HERMON – The Hermon Hawks could sense the changing nature of Monday night’s Big East Conference Class B battle of early-season unbeatens as Foxcroft Academy methodically chipped away at a deficit that was as large as 17 points in the second quarter.

But when the Ponies cut that gap to two points with 2:43 to play, the Hawks responded with seven straight points to preserve an 80-73 victory.

Senior guard Jesse Keith scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, making all four field-goal tries and 6 of 6 free-throw attempts.

“I knew they were coming back,” said Keith. “I had to step up, penetrate, and dish the ball because they weren’t stepping in when I penetrated, so I penetrated, and the shots were there.”

Adam Duplisea added 16 points for the 6-0 Hawks, while Jason Shorey had 13 points and Ben Adams contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.

Junior swingman Bobby Gilbert led 5-1 Foxcroft with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Matt Carey added 21 points and nine boards, Josh Withee had 17 points and five assists, and Greg Perry scored 10 points.

Trailing 45-33 at halftime, Foxcroft went to work on the backboards – outrebounding Hermon 27-11 in the second half. That work helped the Ponies get within 67-65 with 2:43 left when Perry converted a three-point play and Carey followed with a free throw after grabbing an offensive rebound.

Shorey then was fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound for Hermon and made two free throws. Duplisea followed with a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 72-65 edge and force a Foxcroft timeout with 1:40 left.

The Ponies came up empty on their next possession, and Keith then made the first two of six free throws he made over the final 1:38 to restore the Hawks to a nine-point cushion.

“It’s a huge win for us,” said Hermon coach Alan Tweedie. “I never would have predicted we’d come out of the gate this successful. You hope to work your way into this style of basketball and be successful with it by midseason. But these kids have great character and the senior leadership plays a great part in it.”

Both teams battled foul trouble in the first half. Duplisea picked up his third late in the first quarter after scoring eight points to stake the Hawks to a 17-9 lead.

Foxcroft faced even greater foul woes, as Withee drew his fourth midway through the second quarter, shortly after backcourt mate Lincoln Robinson picked up his third.

Hermon scored the first 10 points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 29-14. The Hawks scored five points when Withee was called for a personal foul and a technical foul on the same play. Keith made two of four free throws, then fed Chris Harding for a 3-pointer.

Moments later, Robinson was whistled for an intentional foul. Keith made two free throws, then a jumper on the ensuing possession as Hermon pushed its lead to 15 points.

That margin grew to as much as 45-28 on a Keith jumper with 1:02 left in the half, but Carey made a three-point play and a layup to pull Foxcroft within 12 at intermission.

“We’re not very deep, and we had one kid who [usually] sits out about 30 seconds a game with four fouls, and our other guard with three in the first half,” said Foxcroft coach David Carey. “But give credit where credit’s due. They shot the ball very well. They played very hard, I take my hat off to them, I thought Hermon played a heck of a game.”

HAWKS 80, PONIES 73

Foxcroft (5-1) Hermon (6-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Withee 6 15 4 4 17 Keith 7 15 15 18 30

Robinson 0 0 0 0 0 Gould 3 6 7

Gilbert 7 22 7 8 22 McGown 0 0 0

Carey 7 18 7 12 21 Duplisea 5 14 2 2 16

Perry 4 11 1 1 10 Shorey 6 12 13

Earnest 0 1 1 2 1 Deabay 0 1 0

Croan 1 2 0 0 2 Danforth 0 0

Tirrell 0 0 0 0 0 Harding 1 2 3

Adams 4 5 3 11

Totals 25 69 20 27 73 26 26 55 20 24 80

Foxcroft Academy 14 33 49 73

Hermon 19 45 59 80

3-pt. goals ? Foxcroft (3-17): Gilbert 1-3, Withee 1-4, Perry 1-8, Carey 0-1, Earnest 0-1; Hermon (8-23): Duplisea 4-11, Harding 1-1, Gould 1-2, Shorey 1-3, Keith 1-6

Attendance: 700

JV: Hermon 78-35