NEWPORT – Nothing feels as good as coming out of a losing streak. Just ask the Hampden Academy girls basketball team.

The Nokomis girls, however, will have to wait at least one more game to share the same feeling.

The Broncos snapped a three-game skid, edging the Warriors during an eight-point run in the fourth quarter to emerge with a 41-30 victory Friday night at the high school gymnasium.

“When you come out of a slump like that it comes down to who wants it more,” said Lauren Maltz, a senior guard who scored eight points for 5-4 Hampden. “I think everybody on our team hustled to get the ball.”

The loss left Nokomis coach Earl Anderson looking for answers from his 4-5 Warriors.

“We have to find some inner fortitude, somehow,” he said. “It’s a difficult spot that we’re in, but we have the ability to beat every team that we play. There are a lot of games left and we just have to find a way to get it turned around.”

Nokomis plays again Jan. 12 against undefeated Messalonskee of Oakland.

Nokomis junior Kelley Paradis had a game-high 15 points, although she was scoreless in the fourth quarter as Hampden’s man-to-man defense and a 10-4 rebounding edge held the Warriors to just one field goal in the period.

Senior Tanna Ross paced Hampden with 12 points. She had just a free throw in the fourth, but Kimble Rawcliffe and Maltz combined for all eight points in a critical 21/2-minute run.

Hampden allowed the lone Nokomis basket, a Teresa Cooper layup, 1 minute, 16 seconds into the fourth. Her shot tied the game at 30-30.

However, about 1:40 later Rawcliffe knocked down a jumper, then Maltz scored a basket off a Rawcliffe assist and Rawcliffe scored again.

Two possessions later, both of which were started with steals by Kayla Webb, Maltz grabbed an offensive rebound after Ross missed a 3-pointer. Maltz put the ball back for a 38-30 lead with 2:21 left.

“It came down to, [Ross] had a good shot, I was in good position, we boxed out and I was able to get the ball and put it back in,” Maltz said. “I was pretty happy it went in.”

Paradis, Tatum Welch and Cooper, who have been the Warriors’ top scorers this year, combined for only five field-goal attempts, including the Cooper basket, in the fourth. Paradis was 7-for-14 during the first three quarters.

“There was a bad two-minute spot in the fourth period where the game was lost,” Anderson said. “You can’t not make plays for two minutes in the fourth quarter in a game like this. It wasn’t going to take a lot of separation to win this game. We knew it was going to be low-scoring.”

Hampden led almost the entire first half and went up 21-17 after Webb connected on a 3-pointer 41 seconds before halftime.

Nokomis came alive in the third, however, and grabbed a 28-24 lead after Noelle Lincoln drained a 3-pointer.

Ross was held without a shot for more than five minutes in the third but she finally scored on a driving layup with 1:42 left to cut the Warriors’ lead to 28-27. Maltz converted a Webb pass in the final minute for a one-point edge going into the fourth quarter.

“We got down a couple of points, but we worked our way back into it,” Webb said.

Paradis added 11 rebounds and Welch had eight.

BRONCOS 41, WARRIORS 30

Hampden (5-4) Nokomis (4-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Webb 1 2 1 4 4 Paradis 7 16 0 15

Pond 0 0 0 0 0 Liebermn 0 0 0

Libbey 2 8 2 2 7 Lincoln 1 7 3

Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 Easler 0 0 0

K.Rawclife 3 3 1 2 7 K.Btchldr 0 0

Martin 1 6 1 2 3 A.Wyman 0 2 0

Maltz 4 6 0 1 8 Cooper 3 9 6

Ross 4 11 3 9 12 Burton 0 0 0 0

R.Rawclife 0 0 0 0 0 Welch 3 8 6

Totals 15 36 8 20 41 Totals 14 42 30

Hampden 9 21 29 41

Nokomis 6 17 28 30

3-pt. goals – Hampden (3-11): Webb 1-1, Libbey 1-4, Ross 1-6; Nokomis (2-7): Paradis 1-2, Lincoln 1-4, Cooper 0-1

JV: Hampden 31-24

Attendance: 450 (est.)