AUGUSTA — After trailing for less than three minutes all tournament, an eight-point deficit was an unfamiliar spot for the Hampden Academy girls basketball team in the Class A North final Friday night at the Augusta Civic Center.
Even when the third-seeded Broncos recovered, their opponents always punched back. In the end, though, Hampden secured a 59-52 win over Camden Hills to win the regional title and advance to next Friday’s state final back in Augusta against South champ Mt. Ararat.
“That was high school basketball at its finest,” said Hampden coach Nick Winchester. “I just told the girls in the locker room, ‘That’s why we don’t stop playing.’ (Camden Hills) battled us, but that’s the group they’ve been all year long; even when they’re fatigued, they have no quit in them.”
Eve Wiles scored 19 points for Hampden (16-5), which also got 15 points from Caitlyn Murphy and 10 rebounds from Aubrey Shaw.
Thea Laukka had 18 points and seven assists to lead fourth-seeded Camden Hills (14-7).
Camden Hills was the stronger team early, forcing Hampden into a slew of turnovers to take a 22-14 lead to the halftime break. The Broncos outscored the Windjammers 16-8 in the third quarter and eventually went ahead 40-35 midway through the fourth, but a Leah Jones 3-pointer followed by a Laukka layup with 1:42 left tied it at 40.
Trailing 42-40 with 7.9 seconds left, Camden Hills got the ball inside to Maren Johnson for a basket that sent the game to overtime.
The Windjammers then extended the game again at the end of the first overtime, on a long jumper from Tallulah Marks with three seconds left that tied it at 46-46.
The final punch from Hampden, though, was simply too powerful. Spurred by a 3-pointer from Katelyn Adams that put them in front for good, the Broncos erupted for 13 points in the second overtime to claim their sixth regional championship (1976, 2011, 2018-20, 2025).
“It’s just a gritty group of girls,” Winchester said. “It’s double-overtime, they’re gassed — Cait Murphy could barely stand up there when she was shooting free throws — but they just did not stop. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
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