OAKLAND — Whether the Mr. Maine Basketball candidate on the opposing team was playing or not, the Messalonskee boys basketball team had a message it wanted to send.

The game plan wasn’t the one the Eagles expected to implement when they woke up this morning — how could it be once they learned Zach McLaughlin wouldn’t be suiting up? — but the message that Messalonskee can contend with anyone in Class A North was delivered loud and clear.

Messalonskee took down Hampden Academy 72-39 in a battle of two of A North’s top teams Thursday. The Eagles got 23 points and 16 rebounds from Merrick Smith and 22 points from Ty Bernier as they established a double-digit lead and coasted from there to snap the Broncos’ winning streak at 12 games.

“We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the state, and we wanted to come out here and play like it,” said Bernier, a junior guard. “We’ve just got to play hard, and if we do that and do it for all four quarters, we’ll be really good. I think we really proved that.”

Messalonskee controlled the game from the opening tip with Smith scoring four of the first five points as the Eagles took a 5-0 lead. After Hampden (13-2) got on the board with an Aiden Kochendorfer layup, Ty Bernier keyed an 11-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers as Messalonskee led 16-5 after one.

Leading 18-8 in the second quarter, the home team took further control of the game. After a Bernier layup and Sam Dube 3-pointer, a thunderous dunk by Smith sent the home crowd to its feet as Messalonskee (13-4) took its largest lead yet at 27-10. The Eagles would take a 31-12 lead to the locker room.

Messalonskee’s Parker Reynolds dribbles during a fast break against Hampden Academy on Thursday in Oakland. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“We were ready for the moment, and I think we showed that early on,” said  Messalonskee head coach Sam Smith. “It’s the last home game of the season, and our guys were pumped up and ready to play a phenomenal team. They came out ready to go early and played with a lot of energy.”

Hampden looked a tad crisper on the offensive end in the third quarter but failed to get closer than 17 points as Bernier continued his offensive assault. The fourth quarter belonged to Smith, who scored 10 of his 23 in the final period as Messalonskee recorded its largest margin of victory this season.

McLaughlin’s scratch due to a heel injury left Hampden without one of the top scorers anywhere in the state at 26.7 points per game. In his absence, Messalonskee keyed on another of the Broncos’ standouts, forward J.J. Wolfington (16.7 points, 8.8 rebounds per game), who had just six points and four rebounds.

“The main thing (with McLaughlin out) was stopping J.J. because he’s another good scorer, and I thought we did a great job,” Merrick Smith said. “I thought Sam Dube did an amazing job limiting his catches, staying down and making sure he didn’t fall for the pump fakes. I think that really contributed to our good start.”

Smith, of course, also played a big part in that himself as his 16 rebounds accounted for more than half of Messalonskee’s 31 total. The Eagles, who outrebounded the Broncos 31-21, also played a cleaner game than the visitors, turning the ball over eight times to Hampden’s 12.

Messalonskee had one of its own key guards sidelined in Drake Brunelle, one of the team’s top athletes. Although the Eagles will certainly welcome Brunelle’s return come tournament time, it looked as if they didn’t skip a beat Thursday as the offense flowed well with Jacob Moody playing point.

OAKLAND, ME – JANUARY 1: The Messalonskee boys basketball team wore special warm up shirts in remembrance of Candice Parent, Ryan Parent’s late mother, during the game against Hampden Academy Thursday February 1, 2024 in Oakland. (Staff photo by Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer) Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“Moody stepped up and did really well at point guard,” Brunelle said. “I thought we looked good with him stepping up and running that for us. We all just kept moving the ball around and working together. It was a team win.”

The crowd in Oakland was electric with dozens of youngsters in the stands for youth night and a rowdy student section wearing green in support of guard Ryan Parent’s late mother, Candice. Candice Parent, a beloved member of the Messalonskee community who passed away in October, would have turned 53 on Saturday.

Messalonskee gave that crowd a lot to cheer for with this emphatic performance. There could be plenty more of that as well for the Eagles, who have now won six straight games as they head into next Tuesday’s regular season finale at Cony and the ensuing regional tournament with plenty of momentum.

“We’ve definitely gotten on a little run here, but we’ve got to keep improving,” Sam Smith said. “I still don’t think we’ve played our best game yet, so we’ve got to keep getting better, and if we do that, I like where we are going into tournament time.”

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