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Girls Basketball: Hampshire blows by Burlington Central
Updated: February 15, 2012 9:28PM
So much for any drama or suspense in the first game of Wednesday’s Class 3A Hamphire regional semifinal. The host and top-seeded Whip-Purs pretty much took that out of the equation with an 18-0 run in the first quarter and rode it to a 59-32 win over fourth-seeded Burlington Central. Michelle Dumoulin led the way with a game-high 21 points for Hampshire.
After Central scored the first basket of the game the Whip-Purs (16-14) went on a tear fueled by an aggressive defense and precision offense. Hampshire scored nine of its points during the 18-0 run off of turnovers. Dumoulin accounted for six of the points.
“The way we started was crucial,” said Hampshire coach Ed Haugens. “We came out with a lot of confidence and played with a lot of intensity. It was nothing different than what we usually do on defense. We just go after the ball helter skelter and hope to force mistakes. I was just real pleased with our enegy and effort tonight.”
The Whip-Purs forced a total of 23 turnovers in the game which they turned into 21 points in transition.
“I thought we did an excellent job of anticipating on defense,” said Dumoulin. ‘We were in the right spots to make plays and when we got the ball we just kept pushing it up the floor.”
The Hampshire lead was 29-16 at the break before it swelled to 47-26 after three quarters. Sara Finn came off the bench to give the Whip-Purs a spark with six points in the third quarter. She finished with 12 points. Jennifer Dumoulin added 10 points.
“I thought everyone as a team did a nice job of playing their role,” said Haugens. “We were patient and did a nice job handling the ball. A lot of people stepped up and contributed.
Michelle Dumoulin scored 12 of her 21 points in the second half to help the Whip-Purs pull away.
“The only reason I can do what I do is because of the girls I’m surrounded by,” said Dumoulin. “We are blessed to have a group of girls that really play well together as a team.”
After shooting just 1 of 11 form the field in the first quarter the Rockets (13-16) were never quite able to recover.
“We’ve worked hard all year on being more patient with the ball,” said Central coach Jenna Real. “But I think tonight we just fell back into that trap of rushing things and it just forced us into too many mistakes. But we’ve made a lot of positive strides this season. I’m proud of the seniors and impressed with development of the younger kids. So the future is bright.”
Alison Colby had 11 points to lead the Rockets in scoring. Brenda Thasavong added 10 points.
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