The Bulldogs used a strong offensive attack to earn a spot in the District 1-A Championship game.
Hampton outlasted a pesky University High squad to take an 82-70 victory in the District 1-A semifinals on Saturday night at Happy Valley.
With the win, the Bulldogs will compete for the District 1-A title on Tuesday night against North Greene – who had defeated Unaka earlier in the evening.
Morgan Lyons helped Hampton off to a quick start with four early points, and Logan Whitehead had key buckets to help Hampton take a 13-8 lead in the early going.
The teams traded shots for the final minutes of the first quarter as the stanza ended with Hampton up 22-17.
Hayden Campbell and Lyons scored early buckets for HHS, but UH used a quick run to close the gap to three points. Hampton used a timely shot from Dalton Holstclaw to spark a 6-2 run to extend the lead.
The Bucs, however, pulled back within three points as Hampton held a 44-41 halftime advantage.
The Hampton offense kept rolling in the second half.
Conor Burleson scored back-to-back buckets to open the third quarter as Hampton scored the first eight points of the half. UH responded with a 9-1 run of their own, but Hampton scored the last five points of the quarter to maintain a 58-50 advantage after three complete quarters.
After the teams traded points to open the final quarter, Buckles used an old-fashioned 3-point play to start an 8-0 Hampton run to give the Bulldogs a double-digit lead.
UH would cut the advantage to nine, but Hampton kept them at bay with timely shots to secure the win.
Buckles led all scorers with 26 points, while Lyons had 13 points. Burleson and Whitehead and 10 points apiece.
Holtsclaw tossed in nine points.
John Carter led the Bucs with 17 points.
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