TOPSHAM — When the Mt. Ararat girls basketball team looked at its Class A North schedule during the preseason, there were a few unknown opponents. Hampden Academy was not one.
The two squads met last year in the Class A state final at the Augusta Civic Center, after which the Eagles, then representing the South region, hoisted the first Gold Ball in program history. Although the stakes were nowhere near as high, Thursday’s rematch unfolded in a similar manner.
Mt. Ararat, ranked fourth in the Varsity Maine poll, used a strong paint performance by senior forward Julianna Allen (game-high 16 points, 12 in the second half) to overcome a low-scoring first half. The 54-37 win gives the Eagles (15-1) a tighter grasp on the region’s top seed with one week remaining in the regular season, while the Broncos (12-4) still sit in second place.
“We knew who their team was, they didn’t really lose anybody, so we just knew we had to come out and dominate,” Allen said. “We knew they had some big post players, so we just had to work hard on defense to get our offense moving.”
Allen missed her first three shots but eventually found a third-quarter rhythm against Hampden senior center Grace LaBree (10 second-half points, seven rebounds) with spin moves and tough-angled lay-ins from both sides.
Senior guards Jenna Jensen (11 points) and Jaelyn Jensen (10 points, 11 rebounds) helped Allen create space as driving threats unafraid of earning a trip to the free-throw line.
“I don’t think we shot particularly great, but we’ve been talking a lot about how to manufacture points if you’re not shooting super great from the outside,” Mt. Ararat coach Julie Petrie said. “And we just thought they did a good job attacking different ways.”
A pair of early 3-pointers helped the visitors take the lead, but Kayleigh Wagg’s block behind the arc and subsequent 3-pointer with 2:17 left in the first quarter gave the hosts an advantage they wouldn’t relinquish. The Eagles’ 1-3-1 zone held the Broncos to two points in the second quarter, and they took a 23-13 lead into the halftime break.
Hampden coach Nick Winchester was pleased with his team’s first-half defense, especially since Mt. Ararat was averaging a region-high 62.8 points, but he knew the defense could only be so good, especially against an experienced senior-led group.
“This is a miss-make game, right? You got to make shots,” Winchester said. “And I said to Coach Petrie after the game, ‘Julianna just made shots in the second half, and they weren’t wide open. They were contested shots around the rim, and she just finished.’”
Junior guards Eve Wiles and Aubrey Shaw each added seven points for the Broncos.