1-A Boys – ’Dogs fight off Unaka; UH no match for CHS

By Tim Chambers

GRAY — The District 1-A championship game is getting to be like Bill Murray’s classic movie “Groundhog Day,” where he wakes up every morning to find the things occurring the way they did the day before.

For the fourth consecutive season, Hampton and Cloudland will play in the championship tilt after earning wins on Saturday night at Daniel Boone High School.

The Bulldogs advanced into the finals with a 65-59 win over Unaka while Cloudland shot down University High 66-56 in Saturday night’s finale.

The Bulldogs’ quest was not an easy one, but they did lead almost the entire way. Wesley Murray’s basket in the final seconds gave Hampton an 11-9 lead after one. It was one that they would never relinquish.

“Our kids kept playing hard – we had several of them step up tonight,” said Hampton head coach Ned Smith. “Chambers and Stout played well; so did Murray, Fields and McClain. Trusler got us a lot of rebounds. This team is starting to find the right chemistry and play well together. I thought Unaka made a nice run. It was a big win because they’ve got a good team.”

Smith was faced with having to replace all five starters from a year ago, plus his star guard Lane Smith, who went down with a torn ACL midway through the season. Once again, he found the perfect formula.

Tyler Chambers started the contest and fared well with seven first-half points, including five in the second stanza. Josh Stout came off the bench to score a half-dozen. His three-point play at the 42-second mark gave the ‘Dogs a 28-19 lead.

The Rangers stayed in the game mainly behind the play of Billy Bales. The junior forward slashed his way for 13 points and five rebounds before intermission.

Hampton led 28-22 at the break.

Smith continued to push the right buttons and find the perfect pieces to complete the puzzle during the second half. That’s when Johnny Fields and Cody McClain took over.

Fields fired in 14 points in the second half in addition to grabbing seven boards. He ended the night with 16 points and nine rebounds, just missing a double-double.

“At the beginning of the season nobody thought we would get this far, but we’ve got a good squad who practices hard and believes in one another,” said Fields. “We’ve worked our way to a good spot and bought into what Coach Smith is trying to teach us. He’s got us to jell and get close to one another. We’re excited about playing in the championship game.”

Hampton biggest lead of the game – 49-35 – came after Murray’s three-ball and another Stout basket just inside the three-minute mark of the third.

Unaka closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to get within seven at 49-42 on a Danny Bales runner.

The Rangers fought hard to stay in the game behind four treys from Logan Carrier and seven points each from Billy and Danny Bales in the fourth, but once again Hampton had the perfect antidote to hold off the Creekers.

Fields provided eight points including six at the foul line, while Tyler Trusler was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

But the late thorn in Unaka’s side proved to be McClain. The sophomore phenom point guard cashed in on seven free throws en route to nine points in the frame. He ended the night with 13 points and a game-high eight assists. Murray added 12 points and eight rebounds. Chambers gave Hampton four players in double figures with 10.

Stout fired in eight off the bench while Trusler’s blue-collar performance – 12 rebounds and a half-dozen points – capped off a well-balanced Bulldog attack.

Billy Bales had a game-high 20 points for Unaka. Carrier provided 15 on five treys. Danny Bales and Austin Clawson tallied nine and eight points, respectively. Spencer Nave dished out six assists.

Unaka head coach Aaron Dugger felt like his team could never get over the hump.

“We would cut it to four or five, then break down defensively or give them an easy layup,” said Dugger. “They went to the foul line and made theirs and we didn’t. I think we missed eight there at one point and you can’t do that against a good team like Hampton, but these kids will bounced back. They’ve faced adversity all year long. The good thing about all this is we’re still playing. We can be a pretty dangerous team. We’re still in this thing.”

 

Cloudland 66

University High 56

The Highlanders got a stiff challenge from University High, but avenged a loss in their last meeting with a 10-point victory.

The game was tied 13-13 after one, with Cloudland holding a slim 28-27 advantage at the half.

“We’ve stressed all year long about developing depth, and it’s starting to play off for us now,” said Cloudland head coach Brandon Carpenter. “It’s pretty good – the best it’s been in a couple of years. The way we play we’re going to pick up some fouls, so it’s important to have kids who can step in and pick up the slack.

“I’m proud of our kids from 1-through-11 tonight. I thought everyone played well, especially on the defensive side.”

The Highlanders got a big boost off the bench from Jeffrey Rhinehart in the first quarter. His seven points matched the output of UH’s 6-5 center John Crowe.

Crowe went to the bench with his third foul midway through the second quarter, and the Highlanders took advantage of it by going inside.

Taylor Whitehead cut lose for seven points, including a three, while Zac Potter added four points – as did Dylan McClellan. All of those except the trey came inside the paint.

The Junior Bucs stayed close by sinking 10 of 12 free throws in the half.

The lead changed hands three times in the third quarter, with neither team able to distance themselves from the other.

Baskets by Rhinehart and McClellan gave Cloudland a four-point cushion at one point, but UH tied the game on back-to-back deuces by Marcus Taylor and Everett Loving.

Cloudland led 44-40 after three when Potter and McClellan converted baskets inside the final minutes of the frame.

The game was much closer than the final score indicated, yet Cloudland never allowed the Junior Bucs to take the lead. Three times they got within two, but Potter, McClellan and Whitehead would step up to hit key shots.

The dagger came after Mason Carnett had put them up by five with the first of two free throws. He missed his second one, but it was rebounded by Jonathan Hill – resulting in a garbage basket. Whitehead’s three-point play on the Highlanders’ next possession was all that was needed to put the game away.

The Highlanders placed four players in double figures, led by McClellan’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Whitehead and Potter added 15 points each. Rhinehart came off the bench to provide 10 points and five rebounds.

Potter, Whitehead and Carnett collected seven rebounds apiece.

“It felt good,” said Rhinehart about his performance after transferring from West Greene in December. “I’m starting to feel comfortable playing with everyone. We tried to box out and rebound like coach says. I thought everyone played well. It’s great getting to the championship game.”

Taylor scored a game-high 20 points for University High. Crowe and Seth Hilbert added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Highlanders and Hampton will tip off inside Bobby Snyder Gymnasium at 7:30 on Tuesday night. University High will take on Unaka in the consolation game at 6.