Lady Dogs season comes to an end

Published 7:03 pm Friday, March 10, 2023

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By C.Y. Peters
Carl Roberson, Jerry White and former State MVP Leon Tolley would be incredibly proud of the record-setting 2023 Lady Bulldogs.  A great crowd turned out in Murfreesboro to cheer on the Hampton Lady Bulldogs.
   The music starts and the teams take the floor for their biggest game of the season. The Lady Bulldogs enter the state semi-final game with an impressive 31 wins and only two losses.  The opponents from Wayne County also had an impressive record of 35-0.
The Ladycats get the open tip, but can’t score, and Hampton misses their first shot. Blair Bawgus would score on a putback after the cats missed two free throws. Macy Henry for Hampton scores the Bulldogs first basket on a three, Piper Helle pulls the dogs within one 6-5 on a layup. Henry gave the Dogs their first lead, 7-6, with three minutes to play in the first.  Lindsey Jenkins would connect on a three, deep in the corner for a 12-8 Bulldog lead.  The Bulldogs held the lead until .38 seconds left in the first when Wayne Co. went up 14-12 to close out the first quarter.
The score was tied at 16 to 18 in the second at the 3:18 mark. The quick hands of the Lady Dogs kept picking up steals and regaining the lead. Wayne went on a 4-0 run at the end of the second to take a 26-22 lead at the break. The Dogs shot 38 percent from the field and were four for four from the line. The Wildcats shot 44 percent and were nine of 15 from the charity stripe. Both teams led by four points in the first half.  Wayne County scored seven times from second chances and nine points
off of turnovers.
The start of the third belonged to the Ladycats, pulling out to a 34-26 lead when Coach Carpenter took a time-out at 4:22. The Ladycats seemed to slowly pull away, scoring most of their points in the paint.
In less than two minutes, they had pulled out to a 40-26 lead. Back-to-back threes by Berry and Henry pulled the Dogs back with eight, 40-32.  A shot at the buzzer fell short and the Dogs trailed by eight at the third stop.
In the final period, it was like someone put a lid on the Hampton basket.  Shots just kept coming off the rim; the Ladycats pulled out to a 51-35 lead with 4:39 to play in the game.  They would build a 17-point lead, 55-38, at the two-minute mark.  That’s when Coach Carpenter pulled his starters and let the younger class play.  Hampton was led in scoring by Henry with 12 points and Taylor Berry finished with 11. The Dogs were outrebounded 33-16.  “I’m proud of these girls, “ said Coach Brandon Carpenter. “We missed a lot of shots we usually make.
The 2023 Lady Dogs tied the win-loss record at 31-3 with the 2001 team that also lost to Wayne County in the State Tournament.
Hampton     12   10   12   5   -39
Wayne Co. 14   12   16   19  -61
Hampton: Helle 7, McClain 3, Henry 12, Jenkins 6, Berry 11
Wayne Co.  Keaton 6, Griggs 6, Baugus 25, Maghielse 5, Bryant 14, Brewer 1, Ludeke 2, Lee 2

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