GRANBY — The second-seeded Granby boys basketball team completed its second-half comeback to defeat No. 15 Hampden Charter, 66-46, Monday night to advance in the Western Massachusetts Division 4 Tournament.

The Rams got off to a slow start, as they were unable to break through Hampden’s heavy defense in the first quarter. Hampden forced Granby to the outside, which caused turnovers and led to a 14-9 lead.

“I thought we came out a little flat and a little too confident,” said senior Zach Gorham.

Hampden’s aggressive defense carried into the second as it allowed only four points in the first four minutes. Rams coach Tim Sheehan called his first timeout with 4:14 left to try to change the momentum. The Rams finished the quarter with 15 points and went into the halftime down 27-24.

Sheehan explained what he said to his team couldn’t be repeated, but he encouraged the players to motivate each other.

“They started to realize what they were doing wasn’t working,” said Sheehan. “I thought we passed the ball around in the first half.”

The Rams exploded in the third and grabbed their first lead of the game off of a Gorham 3-pointer two minutes into the quarter.

Along with a strong offense, Granby’s defense adjusted to Hampden’s speed by forcing turnovers. The Rams allowed nine points to the Wolves as they took a 47-36 lead into the fourth.

“Halftime we talked about it and came out with a lot of energy,” said Gorham. “We played a lot of team defense. I thought we turned it around (well) in the second half. We played the game how we should have.”

Junior Ryan Sheehan hit a 3-pointer just five seconds into the fourth, which brought the fan section to its feet. Granby grabbed the momentum and did not look back. The Rams closed the game by outscoring Hampden 42-19 in the second half.

Gorham was taken out of the game with 1:54 left to huge applause by the home crowd. He finished with 31 points.

“In the end, we got the ball inside, which is where we needed to go early,” said Sheehan. “Then it opened up shots from the perimeter. I thought we passed the ball around in the first half. Defensively, our game in the second half was a heck of a lot better than the first half.”

Sheehan said the Rams underestimated Hampden.

“You can’t do that in the playoffs,” said Sheehan. “Anybody can beat anybody. I think in the second half, in the third quarter, that was us.”

Granby will host Bi-County League rival and No. 7 Ware, Thursday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Ware beat North Brookfield, 85-53.

The Rams defeated Ware twice during the regular season.

“We have seven seniors,” said Gorham. “We play for each other. It’s our last year. We want to make a deep run and we didn’t want to go home tonight. That’s all we need for motivation.”

Granby 66, Hampden Charter 46

Granby (13-8)

Gaj 0-0-0, R Sheehan 1-0-3, Sosa 4-1-9, L’Abbee 0-0-0, Desormier 0-1-1, Bleakley 7-0-14, Gorham 12-5-31, Bessette 2-1-6, King 1-0-2, Stearns 0-0-0, Remillard 0-0-0. Totals

Hampden Charter (11-10)

Monette 3-0-7, Lewis 2-0-5, Rodgriguez 4-1-10, Ranck 3-0-6, Ocasio 6-0-12, Rosemond 3-0-6. Totals 21-1-46

By MOLLY CLANCY

For the Gazette

3-Pointers—Granby 4 (Sheehan 1, Gorham 2, Bessette 1), Hampden 3 (Monette 1, Lewis 1, Rodriguez 1)