Hampton came out on the wrong side of a heartbreaker Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaking 55-54 decision to Cosby in the Region 1-A Semifinals on the road.
Hampton was forced to battle back early on.
After seeing Cosby jump out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes, the Bulldogs got the offensive going behind the play of Conor Burleson – who scored eight points in the opening quarter.
HHS went on a 19-8 run over the last six minutes to take a 19-14 lead into the second quarter.
The teams traded buckets early on in the second as Hampton held a 24-22 advantage midway through the quarter. Hampton used a run to take a seven-point lead but Cosby went on a quick 5-0 run with just under a minute left in the half.
The Bulldogs took a 32-30 advantage into the locker room as half.
After Cosby went on a 5-0 run to take the lead, Burleson knocked down a jumper to stop the run and Logan Whitehead knocked down a jumper to retake the lead for the Bulldogs.
Cosby, however, answered as the teams traded shots and the Eagles took a 47-46 lead into the final quarter.
Points were hard to come by in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter until Parker Henry drained a 3-pointer to give Hampton a 49-47 lead with just under five minutes left.
The teams swapped points and Cosby tied the game once again at 51-51 with a Trey Johnson dunk as 1:41 showed on the clock. The Eagles broke the stalemate with 1:31 left with a pair of free throws, but Hampton was able to trim a point with a free throw with 24 seconds left.
After the Eagles missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Hampton had a chance to take the lead but was unable to connect on a buzzer-beater.
Burleson finished 20 points to lead Hampton, while Morgan Lyons had 14 points. Nate Wilson and Henry had six and five points, respectively.
Cosby was led by Johnson’s 22 points.
