AUBURN — For every Edward Little run, Graham Safford was the answer.

Each time the Eddies got too close for comfort, the Hampden Academy junior point guard sliced through the lane for a lay-in, or bombed a 3-pointer from the baseline, keeping the home squad at bay and allowing the Broncos to escape EL’s raucous gymnasium with a 64-55 victory in an important clash of KVAC titans Tuesday.

“Early in the game, I knocked down a couple of jumpers, and coach saw that I hat the hot hand,” Safford said. “He kept calling plays to me all night, and my teammates were great getting things to collapse and kicking the ball back out to me.”

Safford finished the game with 36 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, and added 12 rebounds to earn the double-double.

“We had a meeting with him yesterday about being more assertive,” Hampden coach  Russ Bartlett said. “He has a tendency to want to distribute the ball more, but tonight he really took control. Two of our best games this year have come when he’s played like this.”

Jacob Moore was a force in the paint for the Broncos (7-1), scoring 15 points and adding five rebounds. Noah Burditt chipped in with six points and six boards.

In the fourth quarter, after three low-scoring stanzas, both teams jumped into an offensive rhythm. Starting the quarter with a 12-point deficit, EL cut Hampden’s lead to nine with 3:26 to play. Safford replied with a runner along the baseline.

Kyle Mains once again pulled the Eddies (5-2) within nine, and added a three from the left baseline with 1:23 to play to make it a two-possession game.

But Safford tipped in his own rebound at the other end and hit both ends of a one-and-one to seal the victory.

“Their bigs killed us down low and we didn’t have an answer offensively,” EL coach Mike Adams said. “We had to try to get looks from the perimeter. We didn’t move well in the first half, and they made us pay for that.”

Hampden held EL to just seven points in the opening quarter and led 28-20 at the half.

“That was a good team we saw tonight. It was two good teams matched up and it took a while for us to feel each other out,” Bartlett said. “We don’t see each other often, and it’s a different atmosphere playing in this building. What a great environment to play in.”

EL was still within 11 late in the third and Bo Leary was starting to heat up a bit in the paint, when Safford drained a three with 59 seconds to play in the quarter to extend the Broncos’ lead again.

Yusuf Iman was on fire in the first half for Edward Little, hitting for 14 points, but he cooled off in the later stages of the game. He finished with 20 points.

Leary managed 17 points and eight rebounds for the Eddies, but all of his points came in the second half.

One positive note for EL was the return of James Philbrook from injury. He played sparingly throughout the game, compiling four points and three rebounds before fouling out with 4:42 to play.