HV beats Hampton in freshman play

By Marvin Birchfield
STAR Correspondent

   The freshman boys from Happy Valley sent the Hampton Bulldogs back to the pound with a 67-51 final at VanHuss Gym on Thursday night.
   "We had some good ball movement, and the big thing is we got some rebounds. It's hard to fast break if you don't rebound," said Happy Valley coach Chuck Babb.
   The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead as the transition play was being executed against Warriors, giving them a 12-2 advantage with three minutes left in the first quarter.
   "We looked like we were dead, and then we got down by 10 and decided that we were going to have to play," said Babb.
   It was the inside scoring from Shane Campbell that put the first six points of the game on Hampton's side of the scoreboard.
   After falling behind by 10 points, Happy Valley made a run when it got a couple of putbacks off the glass from Andrew Bowman and Ryan Toney, closing the gap within four.
   Hampton enjoyed a six-point lead after the first period, but the Warriors came out in the second pounding it down low and taking control inside the paint.
   A seemingly flatfooted Warrior team in the first had suddenly came to life, as Bowman took charge by scoring 10 points during the second quarter.
   Bowman also made a nice pass down inside to Alex Carroll that pulled Happy Valley within one point in the first few minutes.
   The Warriors tied the score for the first time at 22 off a twelve-foot jumper from Bowman with 3:45 left in the half.
   Then the big body of Jordy Harrison caught the ball down low and drew the foul, resulting in the Warriors' first lead of the contest.
   Happy Valley never surrendered its lead after that point. Continuing to dominate the inside, the Warriors received a Daniel White three-point shot right before halftime to go up by six at the intermission.
   The Bulldogs scored the first points of the third quarter when Ben Harrison made a nice underhanded shot, but the period would belong to Happy Valley.
   The Warriors went on a 13-4 run in the next five minutes, with Toney putting HV up by eleven when he was fouled by Jeremy Culler, and the bucket was good.
   Hampton didn't acquire much offense in the third period, as Jacob Moss was primarily the only scoring threat with seven of their 12 points.
   The Bulldogs' point guard, Zack Crabtree, fouled out with 3:30 left in the third, which hurt Hampton's efforts in pushing the ball up the court.
   "After that we're not as deep, and I thought we just didn't push it down the floor," said Hampton coach Mark McClain.
   John Bulla stepped it up for Happy Valley in the second half by leading the fast break and becoming the Warriors' second top scorer with 15, just behind Bowman, who finished with 22.
   The Warriors had built a 17-point lead after three quarters of play, giving them their biggest margin of the night.
   Campbell nailed a three to start the fourth period for Hampton, as he finished with 14 points to lead the Bulldogs.
   But it was the Happy Valley passing attack that controlled the clock and enabled them to score easy baskets to maintain their advantage throughout the last quarter.
   "We have to apply more defensive pressure, and we have to get up in people's faces," McClain said. "The passes they were making were simple."