Berry leads Hampton over Cloudland; Lady Rangers fall to North Greene

Published 3:15 pm Tuesday, February 28, 2023

By Allen LaMountain

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BLOUNTVILLE – Junior post Taylor Berry took over the game for Hampton in the third quarter as the Lady Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for a 56-38 win over Cloudland in the Region 1A quarterfinal played at Evelyn Rafalowski Athletic Center on the campus of Westridge High School.
Hampton (28-2) led 28-22 at the half when Berry scored 14 consecutive points for the Lady ‘Dogs, including three long-range treys as Hampton opened a 43-26 lead going into the final period.
“We have been working hard on defense all year,” Berry said. “We wanted to play hard in the post and I couldn’t do anything without my teammates. Coach just wants us to box out, rebound and play good defense.”
Berry finished with a game-high 25 points, with senior point guard Madison McClain adding 17 points. For Cloudland senior post Ella Benfield had a team-high 18 points, with Reagan Blair chipping in with 11 points.
Benfield scored the 1,000th point of her career at Cloudland.
The third quarter was pivotal for Hampton as they had struggled in the first half to pull away from the determined Lady Highlanders, but in the third, the ‘Dogs defense held Cloudland (17-10) to just four points as Hampton built a 17-point advantage.
Berry scored 11 points in the period and a three-point carryover from the second period saw her score 14 consecutive points for Hampton.
“Taylor is a player,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Brandon Carpenter said. “She can score and we needed her to tonight. I thought our pressure defense wore on them a little bit and they got tired. I’m so proud of these girls and it was nice to get a win.”
Region 1A quarterfinal
North Greene 50
Unaka 32
Senior guard Lyndie Ramsey had a game-high 30 points to bring her career point total to 2,902, but it wasn’t enough to hold off North Greene. The Lady Huskies got 15 points and 13 rebounds from post Hannah Miller and 14 points from senior guard Sonya Wagner in a solid team effort.
“It has meant a lot to me these four years here,” Ramsey said. “It has felt like family Unaka basketball and I feel like they have had my back for four years. I am forever grateful to my coach for always pushing me to be a better player.”
The Huskies (19-16) led 13-10 after one period and 26-17 at the half as North Greene had everyone contributing while Ramsey had to carry the load almost entirely by herself with Haley Taylor scoring the only two points for Unaka (11-21) that Ramsey did not.
“I think we got a little shell-shocked tonight,” Lady Rangers head coach Kenneth Chambers said. “We had been playing so well of late and had a good win at Washburn but North Greene had a lot to do with why we lost. They are a good team and a well-coached team.”
Region 1A quarterfinal
Hampton 56-38
Cloudland (38)
Benfield 18, Turbyfill 5, R. Blair 11, Street 4.
Hampton (56)
Helle 5, McClain 17, Henry 5, Berry 25, Jenkins 3, Nickels 1.
Cloudland 10 12 4 12 – 38
Hampton 14 14 15 13 – 56
3-point goals: C 2 (Blair 1, Street 1), H 7 (Berry 4, Helle 1, McClain 1, Henry 1)
Region 1A quarterfinal
North Greene 50-32
Unaka (32)
Ramsey 30, H. Taylor 2
North Greene (50)
Gaby 10, G. Buchanan 4, Wagner 14, Bailey 7, Miller 15
Unaka 10 7 7 8 – 32
North Greene 13 13 11 13 – 50
3-point goals: U 3 (Ramsey 3), NG 2 (Gaby 1, Wagner 1)

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