The Hampton-Dumont-CAL basketball teams earned a split at Webster City Tuesday, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ. The #12 (3A) girls won 45-25 and the boys lost 62-42, matching the outcomes of when the teams met in Hampton in December.
The girls game started as a low-scoring battle that featured cold shooting by both teams, and Hampton-Dumont-CAL trailed by one after the first quarter. The Bulldogs led 22-15 at halftime, but the margin only grew from there. Early in the second half, the Bulldogs heated up and went ahead by double digits. The lockdown defense held Webster City to just 10 points in the second half. Senior Brooklyn Valley says causing havoc on defense leads to offense; the Bulldogs put up nearly twice as many shot attempts as the Lynx.
“Being able to get those defensive rebounds and offensive rebounds and being able to have those second chances and executing them, we need to really work on because we’ve struggled to see the ball go through the basket,” Valley says. “But getting those rebounds is really helping us and then finishing, is definitely a big part for us that we need to really work on when we get those rebounds. But getting those 50 plus shots a game is really important.”
Jordan Valley led with 20 points.
In the boys game, Webster City held the lead for nearly the entire game, but it remained within striking distance for Hampton-Dumont-CAL for a large portion. After trailing 15-8 at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs trailed 25-23 at halftime. They got to within two points several times in the second half, but each instance was followed by either a missed shot or turnover to squander an opportunity.
“We just weren’t consistent enough, unfortunately,” Head Coach Brian Niesen says. “Just too many wasted possessions on offense where we didn’t make the easy play or make the extra pass. And I feel like Webster City got timely offensive rebounds and putbacks that hurt us. They didn’t let us get to a single-digit game in the fourth quarter. We’ve just got to value the ball better and limit them to one shot on the defensive end.”
The Lynx outscored the Bulldogs 23-7 in the fourth quarter to pull away. Brady Harr led with 24 points and Caden Woods added 10.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL will return to action Friday at Clear Lake on 104.9 KLMJ.
Brooklyn Valley interview:
Brian Niesen interview:
