Girls Middle School Basketball
Hamlet advances to second round
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
* Photo gallery – more than 300 images
HAMLET — Hamlet coach Andrea McIver said her squad practices shooting free throws in high-pressure situations.
“In practice, they’re knockin’ ’em down,” McIver said.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Kennedy Alexander was strong in post play for the Red Rams, scoring five points and manhandling offensive rebounds for Hamlet in its 36-6 win.
There must not have been enough pressure on Monday. The third-seeded Red Rams overwhelmed the visiting Eagles of East Hoke and cruised to a 36-6 win in the first round of the Southeastern Middle School Conference playoff.
Hamlet improved to 9-2 on the season despite shooting only 4-for-20 from the charity stripe. Sixth-seeded East Hoke, playing with interim coach G.A. Garner while the head coach serves a suspension, finished its season with a 5-6 record.
It was all but over early on. Hamlet ran away with the game after midway through the first quarter as the Red Rams shut out the Eagles for 17 minutes and 14 seconds. East Hoke was held scoreless in the second and third quarters and after Tasmeyah Taylor’s put back with 2:50 left in the first, the Eagles didn’t score again until midway through the fourth quarter.
The post play of Adrianna Brown and the perimeter shooting of Chloe Wiggins paced Hamlet. Each player scored 10 points, while Trinity Dixon added seven points and Kennedy Alexander added five points in the win. Greyson Way and Savannah Sweet chipped in with two points apiece.
McIver said she was pleased with her team’s “really good defense” and noted she allows the team to change it up as the players on the floor dictate. She said she wants them to learn to think on their own
Garner, meanwhile, conceded defeat to Hamlet but noted his squad’s improvement throughout the season. The record might not show it, Garner said, but “we’re getting better — much, much better.”
Taylor’s bucket pulled East Hoke to within 5-4. Then Dixon hit two free throws and a breakaway layup to put the Red Rams up 9-4. After a layup by Wiggins, Hamlet led 11-4 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
The Red Rams scored 14 points in the second quarter — four each by Wiggins and Brown — and nine more in the third for a 34-4 lead after three quarters.
In other games, top-seeded Rockingham defeated No. 8 Sycamore Lane, 53-7. No. 7 Rohanen fell to No. 2 West Hoke. Score not reported.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Trinity Dixon scored seven points to help Hamlet to an opening round win in the conference tournament.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Hamlet coach Andrea McIver was proud of her team’s defensive effort, including this showdown by Greyson Way (12) against the Eagles.
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