Sycamore shuts down Hampshire
Hampshire couldn't penetrate Sycamore's zone, which filled the lane with the density of a leftover Christmas fruitcake. Moreover, the Whip-Purs couldn't hit from outside.
That's not usually a recipe for success, and it didn't work Tuesday night, as the Spartans took a bite out of the Whips, 33-22, in a nonconference girls basketball game at Sycamore.
"We didn't take advantage of what they gave us," said Hampshire coach Mike Featherly. "They really packed it in on us. We had a lot of open shots. I thought at mid-range we could knock them down, and we just didn't really look to be the aggressive team tonight."
Indeed, Hampshire (15-6) shot just 24 percent from the field. And the Whips didn't get many second chances while getting outrebounded 25-15.
Not that the home team lit up the scoreboard. Sycamore shot just 33 percent from the floor, but helped the cause by making 11 of 17 free throws.
The Whip-Purs started well enough, leading 6-2 at one point. They were tied at 8 after one quarter and still in the thick of things at halftime, trailing just 16-12. But after the break, the Spartans started to pull away.
Nicole Dumoulin scored all 8 of the Hampshire points in that first period. She didn't score again, but those 8 points still led the Whip-Purs in scoring. Emma Benoit had 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots, and Allison Peters chipped in 4 points.
Taiya Hopkins led Sycamore with 10 points, and Lauren Goff added 7 points and 7 rebounds.
Benoit opened the second-half scoring with a bucket, but the Spartans outscored the visitors 12-3 the rest of the quarter. Rachel Dumoulin made a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, making it 28-20, but Hampshire didn't score again until Benoit made 2 free throws for the game's final points.