It was a comeback for the ages.
The Hampton girls’ basketball program stormed back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 61-57 victory over Cloudland on Friday night. In the boys’ game, Hampton slowly pulled away for a 73-51 win over the ‘Landers off a 32-point performance from Dru Owens.
In the girls’ matchup, it was a back-and-forth battle.
The teams traded runs in the first quarter as Hampton took a 10-5 advantage midway through the quarter, but Cloudland answered with a 6-0 run of their own. A Kinzy Hill trey at the buzzer sent Hampton into the second quarter with a 19-16 lead.
After Hampton scored eight of the first 10 points in the second quarter, Megan Lunsford hit a 3-pointer to get some momentum for Cloudland. That set off a Lady ‘Lander run where CHS went on a 16-6 run and back-to-back 3-pointers from Lunsford tied the game at 33. The teams traded points to end the half knotted at 35-35.
Cloudland controlled the third quarter as Hampton’s Shy Tuelle, who picked up her fourth foul with 3:40 remaining in the second quarter, set out for the entire period. The Lady ‘Landers outscored the Lady Bulldogs 13-4 in the period to take a 48-39 into the final quarter.
Cloudland’s Trinity Vines opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, but Tuelle sparked the Hampton offense with six quick points. A Stacia Wilson basket gave Cloudland a 57-45 lead with 4:55 to play.
Stephanie Campbell and the Lady Bulldogs, however, weren’t going down without a fight.
Campbell hit a basket at the 4:33 mark, and Hampton went on a 12-0 run to tie the game off a Campbell trey with 2:40 to play.
Campbell pushed Hampton into the lead with a 3-pointer and added a free throw. Cloudland was unable to convert on a late possession.
Campbell had a team-high 24 points to lead Hampton, while Tuelle added 20 points. Hill added six points.
For Cloudland, Vines had 12 points, while Jasmine Birchfield, Wilson and Lunsford had 10 points apiece.
The boys’ game saw the teams trade buckets early as Owens and Jordan Coffey knocked down shots for their respective teams in the opening minutes. Neither team could get separation until Owens sparked a 15-4 run to end the quarter to give Hampton a 20-11 lead going to the second.
In the second quarter, the teams continued to trade buckets as HHS maintained a nine-point advantage at the half.
The second half saw Hampton take control.
After Robbert Leeper helped Cloudland close the gap, Jaydon Livingston and Gavin Hardin knocked down shots that sparked a 17-2 Bulldog run. That allowed Hampton to take a 63-41 advantage into the final eight minutes.
Conner Birchfield and Leeper hit shots to help Cloudland steady the ship, but the ‘Landers were unable to recover from the deficit.
Owens led the way with his 32 point performance for the Bulldogs. Livingston added 12 points, while Hunter Davenport scored 10 points.
Leeper led Cloudland with 23 points. Hunter Shell added 10 points to the Cloudland cause.
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[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”485″ gal_title=”01-18-18: Cloudland at Hampton”]
