SMYRNA—It wasn’t what the Hampton Jr. Bulldogs wanted, but they still have plenty to hold their heads high about.
After winning the Class A East Sectional, the Jr. ‘Dogs made their way down to the Murfreesboro area where they competed in the first-ever TMSAA State Tournament over the weekend.
The Jr. Bulldogs handled Smith County in the semifinals, 47-37, before falling, 57-27, to Lester Prep in the championship Saturday inside Stewart Creek High School. The Jr. ‘Dogs finished second in the state out of roughly 165 schools in Class A ball.
“They have been a pleasure to coach,” said Hampton head coach Dewayne Humphrey about the Jr. Bulldogs. “They have gone out and executed things that we have worked on in practice. We battled through some adversity at Christmas, and you know, we were better for it. I am just proud of these boys and what they have accomplished.”
The Jr. Bulldogs were also the Area 1 Championship this past season.
Lester Prep came out strong Saturday during the state finals. The Jr. Bulldogs had problems offensively as Lester Prep’s towering Khylan Payne caused problems inside for the Bulldogs. By the close of the first period, the Jr. Bulldogs trailed Lester Prep 22-4 as the Lions Jamarion Harvey racked up 12 points in the period. For the Jr. Bulldogs, Hayden Campbell and Brody Hicks both had buckets in the first quarter.
Heading into the half, Lester Prep held a 32-9 lead over Hampton as Jr. Bulldogs Cadon Buckles found some room to post five points with three of those coming off a bucket-and-1 play.
By the end of the third, the Lions had worked out to a 47-19 lead. The third period saw Buckles post four points while Hicks and teammates Austin Bentley and Johnathan Greenwell had two points each in the quarter.
If the final period, Hampton’s Mason Wilson and Bentley knocked down a pair 3-pointers while Greenwell found two points. The Lions, however, kept up the pressure outscoring the Jr. Bulldogs 10-8 in the quarter.
For Hampton, Buckles led the way with eight points while Bentley had five.