Unaka used a stingy defense that propelled them to a semifinal win on Friday night.
The top-seeded Lady Rangers upended Hampton 64-28 in the District 1-A Semifinals on Warrior Hill Friday evening. With the win, Unaka advanced to Monday’s championship game against the winner of the Cloudland and North Greene contest, while Hampton will take on the loser in the consolation game.
After the opening minutes saw neither team able to get on the board, Arianna Southerland hit a pair of 3-pointers to get Unaka on the board. Brooklyn Campbell and Michelle Shields added shots as Unaka took a 12-0 lead. Hannah Smith hit a 3-pointer for Hampton as Unaka held a 12-3 lead after a quarter of play.
The Lady Ranger defense continued to hold the moment as Shields helped spark a 12-2 Unaka run with Lexi Potter providing the lone Hampton basket in the stretch. Payton Ramey and Daisy Parks hit shots for the Lady Bulldogs, but Unaka pushed the lead to 33-9 at the break.
Unaka’s offense kept rolling in the third to extend the lead despite a hard-fought Hampton effort. UHS led 53-21 after three complete quarters.
Kali Shepard and Shields opened the fourth quarter, combining for an 8-0 run before Hampton’s Lauren Smith and Potter broke the run. However, Unaka continued to hold on for the win.
Shields led Unaka with 23 points while Southerland added 14 points. Campbell and Shepard added seven and six points, respectively.
As a team, Unaka hit 12 3-pointers.
Hampton was led by H. Smith and L. Smith, who scored six points apiece. Potter added five points, while Hannah Baird and Parks scored four points each.
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