THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS
By JEFF BIRCHFIELD
NET News Service
GRAY — Down by one at the half, Dobyns-Bennett’s Lady Indians used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to overtake Hampton for a 51-44 victory in Saturday’s championship game of the Johnson City Honda Invitational at Bobby Snyder Gymnasium.
After going into the locker room trailing 23-22, the Lady Indians (11-3) held the Lady Bulldogs (13-4) scoreless over a sevenminute stretch.
Once in the lead, the Lady Indians held on after Hampton closed within five and later to four points in the closing minutes.
D-B’s Sasha Morrisette put the final dagger in Hampton’s hopes by breaking to the basket and getting scores. Morrisette, who led all scorers with 23 points in the final, earned tournament MVP honors.
“I like the rush, the momentum and the bond,” Morrisette said of the big moments as she looked toward her sister Cydnee, also an all-tournament selection. “We have a special bond. It shows in a lot of our plays.”
D-B took early command with a 14-8 lead at the end of one quarter only to see the scrappy Lady Bulldogs turn up the pressure in the second quarter and take a 23-22 lead at the half on Monica Olvera’s bucket.
D-B coach Roger France said his team was a little rattled when it entered the locker room.
“In the second quarter, we got really frustrated,” he said. “Hampton played well, the crowd got into it and it was a very physical game. But we played through that. We got our starters in foul trouble, but our other kids picked it up.”
Leading Hampton’s comeback in the fourth quarter, Dorothy Dugger finished with 16 points. Alexis Bowers added a 13-point effort and Paige Montgomery worked inside for a team-best nine rebounds.
