BANGOR – After a slow start in Friday’s Big East Conference matchup between the Hampden and Bangor girls basketball teams, standout forward Emmy Russell took over when the Broncos needed her most.

And Cheryl Morris, who had two points in the first half, followed suit.

Russell scored 21 points, including 15 in the second half, while Morris scored nine of her 11 in that span, to lead Hampden to a 47-37 victory over the Rams at the Bangor Auditorium.

There was a bit of revenge on the Broncos’ minds as they recalled their season-opening loss to Bangor. But the Rams have been a bit inconsistent since the Dec. 13 game, and Hampden took advantage.

“It all came down to desire,” Russell said. “We really needed to win this game. We’re excited to beat a really strong program.”

Hampden goes to 7-4, while Bangor falls to 3-6.

Russell and Morris were the only Hampden players to score in the third quarter and continued that streak until Erin Campbell hit a free throw with 2:25 left in the game. Along the way, Russell put in three straight baskets in the third quarter and another after a Morris 3-pointer. Russell’s final hoop of the third quarter made it 35-29.

Russell also had a game-high 14 rebounds.

“We didn’t take care of Emmy Russell,” Bangor coach Tom Tennett said. “She dominated the game and that was what we talked about before the game. We have trouble matching up physically with her.”

Morris hit two jumpers in a row in the fourth to give Hampden a 41-29 lead.

Meanwhile, the Rams scored just six points in the third period and had seven field-goal attempts. Hampden forced nine Bangor turnovers in the fourth quarter.

The squads were tied at 11-11 at the end of the first quarter and the Rams had a 23-21 lead at halftime. Bangor forced seven turnovers in the second quarter, the result of revving up its zone press and catching the Broncos a bit off guard.

The Rams had a 19-15 lead at one point in the second quarter, sparked in part by the press. A highlight of the spurt was Caroline Weymouth’s fast-break layup that drew a foul. Weymouth hit the ensuing free throw to tie the game, and baskets from Marissa McLeod and Ashley Hayden gave the Rams a four-point lead.

But Hampden looked much steadier against the press after halftime.

“We’ve been practicing the 1-3-1 a lot in practice because we’ve been having trouble playing against zones,” Morris said. “It was just a matter of getting into a rhythm and getting our shots down.”

Weymouth led Bangor with 13 points. Laura Clarke had seven rebounds.

BRONCOS 47, RAMS 37

Bangor (3-6) Hampden (7-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Ogden 1 2 0 0 2 Webb 0 1 0

Angst 1 7 5 7 7 Stephenson 1 4

Porter 0 1 2 2 2 Morris 5 11 11

Clarke 0 5 1 2 1 Thompson 0 0

McLeod 1 3 0 0 2 Campbell 1 5

McCrum 0 0 1 2 1 Russell 9 15 21

Hayden 2 4 0 0 4 Beal 2 6 4

Chase 0 0 0 0 0 Ireland 1 3 2

Curtis 2 2 0 0 4

Weymouth 5 7 2 3 12

Sullivan 1 3 0 0 2

Totals 13 34 11 16 37 19 50 13 47

Bangor 11 23 29 37

Hampden 11 21 35 47

3-pt. goals: Bangor (0-1): Angst 0-1; Hampden (2-4): Morris 1-1, Campbell 1-2, Thompson 0-1

Attendance: 200 (est.)