Hampton and North Greene had squared off in a pair of thrillers this season. On Saturday, the third match-up proved to be much the same.
The Bulldogs were unable to hold off a Husky rally as HHS fell 44-36 in a mild upset in the District 1-A Tournament at Sullivan North. With the loss, Hampton falls to the consolation game where they will take on Unaka on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Hampton got off to a quick start.
Caleb Oaks and Jordan Bentley combined for 12 points in the opening quarter, and a Mitchell Tolley 3-pointer in the closing seconds gave Hampton a 15-6 lead going to the second quarter.
The Bulldogs continued to set the tone on the offensive end as Rocky Croy and Bentley hit shots to push the lead to double-digits. Morgan Lyons hit a runner to push the lead to 12 points, and Hampton maintained a 26-15 lead at the half.
North Greene, however, started to take over in the second half.
After a Brandon Malone free throw, Turner Bailey added back-to-back shots – including a 3-pointer – that closed the HHS lead to five points. Bentley and Hughes added points over the final four minutes, but the Huskies trimmed the Hampton lead to 30-25 going to the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Hampton was unable to stem the momentum back to their side. Tom Sckorsh opened the quarter with a jumper, and NG scored the first 11 points of the frame over five and a half minutes to regain their first lead of the night at 36-30 with 3:31 to play.
Croy and Bentley hit shots in the final minutes of the game, but Hampton was unable to rally back past North Greene before time expired.
For Hampton, Bentley had 15 points, while Croy had nine points. Caleb Oaks had six points in the win.
Kendall Lofts led NG with 13 points – 11 of which came in the second half.
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