The Sullivan North boys’ basketball team has been on of the hottest teams in the league the past few weeks. Unfortunately for Hampton, that rang true again on Saturday.
The Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaking 62-58 decision to the Golden Raiders in the semifinals of the District 1-A tournament at Daniel Boone despite a 31-point effort by Dru Owens.
With the loss, Hampton drops to Monday night’s consolation game.
Sullivan North came out of the gate quickly in the first quarter.
The Golden Raiders jumped out to a 13-5 lead with Hunter Davenport and Owens providing the early points for the Bulldogs. Owens ended the North run with a 3-pointer and Hampton scored seven of the next 12 points to pull within 18-12 at the end of the first.
After North opened the quarter with a trey, Jordan Bentley kickstarted a Hampton drive with a 3-pointer. Owens reeled off the next seven points as Hampton took a 22-21 lead midway through the stanza.
The Golden Raiders, however, settled down with a run of their own. After the teams traded points late, an Owens buzzer-beater cut the North lead to 35-29 at the half.
In the third quarter, Hampton took control.
The Bulldogs saw Owens erupt for 15 points in the stanza. Hampton concluded the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 46-42 advantage into the final eight minutes.
Sullivan North, however, didn’t go quietly.
The Golden Raiders bounced answering each Hampton shot. After HHS held a 54-51 lead with 1:51, North battled back to take a 2-point lead with 2:11 to play. Davenport tied the game on a super, but North answered on the other end. From there, the Golden Raiders held on for the win.
In addition to Owens’s 31 points, Davenport had eight points. Gavin Hardin and Bentley had seven points apiece.
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