Hampden Academy Boys’ Basketball Dominates Bangor
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Hampden Academy and Bangor boys’ basketball teams clashed in Bangor at noon. The Broncos easily defeated the Rams, winning 68-43.
Bangor, the underdogs, made a strong start with a Josh Grunkemeyer 3-pointer just seconds into the game. However, the Broncos tightened their defense in the second quarter, taking a commanding 41-22 lead at halftime.
This victory brought Hampden Academy’s record to 8-1, while Bangor’s record fell to 1-10. It marked Hampden’s seventh consecutive win and Bangor’s second consecutive loss.
Hampden senior guard Zach McLaughlin, an all-conference first-teamer, commented on the game, saying, “They came out pretty hot on offense, and we just needed a second to get into our groove. I’m not the biggest morning person, but the team came ready and we had great energy in warmups. We just needed to see a couple of shots fall and sit down on defense.”
In the first quarter, senior forward Ryan Ford and sophomore Grunkemeyer led Bangor’s offense. Bangor ended the quarter with a buzzer-beating layup, trailing by just two points, 18-16. However, Hampden limited Bangor to only six more points in the next eight minutes while scoring 23 points themselves.
McLaughlin was the top scorer with 26 points, followed by Hampden senior forward JJ Wolfington with 18 points and Ryan Ford with 10 points. Hampden made eight 3-pointers, including three by McLaughlin and two by sophomore point guard Sawyer Worcester, who scored eight points. Bangor made four 3-pointers, with Grunkemeyer contributing nine points.
McLaughlin emphasized the team’s defensive efforts, stating, “We have a lot of guys that contribute on the defensive end, as well as the offensive end. We’re really long, and got guys that want to get on the floor and work hard.”
On the Bangor side, Ford acknowledged their issues with shot selection in the second quarter, saying, “We thought we were ready as a team. The energy was up, and we weren’t turning the ball over. But we started rushing the ball; not taking our time. We had a rough time setting up our halfcourt offense. But it’s a step in the right direction.”
Hampden’s upcoming games include three straight home matches, including one against Nokomis (7-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and a rematch with Bangor on Saturday at 1 p.m. Bangor’s next game is the rematch with Hampden, and their final home game of the season is against Lewiston on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m.
