HAMLET — Earning wins over West Hoke on Monday were the Hamlet Middle School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. It was the second straight outing that Hamlet swept its opponent.
Red Rams improve to 4-0
A plethora of scoring from several Red Rams players helped the boys’ team defeat the Tigers 62-42, keeping Hamlet undefeated to start the season.
Head coach Keith Parsons said it was a “great effort” from his team in the win, noting Terande Spencer was “incredible” with 13 points and a game-high 21 rebounds.
Amer Morrison led the way in scoring with 15 points, while Zamarion Robinson (13 points) and Raeshard Bryant (12 points) reached double figures. Evan Hodges added 9 points in the win.
Morrison and Bryant each added five rebounds and four assists. Kenny Marshall had five rebounds and Chamaure Shaw grabbed three boards.
After a physical first half, Hamlet looked to be in control after taking a 28-11 lead into the break. Short jump shots from Hodges and Robinson at the start of the third quarter extended Hamlet’s lead to 21 points.
West Hoke stopped the bleeding with a steal and score, but Morrison answered with a three-pointer to give Hamlet it’s largest lead of the game at 35-13.
Following a timeout, the Tigers went on a 14-2 run in less than three minutes to cut the lead to 10 points, 37-27, with 2:41 left in the third.
After a Hamlet timeout, the Red Rams went on a run of their own. Hamlet scored 16 of the next 18 points in the next five and-a-half minutes, including four putbacks and three fast break baskets. From there, they held on for the 20-point victory.
Hamlet improved to 4-0 and will return to action on Jan. 20 at Carver Middle School.
Hamlet’s Olivia Brown (1) led all scorers with 11 points on Monday. (Deon Cranford/The Richmond Observer)
Lady Red Rams collect another win
Also picking up a victory against West Hoke, the Lady Red Rams defeated the Lady Tigers 25-18 on Monday. It was the team’s second straight victory.
Hamlet and West Hoke ended the first quarter in a 6-6 stalemate. But Amonie McNeil, Carley Gulledge and Olivia Brown contributed to an 8-0 run to start the second quarter for the Lady Red Rams.
That run was the difference maker, as the two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the game with West Hoke’s deficit getting no smaller than four points.
Brown was the leading scorer for Hamlet with 11 points, followed by 6 points from Gulledge. McNeil and Kimora Ingram both chipped in 4 points in the victory.
The Lady Red Rams (2-2) will also play at Carver on Jan. 20.
Note: Coach Keith Parsons and Deon Cranford contributed stats and information to this article. To submit scores, email kpillar@richmondobserver.com.
