AUGUSTA — Not quite two years ago, a shot from just inside half-court by Nick Gilpin hoisted Hampden Academy to the second of its three consecutive Class A East boys’ basketball championships.

Saturday evening, another answered prayer off Gilpin’s fingertips at Augusta Civic Center spelled the difference between a deficit and a lead at the end of the first quarter in a quarterfinal.

Those stakes might seem night-and-day, but the junior point guard’s heave awakened No. 2 Hampden from a stagnant start and lit the fuse in a 63-46 victory over No. 7 Brunswick.

“I think energy-wise that helped us, but at the same time, we had a little game rust, having not played in eight or nine days,” Hampden coach Russ Bartlett said. “The first half, we didn’t make our layups. We had three or four point-blank shots we missed that would have made a big difference at halftime to be up 10 or 12 instead of five or six. In the second half we did a much better job finishing our layups. That was really the difference for us.”

Gilpin scored 10 of his game-high 20 points in the first quarter for Hampden (18-1), which will take on No. 3 Messalonskee at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals.

Now a third-year starter, Gilpin is the glue for a typically talented but much younger Hampden team that sent only one senior onto the floor Saturday, and none while the game was in doubt.

“He’s very stoic when he plays,” Bartlett said. “You can never tell how the game is going by looking at his face, and he’s very calm when he has the ball in his hands, obviously.”

Jake Black scored 11 of his 15 points in the third quarter for Hampden. He sank four 3-pointers, all in the second half.

Thomas Hanson led Brunswick (9-10) with 10 points. Corbin Teel and Alex Bandouveres each chipped in nine, and Pearson Cost chalked up eight.

Gilpin’s 3-pointer at the horn gave Hampden a 16-15 lead that grew to 25-19 at the half.

The Broncos led by a dozen after Black’s outburst in the third, although Bartlett was disappointed that Hampden’s defense didn’t put the game away. Brunswick lurked within a dozen, 48-36, after three.

“Jake came out and gave us great energy, making shots, which was a big help,” Bartlett said. “A lot of nights we would find that our defense would feed off that, but it didn’t. It was real complacent.”

Brendan McIntyre and Conar Moore each added nine points for Hampden. Zach Boss provided a spark off the bench.

“You expect all the games to be kind of a grinder, and I think that was one,” Bartlett said. “The first one is always the toughest. After you get through that, you’ve got to play your best basketball to move on, and that’s the way it should be.”

koakes@sunjournal.com

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