The #11 (3A) Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls basketball team, coming off one of its most successful regular seasons in recent history, will begin the playoffs by hosting North Central Conference opponent Clear Lake in a regional quarterfinal Saturday on 99 The Wave.
The Bulldogs (19-2) have had a week off since a 36-32 loss at #8 (3A) Algona to close the regular season. Head Coach Miranda Stafford says they’ll look to continue their defensive intensity to give them an edge in postseason play.
“They get a lot of second chance opportunities,” Stafford says. “They’ve got two post players that rebound the basketball very, very well. So as a team, we have to rebound. We have to limit those second chance opportunities. And we have to play defense. That’s what we’ve hung our hats on. We’ve got to make it difficult for their guards. We’ve got to create some turnovers. We’ve got to get points off of their turnovers, not live and die at the three point line, try to get downhill a little bit. And then make good decisions once we get down there, because I mean, they’re big. They’ve got a 6’4 post who just keeps getting better and better and she’s long. And so we’ve just got to play team defense and know what opportunities we can take on defense and what chances we can take.”
The Bulldogs are giving up just 34.7 points per game to opponents, the fourth-best in Class 3A and best in the regional bracket. Jordan Valley leads with 11.4 points per game. Lily Hambly averages a double-double of 10.3 points and 11.2 rebounds.
Clear Lake (9-11) has won two straight and five of its last six, including 51-39 over Iowa Falls-Alden to close the regular season Tuesday. Madi Ott scores 11 points per game to lead the team.
The Bulldogs swept the regular season series.
Coverage will start at 6:40 p.m., followed by the tipoff at 7:00. The winner will advance to Wednesday’s regional semifinal against either Osage or Iowa Falls-Alden.
Miranda Stafford interview:
