It was senior night on Stoney Creek, but Hampton wasn’t gracious guests.
The Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs picked up District 1-A wins on Friday night over county rival Unaka. Hampton ladies edged ahead late to take a 57-53 win, while the Bulldogs shook off a slow first quarter to roll to a 77-52 victory.
The varsity opener saw the teams battle in a back-and-forth affair. Hannah Tipton tallied seven first quarter points to push the Lady Rangers to a 12-10 lead heading to the second. Alexus Grubbs took over for Hampton in the second period as the teams to trade points. Hampton held a 26-25 lead at the half.
The third quarter saw Unaka surge back ahead as Katlyn Weaver and Tipton hit shots to give the Lady Rangers a slim lead heading to the fourth.
Hampton, however, hit big shots when it mattered. Along with Grubbs, Kenzie Hill and Megan Garland added points that helped Hampton keep Unaka at bay in the final minutes of the game.
Grubbs had 22 points to lead Hampton while Shy Tuelle had 20 points. Hill added nine points to the Hampton cause.
For Unaka, Tipton scored 27 points in the game to lead all scorers. Sarah Tipton and Sierra Wright had seven and six points, respectively.
In the boys’ game, Unaka set the tone early as Colton Chambers and Kyler Lewis pushed Unaka to an early 6-0 lead. The Ranger defense kept Hampton without a field goal for nearly five minutes, but the Bulldogs used an 11-0 run sparked by a Charlie Baxter jumper to end the quarter with a 19-12 lead.
Hampton kept the running going to start the second quarter as Nathan Norris and the Bulldogs scored 10 straight to open the frame – a 21-0 run in between Unaka points. That allowed Hampton to take a 42-23 advantage at the half.
The third quarter saw Hampton to continue to add to the lead before Chambers and Lewis hit big shots in the frame. However, the Bulldogs maintained a 63-36 lead heading to the fourth quarter. Unaka cut into the Hampton lead during the fourth quarter, but was unable to mount a rally.
Norris had 22 points, while Baxter finished with 16 points. Coby Jones and Wyatt Lyons had nine and eight points, respectively.
Chambers countered with 22 points for Unaka. Lewis finished with 14 points, and Joe Searfoss had eight points.
Postgame Audio
Hampton Girls Head Coach Bud Hazelwood
Unaka Girls Head Coach Kenneth Chambers
Hampton Boys Head Coach Ned Smith
Photo Gallery
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