SPRING HILL, N.C. — The Hamlet Middle School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams returned to action at Spring Hill Middle on Thursday, both earning a win in Southeastern Middle School Athletic Conference play.
Red Rams remain perfect on season
The Hamlet boys’ basketball team collected its third win to start the year with a 69-25 win over Spring Hill.
Raeshard Bryant led the way with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Amer Morrison added 13 points. Terande Spencer had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Hamlet’s first five field goals were scored by five different players – Spencer, Chamaure Shaw, Evan Hodges, Zamarion Robinson and Morrison. Those 10 points along with a Morrison free throw accounted for all of Hamlet’s first quarter points.
Leading 11-5 at the start of the second, the Red Rams turned four steals into 8 points as part of a 10-5 run in the first three minutes.
After a Spring Hill timeout, Bryant drew a hard foul in the lane, but his shot still found the net which fired up the Hamlet bench. He managed to collect the rebound when he missed his free throw attempt, and delivered a perfect bounce pass to Spencer under the net who laid it up for an easy two points.
Moments later, Spencer scored on three consecutive fast break opportunities netting six points in just 40 seconds. At the half, Hamlet held a 37-15 lead.
The Red Rams outscored the Spartans 19-2 in the third quarter. Morrison, Robinson, Bryant, Spencer, A.J. James and Trey Bryant all contributed to the run to put the visitors up 56-17 entering the fourth.
Both teams went to the bench for most of the fourth quarter, which saw Hamlet score its final 13 points.
Other scorers were Robinson (8 points), James (5 points), Shaw (4 points), Bryant (4 points), Hodges (3 points), and Adrion Pore, Juelz Smith and Dane Cipriani all with 2 points.
Hamlet (3-0) hosts West Hoke Middle School on Monday.
Olivia Brown (1) following a steal in the fourth quarter. Teammates Kimora Ingram (14), Annika Briggs (20), and Carley Gulledge (22) along with several Spring Hill players in pursuit.
Lady Red Rams pick up first win
After starting the season with a pair of losses, the Hamlet Lady Red Rams entered the win column with a 59-20 victory over Spring Hill.
Hamlet was led in scoring by Olivia Brown, who had 26 points, and also adding double digits was Kimora Ingram with 19 points.
Other scorers included Carley Gulledge (8 points), Dezyre Wilson (4 points) and Amonie McNeil (2 points).
The Lady Red Rams scored 26 points off of turnovers and were also able to net 16 points on second-chance opportunities.
A 16-0 run in the first quarter set the tempo for Hamlet, before the second quarter saw Spring Hill get on the board. The Lady Spartans started the quarter on a 6-2 run.
After a timeout, McNeil regained the momentum when she stripped the ball away and returned it for two. Moments later, Brown mirrored McNeil with a quick steal and score of her own.
On the next possession, Gulledge found herself in traffic but delivered a beautiful bounce pass to Ingram who hit an open jumper near the free throw line.
Forty seconds later, Ingram connected on another jump shot from the same area, completing an 8-3 run to end the half. At the break, Hamlet led 26-9.
Ingram scored the first six points of the third quarter, all on putbacks. Gulledge added a short jumper and the Lady Red Rams led 34-9 less than two minutes into the second half.
Ingram added three more points in the quarter to help the Lady Red Rams outscore Spring Hill 15-5 in the third period.
Brown, who was limited to 8 points in the first half, netted the final basket of the third and added an impressive 16 more points in the fourth. Her 18 points in the final 11 minutes of the game made her the game’s leading scorer.
The Lady Red Rams (1-2) will also play at home against West Hoke on Monday.
Note: Coach Keith Parsons and Deon Cranford contributed stats and information to this article. To report middle school scores, email kpillar@richmondobserver.com. No other scores were reported at the time of publication.
