Lady ‘Landers take care of Hampton in Watauga Valley play
Published 11:47 pm Friday, February 11, 2022
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Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
Karah Fields races down the court as the Lady Highlanders blew past the Hampton Lady Bulldogs.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
Hampton's Macy Henry puts up a shot as Cloudland'ts Saharra McKinney tires to block.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
With less than two minutes to go in the first half, Cloudland's Kendall Birchfield nails a 3 pointer after a failed full court press by Hampton.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
Lady Bulldog Madison McClain zips through the Cloudland defense on her way to the basket.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
Macy Henry puts up a long shot for the Lady Bulldog's Friday night away at Cloudland.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
Hampton's Taylor Berry tries to muscle her way in between Cloudland's tough defense.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
The first half of play between Cloudland and Hampton was riddled with collisions and fouls.
Star Photo / Brandon Hyde
Linsey Jenkins puts up a nice hook shot for the Lady Bulldogs Friday night at Cloudland.
BY BRANDON HYDE
STAR CORRESPONDENT
ROAN MOUNTAIN – It was a Carter County brawl as the Hampton Lady Bulldogs traveled to Cloudland to face the Lady ‘Landers. There was a lot of spirited play by both teams, but in the end it was good defense and strong inside play that got the job done for Cloudland.
The Lady ‘Landers took a 62-40 win in the contest.
The first period was plagued by collisions, fouls and turnovers, but Cloudland seemed to get their act together quicker than Hampton. A little over midway through, Cloudland’s Saharra McKinney hit Izabella Christman from the baseline on a nice assist and score.
Cloudland began to pull away a bit after an early tied game. Hampton struggled to get anything going inside as Cloudland’s defense was stingy.
The period was capped off by a three-pointer by Kendall Birchfield as Cloudland went up 13-5.
Cloudland’s defense seemed to only get better as Hampton was scoreless almost midway through. Karah Fields added another three-pointer for Cloudland making the score 16-5.
Hampton finally got a score inside, but those opportunities were few and far between. Hampton decided it was time for a full-court press, but it would backfire as it resulted in another three-pointer from the baseline corner by Cloudland’s Birchfield.
This exact play was repeated by Christman, putting Cloudland up 24-9 before the half.. The only consolation for Hampton was a foul on a three-point shot being converted to points at the line, keeping their hopes alive.
The beginning of the second half saw much of the same by both squads. Cloudland’s defense continued to be a problem for Hampton. In addition to the stout defense, Cloudland seemed to be able to score at will, especially inside.
Hampton did have a few more opportunities with Cloudland turnovers, but they could never fully take advantage as they struggled with shots going in.
To add insult to injury, Hampton was called on a late-period technical after a shove. One highlight for the Lady Bulldogs was inside play by Madison McClain as she was able to find ways to sneak inside to the basket on a couple of occasions.
The fourth period saw Hampton strike first, as Macy Henry had a rare inside score after a Cloudland travel and Bulldog inbound, leaving her alone under the basket.
However, it was a small dent in a sizable Cloudland lead. It was business as usual for the Lady ‘Landers for the remainder of the period, however, a slightly tightened-up, defense by Hampton saw fewer opportunities for Cloudland.
The point was moot though as Cloudland had the game under control. A nice hook shot just outside the paint by Lady Bulldog’s Linsey Jenkins was entertaining but did little to help their cause. The cherry on top of an already well-iced cake for Cloudland was a technical foul on the Hampton coach giving the Lady ‘Landers a few extra points for good measure.
The big three for Cloudland were Ella Benfield who scored 19 along with Ryan Turbyfill with 14 and Karah Fields with 12. Hampton’s scoring was led by Macy Henry with 10.
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Cloudland, 62-40
Cloudland (62)
Kendall Birchfield 6, Ella Benfield 19, Sahara McKinney 3, Ryan Turbyfill 14, Isabella Christman 8, Karah Fields 12
Hampton (40)
Rylie McClain 6, Piper Helle 3, Madison McClain 7, Macy Henry 10, Lindsay Hardin 2, Linsey Jenkins 7, Taylor Berry 5
Hampton….. 5 7 14 14 – 40
Cloudland…13 13 18 18 – 62
