SOUTHWEST HARBOR — In the junior high boys’ division of the 20th annual Great Harbor Shootout, Hampden beat Ellsworth 83-52 for the title.

Ellsworth fell to Hampden after going toe-to-toe throughout the first half. (Championship games were full length with four periods. Earlier games were played in two shorter periods).

Hampden led Ellsworth by just two points after one period but took a 40-28 lead at the half.

In the second half, Hampden came out on fire, outscoring Ellsworth 23-9. Ellsworth rallied in the fourth with 15 points, but Hampden went on to win the title 83-52.

Jonesport-Beals beat MDI 79-52 for the high school boys’ tournament title.

This year, the MDI boys’ Shootout team was made up of Ben Walls, Adam Gray, Chris Clemens, Woofie Kaiser, Andrew Dalton, Jon Phelps, Abe Philbrook and Joesiah Welsh.

En route to the championship game, MDI beat a team from George Stevens Academy 77-53 after outscoring GSA 38-21 in the first quarter.

MDI also beat Sumner 56-26 in the high school boys’ division final game.

Sumner advanced steadily through the winner’s bracket throughout the weekend, beating the CLC Eagles 63-48, Penquis 46-30 and Brewer 68-52.

A total of 73 teams from across the state traveled to locations around Mount Desert Island, Trenton and Ellsworth for the 20th annual Great Harbor Shootout.

The tournament’s 130 games spanned five gyms and three days, with more than 3,000 players, coaches and fans participating.

As the traditional end-of-season tournament for Maine teams, the shootout is the first time high school boys and girls play without their senior teammates.

“Typically, it’s our first look at next year,” said Gray. “And it’s really helpful for the team to get that sense of themselves before the season rolls around.”

All proceeds from the weekend will go to the Harbor House Community Service Center’s youth sports programming.

“Thirteen or 14 years ago, I was begging teams to come down here for the Shootout,” said Scott Phelps, athletic director at Harbor House. “This year, I had to turn 13 or 14 teams away because they registered too late.”

Phelps credits the over 50 volunteers who helped keep the scorebooks, work concessions and manage a variety of other aspects of the tournament. He thanks all Harbor House sponsors and referees.

“This is a really important fund-raiser and an awesome tournament,” said Ingrid Kachmar, Harbor House’s executive director. “All of the players get to compete against teams they wouldn’t otherwise play against. And it can definitely raise the level of the game.”

As the biggest post-season tournament in the state, the Shootout attracts thousands to the island during one of the slowest economic times of the year, Kachmar points out.

“It provides an economic boost in a real way,” she said. “Hotels open, stores are full. It definitely brings business in. What a wonderful way to end the season.”

For more sports news, pick up a copy of the Mount Desert Islander.