Last-second effort falls short as North Greene holds off Lady Bulldogs
Published 1:31 am Wednesday, February 9, 2022
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Star Photo / Brandon Hyde The Lady Bulldogs and Lady Huskies tipped off Tuesday night at North Greene.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde After a slow start by Hampton, Taylor Berry hits a three pointer which gave the Lady Bulldogs a spark that would lead them to a second period comeback.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde The Lady Bulldogs cranked up the defense in the second half, giving themselves a fighting chance.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde Linsey Jenkins takes it to the hoop on a fastbreak for the Lady Bulldogs.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde Madison McClain makes a move that Michael Jordan would be proud of for the Lady Bulldogs. McClain would score 15 on the night.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde Hampton's Linsey Jenkins hits one from downtown after it bounced out, but made it's way in. This brought the Lady Bulldog's to within one of North Greene with 2:26 to go in the game.
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BY BRANDON HYDE
STAR CORRESPONDENT
BAILEYTON – The Lady Huskies and the Lady Bulldogs faced off at North Greene Tuesday night.
North Greene got off to a quick start with aggressive ball movement and on target shooting as Hampton seemed a little sluggish with the Huskies getting off to a quick four-point lead.
Hampton had opportunities inside, especially with Linsey Jenkins getting the lion’s share of offensive opportunities, but gravity was not kind to the Bulldogs as they couldn’t get anything to fall.
It looked as if North Greene was going to serve up a blowout in the first period, but the Lady Bulldogs kind of kept hanging around, never letting it get too far out of reach.
The second period began with Hampton racking up two at the line, but the Huskies quickly matched at the other end. Hampton began to put on the pressure.
This with a slower pace by the Huskies allowed Hampton to claw their way back. The Bulldogs had a productive time at the line in addition to overall better play, rebounding, and shooting.
The close of the second period was like a Mexican standoff as Madison McClain held the ball with 34 seconds to go. The Lady Bulldogs were down 25-22 but drew to within a point after almost losing the ball. Luck was on their side as the ball found it’s way into the hands of Piper Helle, who somehow maneuvered her way to the basket and put in a layup at the buzzer to complete the Bulldog comeback.
The Bulldogs kept the momentum going into the second half as the continued high-pressure defense kept the Huskies on their heels. Shots that wouldn’t fall early for the Lady Bulldogs were now finding their way through the hoop.
The end of the third period had Hampton up by three and trying another standoff with 40 seconds to go, but North Greene intercepted a pass and had a knack for finding Zoe Sanders for the Huskies all alone in the corner on more than one occasion. This occasion saw her sink a three-pointer to tie the game going into the fourth period.
The fourth period was truly a dogfight as both teams came out swinging. North Greene definitely turned the wick up on both offense and defense. Their excellent ball movement made a return after disappearing in the second and third periods and resulted in opportunities both inside and at the perimeter.
The game came down to the wire as Hampton hit a three to tie the game at 50 with less than a minute to go. North Greene took a page out of Hampton’s playbook and held the ball as long as they could.
Their move would come with 13 seconds left as North Greene’s Shelby Davenport charged the baseline and somehow got the shot in to put the Lady Huskies up 52-50 at the buzzer.
That was it for Hampton…or was it? After a tense moment between officials and both squads, four-tenths of a second was put back on the clock for Hampton once it was determined the Lady Bulldogs managed to call a timeout.
It was now time for a football-style Hail Mary pass and jump shot for the Bulldogs. After timeouts by both teams to figure out the strategy, the plan was executed by the Bulldogs, but, as everyone in the arena found out, it’s nearly impossible to catch and shoot with less than half a second to do it.
It was a valiant effort, but the Lady Bulldogs fell just short at the end of a nail-biter.
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North Greene, 52-50
North Greene (52)
Zoe Sanders 7, Hailee English 12, Emily Britton 6, Campbell Gaby 4, Shelby Davenport 8, Sonya Wagner 4, Brooklyn Anderson 11.
Hampton (50)
Piper Helle 2, Madison McClain 15, Macy Henry 2, Linsey Jenkins 18, Taylor Berry 13.
North Greene……. 17 8 10 17 – 52
Hampton…………. 8 16 11 15 – 50
