Hampton is heading back to Murfreesboro.
For the second straight season, the Bulldogs advanced to the state tournament after pulling away with a dominant second half to take a 73-55 victory at Oneida in the Class A Sectional on Monday night.
Hampton is set to open the Class A State Tournament on Wednesday, March 15 with bracket and times to be announced.
It was a back-and-forth opening in what felt like a heavyweight clash.
After the Indians jumped out to a 7-2 lead, Cadon Buckles got things cranking for the Bulldogs as he reeled off 10 straight points. Oneida added a late bucket, but HHS held a 12-9 lead after a quarter of play.
The teams traded shots to open the second quarter as Levi Lyons and Dylan Trivett answered buckets for the Bulldogs, but Oneida held a slim 18-17 advantage two minutes into the quarter.
Hayden Campbell converted an old-fashioned 3-point and Buckles added a jumper to regain the Hampton lead.
The teams continued to trade shots as Hampton held a 32-30 lead at the break.
Hampton, however, took full control in the third.
Buckles opened the quarter with a jumper, and Michael Anspaugh hit a 3-pointer as Hampton quickly pushed the lead to five points. That sparked an 18-2 run over the first five minutes of the frame and was part of a 22-5 run that was capped by shots from Campbell and Buckles.
Oneida continued to fight as Hampton answered each shot with one of their own as Hampton led 59-43 after the third.
Any thoughts of an Oneida comeback was quickly erased as Trivett knocked down a pair of free throws, while Buckles and Campbell added shots as Hampton scored 12 of the first 15 points of the fourth.
From there, Hampton was able to hold the Indians at bay to set off the celebration amongst Bulldog nation.
Buckles finished with 27 points for the Bulldogs, while Campbell added 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Lyons and Carrico had six points apiece.
Trivett and Anspaugh each added five points to the Bulldog cause.
Mason Keeton led Onieda with 16 points, while Grady Keeton had eight points.
 
Photos by Sarah Dunlap
