In a heavyweight clash, Hampton’s defense came up big in crunch time.
The Bulldogs outscored Unaka 16-4 in the final eight minutes to take a 53-46 victory on Stoney Creek on Tuesday night. In the girls’ game, Unaka ran to a 73-54 win over the Lady Bulldogs.
In the boys’ game, Unaka opened the game on a 9-0 run before Hampton rallied back to close the gap to 11-8. The Rangers pushed the advantage back to 15-10 after a quarter of play. The Bulldogs opened the second quarter on a 14-5 run to take a four-point lead, but Unaka reeled off a quick 9-0 run to regain the lead.
Unaka maintained a 29-27 lead at the half.
The game continued to be back-and-forth in the second half.
Colby Clark scored the first five points of the half for Hampton, but John Hardin answered on the opposite end as he scored six straight. The teams traded points as Unaka maintained a 42-37 lead after the third.
In the final quarter, Unaka’s Hardin pushed the lead to 44-37 with an early bucket. Hampton, however, saw Clark score the next four points, and Kaden Jones scored five straight points as the Bulldogs went on an 11-0 run to take a 48-44 lead. The Rangers trimmed the gap to two points with two minutes remaining, but HHS scored the final three points to secure the win.
Clark led Hampton with 24 points. Jones added nine points, while Jackson Smith scored seven points. Tuff Robinson tallied six points.
Hardin had 22 points to pace Unaka. Peyton Guess and Zach Wallin scored six points apiece. Aiden Walsh tallied five points.
In the girls’ game, Unaka opened the game on a 12-0 run sparked by eight points from Michelle Shields. Hannah Smith and Hannah Baird countered – including four quick points by Baird to end the quarter as Unaka held a 22-12 lead.
Smith and the Lady Bulldogs opened the quarter on a 4-0 run to trim the Unaka lead to four points. After Kalli Shepard and Smith traded shots, Unaka went on a 14-0 run to get some breathing room.
Unaka led 39-25 at the half.
In the second half, Unaka used a quick run to start the third quarter to keep the Lady Bulldogs at bay.
Shields finished with 30 points to lead Unaka. Arianna Sutherland had 12 points, while Shepard added 11 points. Kayona Hague finished with six points.
Smith had 30 points for the Lady Bulldogs, while Baird had 16 points. Daisy Parks scored six points.
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