By Pete Warner

Of the NEWS Staff

HAMPDEN – Bangor High coach Tom Tennett knew if his Rams were going to beat Hampden Academy, they would have to find a way to limit the penetration of Broncos guard Johanna Ghiringhelli.

Bangor switched from a 1-3-1 zone to a 2-3 alignment in the second half Tuesday night, effectively disrupting Hampden’s offensive flow while earning a 45-41 victory.

“It’s great we won, because that’s the only team we’ve lost to,” said Bangor senior Laura Clarke, who scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. “It’s a big confidence boost.”

The 6-1 Rams, who played man-to-man defense in the first meeting (a 36-33 Hampden victory on Dec. 20), benefited from playing the 2-3 zone.

“The reason we went to the zones tonight is we just didn’t feel that with [Ghiringhelli’s] penetration that we could stay with them in man-to-man without getting our big kids in foul trouble,” Tennett said. “She’s obviously a very talented kid.”

Ghiringhelli scored a game-high 12 points and grabbed six rebounds, but attempted only three shots in the second half. Hampden (5-2) was unable to solve the 2-3 zone consistently.

“They packed it in against us. That hurt us penetration-wise,” said HA coach Ben Greenlaw. “As a team I don’t think we shot a very high percentage [28 percent].”

Sophomore forward Serena Dubois scored 11 points, 10 in the second half, pulled down 10 rebounds and provided three steals and two blocked shots to pace the Rams. Bangor, which committed 15 first-half turnovers, took care of the ball better after the break and used its “high” offense to attack the basket more effectively and get the hosts in foul trouble.

“We just got our offense working and found their weak spots and attacked them,” Dubois said.

Kim Stephenson had nine points and three assists for Hampden, while Tanna Ross added eight points. The hosts were 2-for-16 on 3-pointers.

The Broncos led 20-15 at halftime, but the Rams scored the first seven points of the second half, five of them from the foul line. Bangor’s guards had room to drive to the hoop, while Dubois had more room inside.

Dubois scored off a low-post move to give Bangor a 24-22 lead with 4:06 left in the third. The Rams never trailed again.

“When we went more to our ‘high’ offense I think it forced them to come out a little bit and we were able to get some good dribble penetration on the wings,” Tennett said.

The game was tied 30-30 early in the fourth quarter, but Clarke converted an offensive rebound, Caroline Weymouth (7 points) made a baseline runner and Dubois hit a jump hook off a rebound to give Bangor a 36-30 lead with 5:35 to play.

HA battled back within a point three more times, but was held scoreless in the final two minutes. The Broncos committed 11 second-half turnovers.

Two Ilyse Angst foul shots and one by Clarke helped the Rams hold on. Bangor held an 18-11 edge from the foul line.

Hampden was without two regulars in Cheryl Morris (broken nose) and a player out for disciplinary reasons. Bangor’s Alyssa Ogden (broken finger) also missed the contest.

RAMS 45, BRONCOS 41

Bangor (6-1) Hampden (5-2)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Angst 0 9 7 12 7 Ghiringhelli 4 12

Clarke 2 9 5 8 9 Stephenson 4 10 0 0 9

Curtis 1 2 1 2 3 Ross 3 8 8

Dubois 5 6 1 2 11 Thompson 1 3

Weymouth 2 4 2 3 7 Beal 2 8 7

Porter 0 1 0 0 0 Veinote 0 9 2

White 1 2 0 0 2 Bragg 0 0 0

McAllian 2 3 2 2 6 Day 0 0 0

Webb 0 0 0 0 0

Bradford 0 1 0 0 0

Totals 13 37 18 29 45 Totals 14 50 11 16 41

Bangor 8 15 30 45

Hampden 10 20 28 41

3-pt. goals – Bangor (1-7): Angst 0-3, Porter 0-1, White 0-1, Weymouth 1-2; Hampden (2-16): Ghiringhelli 1-4, Stephenson 1-5, Veinote 0-2, Ross 0-3, Thompson 0-2

Attendance: 350 (est.)

JV: Bangor 59-45