For three quarters, Hampton held Clarkrange in check. However, the final eight minutes proved to be costly.
The Lady Bulldogs came up short in their quest for a Class A Championship game berth as they dropped a 37-27 loss to Clarkrange in Friday’s semifinals at the Murphy Center. Hampton finishes the season with a 23-14 record.
The opening half saw offense come at a premium.
After Hannah Garrett opened the scoring with a 3-pointer for the Lady Buffaloes, Megan Garland knocked down a jumper to get Hampton on the board. Kinzey Hill hit a free throw to tie the game at 3-3 with 3:56 left in the quarter.
A Hill 3-pointer pushed the Lady Bulldogs into the lead, but Miss Basketball winner Kara Meadows answered with a bucket. Clarkrange took a 7-6 lead into the second quarter off a Charity Crabtree bucket in the closing seconds.
Alexus Grubbs hit a layup to get the Lady Bulldogs back in front to open the quarter. The teams swapped points and the lead. Shy Tuelle knocked down 3-pointer with 3:13 on the clock, but it was the last Hampton bucket of the half.
After Meadows added a jumper, Clarkrange took a 12-11 lead at the half.
The third quarter saw the teams find a rhythm.
Tuelle answered a Meadows bucket and then knocked down a trey to tie the game at 16-16. Tulle tied the game at 18-18 with 3:35 left in the quarter.
Meadows pushed the Lady Buffaloes lead to three points. Garland and Tuelle hit back-to-back shots to put Hampton into the lead. Hampton held a 23-22 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs saw Clarkrange get a run to start the fourth quarter as the Lady Buffaloes scored 12 straight points before Leeanne Guinn hit a jumper with 2:31 remaining. Stephanie Campbell added a Hampton basket in the final minute.
The Lady Bulldogs pulled their starters with just over a minute to play in the game.
Tuelle led Hampton with 13 points. Hill and Garland had four points apiece. Grubbs, Campbell, and Guinn had two points apiece.
Meadows finished with 21 points to lead all scorers.
As a team, Hampton finished the game 11-of-36 from the floor, while Clarkrange was 14-of-28.
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