Fans inside Hampton’s gym got treated to a Senior Night show on Saturday.
The Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs took thrilling wins over Grainger. The Hampton girls picked up a 40-39 win over the Class AA No. 7 Grainger while the Hampton boys took a 58-54 overtime victory over the Grizz.
In the girls’ game, the Lady Bulldogs jumped out early as Alexus Grubbs and Bree Hoyle hit shots to lift HHS to a 9-3 advantage. After a late Grainger run closed the gap to one point, Grubbs hit a 3-pointer to push the Hampton advantage to 12-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Kinzey Hill got hot from behind the arc as Hampton pushed the lead to 24-11. The teams traded four-point runs as Hampton maintained a 31-19 lead at the half.
The Lady Grizz held Hampton without a field goal in the third quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs defense held them to just seven points. That allowed HHS to take a 33-26 lead into the final quarter.
The final period saw Grainger storm head on a 12-2 run over the first six minutes of the quarter. Hill, however, answered with another 3-pointer for Hampton and Grubbs pushed the lead out to two points. The Lady Grizz had a chance to tie the game at the charity stripe, but went 1-of-2 as Hampton held on to complete the season sweep of Grainger.
Grubbs led the way with 17 points, while Hill finished with 15 points – all of which came from behind the 3-point line.
In the boys’ game, Hampton and the Grizz changed points as senior Coby Jones scored the first eight Hampton points. Senior Nathan Norris added a pair of 3-pointers as Hampton held a slim 19-17 lead at the quarter break.
The second quarter saw Hampton extend the lead to six points on a Jose Velaquez jumper. A 6-2 HHS run to close the quarter gave the Bulldogs a 30-24 advantage at the half.
After Hampton extended the lead to 10 points, Grainger methodically cut into the gap. A pair of final minute baskets closed the Hampton lead to 38-34 at the end of the third quarter.
The final period saw the teams swap points and the lead as the Grizz took a 47-44 lead with 45 seconds remaining. However, Jones drained a trey with 7.6 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
In the extra period, Hampton pushed the lead to three points, but the Grizz answered to tithe game with 46 seconds. Adam McClain drove into the lane and scored on a lay-up with 2.4 seconds remaining to give Hampton he lead for good. Jones left no doubt on a pair of free throws after a technical was assessed to Grainger for calling a timeout when they had none remainng.
Jones tallied 24 points in the win, while Wyatt Lyons and Norris had eight points apiece. McClain finished with seven points.
Postgame Audio
Hampton Girls’ Head Coach Bud Hazelwood
Hampton Boys’ Head Coach Ned Smith
Photo Gallery
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