Preview: Hampton Hawks vs. Kenesaw Blue Devils
Hampton has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Hampton Hawks and the Kenesaw Blue Devils will round out the year against one another at 5:00 p.m. on Friday at.
Last Thursday, Hampton ended up a good deal behind Lawrence-Nelson and lost 53-38.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Nevaeh Lukassen, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. She scored a full 44.7% of Hampton's points, the eighth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Gilmore, who scored eight points along with 11 rebounds and eight blocks.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 14 to 2 on the offensive boards, a fact Kenesaw proved last Monday. They came out on top against Axtell by a score of 26-13. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Kenesaw has scored all season.
Kenesaw's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jorja Uden led the charge by scoring ten points along with three steals. Uden continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Avery Kelley was another key contributor, scoring five points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Hampton's loss was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-7. As for Kenesaw, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Hampton have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Kenesaw, though, as they've been averaging only 24.6 rebounds per game. Given Hampton's sizeable advantage in that area, Kenesaw will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hampton and Kenesaw were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, but Hampton came up empty-handed after a 46-45 defeat. Can Hampton avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
