Free throw failure shoots down Falcons

In the end, it came down to foul shooting, with one team hitting theirs and the other not so much.

The Wade Hampton Generals (20-5) beat the Nation Ford Falcons 44-34 in the second round of the 5A state girls’ basketball playoffs to end the Falcons’ (17-8) season. In the fourth quarter, the Generals outscored Nation Ford 22-9 as the Falcons went 2-for-15 from the foul line for the game and Wade Hampton went 15-for-20 in the fourth quarter alone.

“We have a lot to build on,” said Nation Ford head coach Kate Edwards, who was in her first year with the team. “Both were very young teams and we are learning. They are learning how we want them to play basketball.”

Both teams looked like they were evenly matched once the game started and neither one really took off. Wade Hampton struggled with turnovers in the early going, losing it four times in the first six minutes of the game. Nation Ford tried to take advantage, but was only successful part of the time.

The Generals opened the game on a 5-0 run, but the Falcons came back to get within one. Nation Ford didn't score until the 4:15 mark in the first quarter. Wade Hampton allowed open looks for Nation Ford, which took advantage with a dribble drive mentality. Nation Ford went to the line three times in the opening quarter, missing each time.

Wade Hampton shut down the lane at the start of the second quarter, making Nation Ford stay out on the perimeter. The Generals extended their lead shortly after the start of the quarter as the Falcons again took a while to get their offense going. Wade Hampton turnovers kept Nation Ford in the game as Ellona Moulds tied things at 14 with a jumper. Moulds was the majority of the offense for Nation Ford while leading the Falcons on a 6-0 run midway through the second quarter.

Nation Ford was consistent in both quarters, hitting five shots in the first and second periods, while the Generals hit just five shots the entire first half.

Wade Hampton did a good job in keeping Nation Ford’s two big threats at bay in Kelci Adams and Sami Tuipulotu, who both went scoreless in the first half. Nation Ford came out of the locker room in the second half and had three straight turnovers. That helped the Generals score the first four points and regain the lead.

As much as Wade Hampton struggled in the second quarter, Nation Ford did the same in the third as they could only get one shot off in the first four minutes. The Falcons didn’t score their first points of the quarter until about a minute left on a foul shot, but then went on a 5-0 run to end the quarter with a 25-22 lead.

Turning point

Wade Hampton started driving to the basket more in the fourth quarter, which resulted in frequent trips to the foul line. The Generals opened the fourth on a 9-0 run to go up 31-25, despite hitting only one field goal - a 3-pointer, in the first four minutes. Wade Hampton's foul shooting also was key for them in the fourth quarter.

Nation Ford had three players foul out in the fourth quarter and Tuipulotu was held without scoring in the game, which hurt the Falcons.

Critical

Wade Hampton struggled from the field in the second quarter scoring by only getting to the charity stripe. The Generals went 0-8 from the field in the quarter, but 5-for-10 from the foul line. For the game, Wade Hampton went 21-for-32 from the foul line.

Star contributions

Wade Hampton was led by Erin Dillard who had 12 points and Nation Ford was led by Moulds, who had 17 points.

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Free throw failure shoots down Falcons."