Hampton advances to District Final; second half surge overpowers Lady Warriors
Published 11:36 am Friday, February 16, 2024
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Macy Henry (12) of the Lady Bulldogs controls the opening tip against Happy Valley’s Alex Moore (20) in the semi-final round of Hampton’s first year in District 1 Class 2A Thursday night inside Bobby Snyder Gymnasium at Daniel Boone High School.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Macy Henry (12) of the Lady Bulldogs drives through the collapsing defense of Happy Valley, drawing a foul from Ashlynn Sommers (31) early in the first quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Breanna Nichols (14) of the Lady Warriors hits the short-range jumper late in the first quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Cayden Anderson (22) of the Lady Warriors gets by Hampton’s Piper Helle (2) for the layup as she stumbles while guarding her mid-way through the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Marcida Moore (23) of the Lady Warriors is fouled from behind by Hampton’s Brea Hicks as she knifes through the Lady Bulldog defense mid-way through the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Piper Helle (2) of the Lady Bulldogs buries a three-pointer from near the top of the arc late in the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Ashlynn Sommers (31) of the Lady Warriors finishes the fast break with a layup as Hampton’s Hannah Smith (20) blows by trying to block the shot late in the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Hannah Smith (20) of the Lady Bulldogs rises toward the rim for two after a stolen ball at mid-court sent her streaking for the basket late in the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Macy Henry (12) of the Lady Bulldogs and Happy Valley’s Ashlynn Sommers (31) dive for the loose ball near the baseline early in the third quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Faye Carrico (25) of the Lady Bulldogs scores on the putback after pulling down a rebound with three Happy Valley defenders surrounding her late in the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Happy Valley’s cheerleaders work to fire up the faithful during a timeout in the third quarter at the District-1 Class 2A semi-finals with Hampton Thursday night inside Bobby Snyder Gymnasium at Daniel Boone High School.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Taylor Berry (31) of the Lady Bulldogs drops in the turnaround jumper in the lane, off a rebound, over two Happy Valley defenders late in the fourth quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Piper Helle (2) of the Lady Bulldogs gets the scoop shot to fall as she heads for the deck late in the fourth quarter.
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Star Correspondent
GRAY — On Thursday night at Bobby Snyder Gymnasium, the Hampton Lady Bulldogs advanced to the district championship round with a 64-39 victory over Happy Valley, which moves on to the consolation round for third place in the regional tournament.
Senior forward Macy Henry led Hampton with a game-high 16 points, improving their season record to 20-9.
“The last time we played them we weren’t aggressive enough so our coaches told us to attack the rim more,” Henry said. “We weren’t sharing the ball enough and we switched up our press, and that let us attack more.”
The first period ended tied 7-7, but midway through the second quarter, with the score standing at 15-13, senior guard Piper Helle hit a three-pointer to spark an eight-point Bulldogs run, making it a 23-13 contest. Happy Valley couldn’t keep up with the offensive firepower of the Lady Bulldogs.
The first half concluded with a score of 27-17, and Hampton opened the third period with six consecutive points, extending their lead to 33-17, before Marcida Moore of Happy Valley scored a basket.
“Happy Valley’s press slowed us down in the first half,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Dewayne Humphrey said. “We weren’t able to move the basketball around like we normally do. They executed their game plan well. They set up their half-court defense and made us tentative. Macy played really well despite not being 100 percent; she had been a little sick.”
With the win, Hampton secured a home playoff game in the Regional tournament, a significant advantage according to Humphrey. “It’s huge to not have to travel and we get to play in front of our great fans,” he said.
Senior post Taylor Berry overcame a scoreless first half to score nine second-half points as the Lady Bulldogs dominated down the stretch. Helle also contributed nine points, with Faye Carrico adding eight.
For Happy Valley (10-15), Moore led with a team-high 15 points, with Cayden Anderson adding eight.
Hampton will face off against South Greene on Monday for the District championship and the number one seed in the Regional, while Happy Valley faces Chuckey-Doak for third place and a road Region game.
District 1AA playoff semifinal
Bobby Snyder Gymnasium
Hampton 64-39
Happy Valley (39): Parker 1, Nickles 6, A. Moore 3, Anderson 8, M. Moore 15, Sommers 4, Zeoli 2.
Hampton (64): Helle 9, Henry 16, Hicks 6, Carrico 8, Berry 9, Estep 7, H. Smith 7, Geisler 2.
Happy Valley 7 10 8 14 – 39
Hampton 7 20 18 19 – 64
3-point goals: HV 0, H 2 (Helle 1, H. Smith 1)
