Bieber's big bucket helps Hampshire stop G-K

Justin Bieber finally put Hampshire ahead for good.

The senior hit a driving layup with under a minute to go to give the Whip-purs a 54-52 lead, and the Whips held on to defeat Genoa-Kingston 57-52 in a Big Northern crossover in Genoa on Monday.

Before then, Hampshire had trailed almost the entire game. Bieber gave Hampshire its first lead since 2-0 with a 3-pointer with 3:37 left. The Cogs tied it twice more after that.

After Bieber's layup, the Whips' defense forced turnovers on back-to-back possessions. Mike Burke made a free throw and Tyler Watzlawick made 2 for the final margin.

Bieber finished with 22 points. Watzlawick had 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Shyler Ralphs added 10 points for Hampshire (8-5).

Serwan Khan had 9 points and 11 rebounds, providing the Whips with a lift off the bench.

"We needed somebody," said Hampshire coach Bob Barnett. "We needed a spark. We were struggling.

"At halftime, we decided to put Shyler down inside because we thought he was stronger than the guy guarding him. It worked a couple times. then they had to start doubling him and Grant (Yoder) hit a big 3. So we were trying to go more inside-out with Shyler down low.""

Genoa used the shooting of Bryan Baumgarten (22 points) and Scott Suchy (19 points) to build a 43-40 lead after 3 quarters. Although the Whips trailed by 6 points several times, they kept coming back. Every time Hampshire would get within a point, the Cogs would pull away again.

Until the fourth quarter.

"We just kept our heads in the game the entire game, that's the most important thing," said Bieber, who had 8 points in the fourth quarter. "I've played against these kids since fifth grade, so it's a great win."

Baumgarten had 11 points in the first quarter as the Cogs (11-4) opened an 18-13 lead. They shot 7-for-11 in the period. Genoa led 30-25 at halftime. The Hampshire defense cracked down thereafter, holding the Cogs to 22 second-half points.