The Hampton-Dumont-CAL basketball teams earned a split at Saint Ansgar in their final games of 2024 Saturday, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ. The #13 (3A) girls beat the #12 (1A) Saints 43-33 and the boys lost 46-37.
In the girls game, the Bulldogs started hot, jumping out to a 22-10 lead after the first quarter. Jordan Valley hit her first five three-point shots, and Hampton-Dumont-CAL extended their lead to as many as 20 in the first half. But the shots fell at a much slower pace in the second half. The Saints cut the deficit to single digits on occasions in the second half, but Head Coach Miranda Stafford says the defense came in clutch to seal the win.
“We had to keep defending,” Stafford says. “Low scoring games, we feel like are in our advantage as long as we can keep teams low score and we can stay in it. So offensively, they are big on the inside, so that’s what they were, I don’t want to say giving us, but that’s where we could hurt them. But then they’re big, so it’s hard to get the shots that we really need. So I was happy with the way the girls continued to play defense and defended on that end to keep us in the game.”
Jordan Valley led with 18 points and Brooklyn Valley added 10. The Bulldogs are 8-0 heading into the break.
In the boys game, the Bulldogs pulled out to a 9-2 lead after the first quarter. But they went several minutes into the second quarter without scoring as the Saints went on a 10-point run to take the lead. Brady Harr hit a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 16-15 halftime lead, but it was the last lead they held. Both teams had trouble scoring out of the gate in the second half, but Saint Ansgar surged near the end of the period to build a sizable margin. Hampton-Dumont-CAL cut the deficit to 38-34, but turnovers cost them down the stretch. Harr led with 15 points and Caden Woods added 10, moving the Bulldogs to 1-5 at the break.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL will return to action Monday, January 6 by hosting North Butler.
Miranda Stafford interview:
