advertisement

Hampshire tops Crystal Lake S. in FVC tourney

For over 3 weeks, Hampshire's girls basketball team couldn't muster a win.

All that changed in less than 24 hours.

Defeating Crystal Lake South 47-26 Friday night, the 10th-seeded Whip-Purs opened Fox Valley Conference tournament play Saturday morning with a 46-37 win over the No. 7 Gators in Crystal Lake.

"The kids are seeing what I am seeing," said Hampshire coach Eric Samuelson. "Glad to see all the hard work pay off. Give all the credit to South. They came out with great intensity. We haven't played our best game yet. It is all about the next shot and the next thing."

Hampshire (2-8) will play at second-seeded Huntley at 7 p.m. Monday.

"Steve (Raethz) is a great coach," said Samuelson, "They are loaded with talent."

The Whip-Purs couldn't build up any type of cushion in the game until the third quarter.

Leading 22-17 at halftime, the Whip-Purs scored the first 7 points of the third quarter to extend their lead to 29-17 with 5:33 left. Jessica Dumoulin scored 5 points including a 3 and Ceilli Ramirez converted a layup during the Whip-Purs' run.

Jessica Norwood scored South's first points of the half on a layup to make the score 29-19 with 3:28 left in the quarter.

Down 13, Emily Rich buried a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Hampshire's deficit to 34-24 after 24 minutes.

Hampshire's biggest advantage of the game was 44-28 after a 3 by Ramirez with 2:57 remaining in the contest.

Whip-Purs guards Ramirez, Dumoulin and Ashley Herzing combined for 37 of the 46 points.

Ramirez led the winners with 16 points, two 3-pointers and 3 assists while Dumoulin added 15 with 5 rebounds.

"It is great to get a win," said Dumoulin. "It feels great. We did a great job on defense. We did a great job with help defense and our passing was very good."

Herzing scored 6 points with 4 assists for Hampshire. Davidson recruit Kelby Bannerman, who missed most of the season with a high ankle sprain, added 5 points with 3 rebounds.

"Kelby is a 4-year varsity player and it is nice to give her an opportunity to play," said Samuelson. "We are very cautious with her. We did all the return to play protocol."

Rich, with 2 baskets from beyond the arc, and Brooke Kuffel led the Gators (3-6) with 8 points each.

"Last night was a tough night," said South coach Mark Mucha. "I like the way we came out with great intensity and effort. We really played well together. Give Hampshire credit. They are clicking on all cylinders right now."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.