Harriman Gets Substate Reality Check by Hampton 55-41
By Terry Futrell
They say that all good things must come to an end – so it was with the Harriman Blue Devils quest to reach the TSSAA Class A boys state basketball tournament. Riding the crest of a wave of impressive district and regional victories that culminated in winning the Region 2-1A championship, the Blue Devils ran into a huge wall in the form of the Hampton Bulldogs Monday evening.
Demonstrating one of the toughest pressure defenses that we have seen all season, the Bulldogs totally disrupted Harriman’s offensive flow. Hampton came back from an early deficit to tie Harriman, then pulled away for a 55-41 victory and a berth in the state tournament. For Harriman, it was a disappointing end to the 2021-22 season.
Located in upper East Tennessee in the foothills of the mountains separating Tennessee and North Carolina, Hampton has an enrollment only slightly larger than Harriman – both schools are in the upper range of Class A schools. This will make Hampton’s sixth appearance in the state tournament since 2010. Two measures indicate the emphasis placed on sports at Hampton and the level of community support. First, Hampton had 20 cheerleaders in uniform at the Kingston game. Second, even though the round trip to Harriman was more than 320 miles and gasoline prices were at record levels, Hampton fans filled the visitors section of Harriman’s gymnasium.
As the game got underway, it was all Harriman for the first four minutes as the Blue Devils built a 12-2 lead, with Carter Smith and Jordan McCullum contributing 3-point baskets. Stepped-up defense by the Bulldogs held Harriman scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter. With four different players scoring, Hampton’s offense slowly trimmed Harriman’s lead to 12-8 at the end of the first period.
Hampton’s full-court pressure defense took an even greater toll in the second period. After an initial basket by Harriman increasing the Blue Devils’ lead to 14-8 at 6:50, Hampton continued to trim Harriman’s lead and tied the game at 16-16 with 3:15 on the clock. The Bulldogs then pulled ahead to lead Harriman 26-21 at the half. Hampton outscored Harriman 18-9 in the second period, with Michael Harrison and Cadon Buckles each scoring six points. Harriman was limited to only three baskets, with Smith sinking another 3-pointer and Nick Pelfrey and Xavier Hickman each hitting a 2-point basket.
Hampton’s onslaught continued after the break, as the Bulldogs held Harriman to two baskets in the third quarter. The Bulldogs’ defensive pressure appeared to shake the confidence of the Harriman players. As an indicator of how tightly Hampton was guarding Harriman players, the Bulldogs were charged with eight fouls in the quarter compared to only two fouls on Harriman. When Harriman occasionally found room for outside shots, they simply did not find their mark. Hampton outscored the Blue Devils 13-6 in the quarter and took a 39-27 lead behind the shooting of Morgan Lyons and Buckles.
The fourth quarter was more of the same – tight defense by Hampton and missed shots by Harriman. The Blue Devils performed much better at the free throw line, hitting 10 of 12 shots, but as in the third quarter, Harriman scored only two baskets. Of the four baskets scored by Harriman in the second half, two were dunks by McCullum. Harriman trimmed Hampton’s lead to six points at 43-37 with 5:24 remaining but could not find the basket past that point and Hampton pulled away to a 55-41 victory.
