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PORTSMOUTH — Hampton High girls basketball players had a bad taste in their mouths since last season when 10th-seeded Deep Creek upset the top-seeded Crabbers.
That wasn’t going to happen again.
Kennedy Harris scored 24 points and Hampton used a stifling defense to hold off Deep Creek 52-49 in the second half of a Class 4 Region A semifinal doubleheader Thursday night at Manor High School.
In the opener, King’s Fork used a strong third quarter to defeat No. 1 seed Manor 73-66.
Both winners clinched state tournament berths and will play each other for the region title.
“This was a very emotional game because they knocked us out last year,” Hampton coach Shanda Bailey said of the Hornets. “We didn’t like the narrative that they beat us last year.”
The game was defensive havoc. Neither offense found any rhythm during the first half. After falling behind early, Hampton closed the first quarter with a 12-4 run for a 14-11 lead. Deep Creek rallied in the second half and led 21-20 heading into halftime.
While the havoc continued in the second half, Hampton’s offense started hitting its shots. Harris had three transition layups in the third quarter and Asya Johnson had two 3-pointers as the Crabbers took a 37-27 lead late in the third.
“We told them to calm down and relax,” Bailey said. “This time of the year, these games are going to be close and you have to have your composure and come out and play basketball.”
Deep Creek wouldn’t go away. Nalani Simmons scored seven points in the fourth quarter, including a jumper that pulled the Hornets within 52-49 with seven seconds left. Deep Creek forced a turnover, setting up a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But Hampton’s tight pressure kept the Hornets from getting a good look.
Asia Keels led the Hornets with 19 points.
The other semifinal was simply a game of adjustments for the Bulldogs.
After struggling during a back-and-forth first half, King’s Fork coach Maurice Fofana switched the Bulldogs’ defense and changed their offensive game plan before taking over in the third quarter.
“I told them our focus is defense,” Fofana said. “We take pride in playing good defense, and in the first half we didn’t. We got some things we wanted in the first half and we just kind of tried to correct things at halftime.”
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King’s Fork, which led 34-30 at halftime, started rotating its defense, putting pressure at the top of the key with a 3-2 alignment. The Bulldogs then switched to a 2-1-2 or a 2-3 to mix things up and keep the Mustangs off balance. The move paid dividends as King’s Fork went on a 9-3 run and took a 47-37 lead with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs, with Manor slowing the tempo to limit transition opportunities, shifted to a bigger lineup and started pounding the ball inside.
King’s Fork’s adjustments were just enough to keep Manor out of reach during the fourth quarter.
“The bottom line was that they were just a better team tonight,” Manor coach Roger Smith said. “We didn’t make adjustments to their penetration. It would have been a different game if we would have been able to stop their penetration.”
Imani Clemons led King’s Fork with 21 points. Niyah Gaston added 19 points and Cyriah Griffin had 13.
AJ Richardson led Manor with 24 points and Jadah White added 20.