Story by Mike Corrado, Special to the BDN
Hampden Academy senior Zach McLaughlin hit three free throws with 17 seconds to play and the top-seeded Broncos held on to defeat third-seeded Messalonskee 44-43 in the Class A North championship basketball game at the Augusta Civic Center Friday night.
Hampden advances to the state championship game against the winner of Gray-New Gloucester and Noble at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
Hampden didn’t hold a lead in the game until McLaughlin nailed his third of three free throws with less than 20 seconds to play. That score was all it turned out they’d need. McLaughlin finished with a game-high 24 points.
Merrick Smith was borderline unstoppable for the Eagles, as he scored a team-high 10 first half points and caused major chaos in the painted area. Smith finished the evening with a team-high 23 points, but the effort came up just short for the junior big man’s side.
