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Cyclones surprise Hampton with rout

By Wes Holtsclaw

It was an effort one team hopes to carry into the postseason. For another, it’s an effort they hope to soon forget.

A one-point difference the first time Elizabethton and Hampton met on the hardwood, it was an entirely different story this time around. The Cyclones opened the game with a 24-6 first quarter advantage and had their way with the Bulldogs in Tuesday’s 68-39 non-conference match-up at VanHuss-White Gymnasium.

Elizabethton (16-6) had three score in double figures, led by Will Robinson’s 15 points. Aaron Miller scored 14 while Zeke Clark had a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists.

“It was huge,” said Cyclone coach Lucas Honeycutt. “They jump on a lot of people, especially in this gym and it’s not often that they lose. Usually that’s how it starts out, you get down double-digits sometimes here. So it was good to see us come out and be on the other end of that. That was big.”

The Cyclones came out swinging early behind Clark, Robinson and Alex Baughman. Clark and Baughman hit two treys apiece en route to eight and seven points, respectively, in the quarter, while Robinson added five points. A 15-2 run increased to 24-4 before a late Bulldog bucket closed the gap at 18.