Hampton wasn’t going to be denied on Wednesday night.
The Lady Bulldogs used a second-quarter run to roll out to a double-digit and never looked back to take a 57-32 victory over North Greene in the Region 1-A Championship at West Ridge High School.
It is Hampton’s first Region Championship since 2009.
With the win, Hampton is set to host Region 2-A runner-up Harriman in Saturday’s substate round, while North Greene will travel to Region 2-A winner Oneida.
After North Greene scored the first four points of the game, Hampton saw Linsey Jenkins hit back-to-back shots to even things up, and Taylor Berry countered an NG shot.
Macy Henry knocked down a jumper to spark a 10-2 run – that included back-to-back 3-pointers from Madi McClain.
Hampton held an 18-11 lead at the end of the first.
The Lady Huskies reeled off a quick 4-0 run to open the second to pull within two points. However, Hampton answered in a big way.
Berry knocked a shot, and the Lady Bulldogs were off to the races as Hampton scored the next 15 points before the Lady Huskies scored in the closing seconds.
That allowed Hampton to take a 33-18 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Hampton kept the Lady Huskies at bay with some timely shots.
HHS held a 42-27 lead after three.
North Greene cut the lead to 16 points early in the fourth, but McClain and Berry snapped the run and set off the celebration amongst the Bulldog faithful.
McClain was named the Region 1-A Tournament MVP and finished the night with 20 points. Berry had 11 points, while Piper Helle recorded 10 points.
Jenkins scored eight points for the Lady Bulldogs.
Jenkins, Berry, and Helle were also named to the All-Tournament team.
Sonya Wagner led North Greene with 17 points.
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