per game in their first three victories.
“It isn’t our norm. We usually shoot the ball pretty well. We went away from penetrating and pitching due to Hampden’s defense or us trying to rush our offense. We tried to shoot a lot of pull-up-off-the-dribble threes which isn’t necessarily as high a percentage shot.
“We got a lot of good looks but they didn’t go down tonight,” added Bragg.
The Broncos had taken their previous biggest lead of the game at 30-24 with a 10-3 run to close out the third period.
Freshman guard Mallory Lausier came off the bench to hit a three off a Wiles pass and converted her own steal with a layup. Wiles had a three and two assists.
But Camden Hills responded with a 9-1 run to begin the fourth quarter as junior Maddison Cronkite sank two free throws and nailed a three off a Rita Haslam pass and, after a DiCentes free throw, Haslam hit a layup off a Leah Jones feed and sophomore Thea Laukka scored off her own rebound.
LaBree tied it 33-33 with a layup off a Caitlin Murphy pass.
Shaw finished with a game-high 11 points and she also grabbed four rebounds. Wiles finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists and LaBree chipped in with nine points and six rebounds. DiCentes had four points and four rebounds.
Junior Talluah Marks’ six points and game-high 10 rebounds paced the Windjammers, who forced a lot of turnovers with their press. Laukka wound up with six points, four rebounds and four steals and senior Rose Tohanczyn had five points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot.
Cronkite had five points and three steals and Maren Johnson produced five points off the bench.
HA will play again on Friday at Messaslonskee of Oakland. Game time is 6:30.
Camden Hills next plays on Dec. 28 at Cony of Augusta beginning at 3:30.
