UP FOR TWO – West Carroll’s Andrew Huff goes up for two against Hampton.
For a while, it was hard to gage who was going to win the state quarterfinal game between Hampton and West Carroll early Thursday morning.
Both teams measured each other in the first. Both teams implemented big runs to take big leads or cut into big leads.
In the end, Hampton got just enough breaks to claim a 60-54 victory in Murfreesboro.
This was a bitter pill for West Carroll to swallow. For the second straight season, the War Eagles succumbed in the first round by single digits. On March 17, 2021, Memphis Academy of Health Sciences slipped by West Carroll 56-52.
The Bulldogs and War Eagles were deadlocked at 54 in the final 90 seconds when Hampton scored the last six points to advance.
The War Eagles led 20-15 after one and appeared to be every bit their opponent’s equal.
West Carroll had to play catch-up when Hampton streaked to a big lead in the second. Part of the problem: West Carroll was a frosty 1-7 from the floor. The Bulldogs erupted to a 13-1 run to start the second frame. War Eagle senior Jalen Anglin rang the bell for his team’s only field goal of the quarter at the 2:46 mark. When the dust settled, Hampton enjoyed a 36-23 lead at the break.
“We just had a bad shooting quarter,” said West Carroll coach Ryan Mansfield.
His team started the second half with a 16-2 run to close within one.
“My guys don’t lay down,” he said, praising Anglin for his 30-point effort. “Jalen’s going to get his. He’ll create a little space and score when he wants.”
In the third, Anglin broke a 3:43 scoreless drought to spark the run. Then he buried a three, followed by Josh Clark’s stickback and Xander Moon’s triple. Andrew Huff’s hoop with 2:56 to play cut the lead to one, 40-39.
Hampton pushed ahead by five, 44-39, but Clark rang the bell and Anglin converted a three-point play to knot the game at 44 with 1:16 to play. Hampton’s Morgan Lyons edged his team in front with a minute to play, 46-44, and that’s how the two teams headed into the fourth.
Anglin tied the game at 46 just 19 seconds into the final frame when Hampton found a burst for an 8-0 run. The Bulldogs led 54-46 with 5:06 to go. Suddenly, they went dormant.
With 3:18 to play, Anglin consolidated another three-point play, then hit the back end of a pair of free throws to tie the game at 54 with 2:19 to play. The War Eagles would not score again.
Lyons led Hampton with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cadon Buckles scored 12. Connor Burlson and Hayden Campbell each added 10. The Bulldogs advanced to play East Robertson in the semifinals on Friday but ended their season with a 67-42 loss in that game.
Following Anglin’s 30, Huff scored 12. Clark scored seven, Jaquan Adkins pitched in four and Moon had three.
West Carroll finished with a 22-4 season.
