It took a quarter to get started. However, it was smooth sailing once the Lady Bulldogs got rolling.
No. 2 Hampton used a strong third quarter to pull away and take a 49-36 victory over No. 3 North Greene on Saturday in the District 1-A Girls Tournament at Daniel Boone High School. The win moves Hampton into the District Championship game on Tuesday night against South Greene, while North Greene moves into Monday’s consolation game against Cloudland.
In the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs saw Alexus Grubbs and Tatum Street score back-to-back baskets while the defense held North Greene scoreless for nearly the first three minutes. The Lady Huskies, however, awoke as Kaylin Bowser drained a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run that included four points from Lauren Baxter. Hampton answered on the other end as Alexis Bowers and Grubb hit shots to tie the game at 9-9 after a quarter of play.
In the second quarter, North Greene scored first with three points before Bowers took full advantage of an and-one. The teams traded points over the next three minutes before Hope Bridgeman knocked down a trey and Bowers added a pair of free throws to give the Lady Bulldogs a 21-18 lead. Baxter tied the game with 1:35 to play in the first half with a long 3-pointer, but a Bridgeman jumpshot gave Hampton a 23-21 lead at the half.
The Lady Bulldogs came out of the locker room with the hot hand has Grubbs scored the first four points of the quarter. After a pair of free throws from NG, Bowers and Swearingen added baskets, and a Grubbs layup with 2:14 to play in the third quarter. Back-to-back buckets by Shyanne Tuelle pushed the lead to 38-25 at the end of the third quarter.
North Greene cut the lead to single digits to start the final period with three free throws, but Megan Garland knocked down a shot to give Hampton a 12-point lead. Katelyn Weems answered for the Lady Huskies.
However, Hampton wouldn’t allow the thought of a comeback. Kim Swearingen hit a lay-up that ended the North Greene momentum and sparked a 7-2 HHS run. That would be enough to secure the win and advance the Lady Bulldogs into Tuesday night’s championship game.
Bowers finished with a game-high 15 points, while Grubbs tossed in 10 point. Street added seven points for the Hampton cause.
Weems led North Greene with 12 points, while Baxter scored 10 points.
Postgame Audio
