'Horns upend 'Dogs

By Michelle Pope
STAR STAFF
mpope@starhq.com

   After two quarters ended in a tie between Johnson County and Hampton Friday night on the Bulldogs' court, the Longhorns took advantage of some last-minute trips to the foul line to bag the 38-32 victory.
   The first quarter score marked a trend that would continue until the final two minutes, with a tie at eight. Judd Shoun dropped three baskets in the first, which along with a game-opening score from Justin Genaille, made up Johnson County's eight points.
   Travis Smith sunk a three-point goal shortly after a minute of play, and added a free throw to make up half of Hampton's first-quarter points. Jordan Honeycutt and Adam Miller added two points each.
   "They've got an outstanding group of shooters, and we knew if we could keep Miller pushed out to high post a little bit, and really rebound well, we'd have a chance," said Longhorn coach Austin Atwood. "Bud (Hazelwood) did a great job with his team, and it's great coming here to play. Their team is playing good right now, and I'm glad we're not playing them in the tournament. I'm glad I'm done with them."
   The second frame held a similar story, as the Bulldogs took the momentary three-point lead at the half. Smith hit two threes, while Miller put up another from inside, and Honeycutt added a one-handed layup for Hampton.
   For the Longhorns, Zack Trivette scored a trey and made a steal that led to two free throw points by Gary Evans. Shoun added another two from the courtesy stripe.
   In the third, two three-point goals from Smith gave Hampton the six points to tie the game at 24, as Jon Stout scored two in a row and Shoun dropped five points for Johnson County. Aside from a Miller basket from inside for Hampton, and a score from the top of the key by Johnson County's Stout, the rest of the scoring in the final quarter consisted of free throws.
   Hampton sunk six of their eight foul shots, while Johnson County put down 12 points to take the victory.
   "That's two nights in a row our defense really stepped up and played well. Our guard play was pretty good. They were drawn to the ball," Atwood said. "We didn't hit our free throws very well. We got a couple down at the very end, but we had a chance to put it away without about a minute fifty to go. We missed four in a row, but our rebounding in the second half was great. Gary Evans had six rebounds in the fourth quarter."
   The Longhorns' Shoun and Hampton's Smith tied for a game-high 14 points. Stout added eight for Johnson County, while Trivette pitched in seven points. Miller followed Smith for the 'Dogs with nine points.
   In the girls' game, the Lady 'Dogs extended their 10-point lead at the half to beat Johnson County 59-43. Heather Chambers dropped 14 points in the basket in the final quarter for Hampton on her way to a 22-point game.
   With a 13-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Hampton girls were well on their way to a 25-15 score by the half. Jessica Tolley scored seven points in the first quarter, while Chambers added six. Lauren Pitman and Lacy Oliver each added four in the second frame. Johnson County's lone senior, Elena Owens, had six points down by halftime.
   "We tried to run tight defense on Owens," said Hampton coach Leslie Campbell. "We didn't want to let her get in the box. We played face up on her, and control on the others. We didn't want her to have the ball. Lacy Oliver came in and did a good job with that, and Jessi Price."
   In the third quarter, Billie Hurd scored her second three-pointer of the game for Johnson County, and added two points from an offensive rebound. Tolley matched Hurd's five third-quarter points with an inside basket and three foul shots.
   In the last minutes of the game, despite a 17-point team effort from the Lady Longhorns, Chambers' 14 points in the final quarter dealt a damaging blow that prevented Johnson County from catching up.
   "We gave up too many turnovers," said Johnson County coach Eric Crabtree. "The difference was that they hit their foul shots and we didn't. We didn't take care of the ball on our half-court offense, we didn't talk enough, and we gave up way too many possessions."
   Chambers led the Lady 'Dogs with 22, as Tolley also posted a double-digit effort with 14 points. For Johnson County, April McCloud led with 12 points, followed by Hurd with 11 and Owens with eight.