Home > Sports > Hampton falls in D-2 semis to Pleasanton | web-posted Saturday, March 8, 2008
Hampton falls in D-2 semis to Pleasanton
Independent/Scott Kingsley
Hampton's Dwayne Wall gets past the defense of Matt Giffin (right) during the first half at Pershing Auditorium in the D2 semifinal. Hampton fell 62-56.
Hampton's Dwayne Wall gets past the defense of Matt Giffin (right) during the first half at Pershing Auditorium in the D2 semifinal. Hampton fell 62-56.
Independent/Scott Kingsley
Hampton's Dylan Bamesberger runs into the block foul Pleasanton's Trey Shafto (right) and Zack Rasmussen (52) during the second half in the Hawks' 62-56 loss in the D2 semifinal at Pershing Auditorium.
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LINCOLN For three quarters it looked like Hampton coach Jerry Eickhoff just might get that record setting 649th victory of his career.
But after three quarters of nip-and-tuck basketball, Pleasanton was finally able to put a run together that Hampton couldn't match Friday in a Class D-2 state semifinal at Pershing Auditorium.
The Bulldogs scored the first 10 points of the quarter and went on to post a 62-56 victory over the Hawks to advance to tonight's Class D-2 final against Falls City Sacred Heart.
Eickhoff needs just one win to break Spalding Academy's Ed Colleran's state record for wins in a career. The Hawks (20-5) will go for that win at 7 p.m. tonight in the Class D-2 consolation game at Pershing Auditorium against St. Mary's (21-4).
Hampton didn't have an answer for Pleasanton's 6-foot-7 Elijah Zwiener. The senior led all scorers with 22 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds.
"Our kids didn't give up," Eickhoff said. "They played hard, but they had too many weapons. We couldn't stop the big boy inside. We couldn't stop dribble penetration and that's something we've been pretty good at most of the year.
"But what do you do when you're 6-0 throwing it to 6-7. Our kid was trying to get around him but he'd stick his arm out and he couldn't get around him."
Pleasanton coach Randy Bauer said Hampton's defense made it tough for the Bulldogs to get the ball inside to Zwiener.
"We wanted to get the ball inside, but they were putting the pressure on him," Bauer said. "That was our game plan to get him the ball inside because they don't have anybody that can match up with him."
Senior Dylan Bamesberger led the Hawks with 21 points. Bamesberger, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds on Thursday in a win over Bruning-Davenport, picked up right where he left off against Pleasanton.
Bamesberger nailed three 3-pointers in the first quarter, than added another early in the second. The senior made his first six shots from the field before having one blocked late in the second quarter.
"He had the game of his life," Eickhoff said. "I hope he can continue and do that for one more game. We're going to need him again tomorrow.
"He played very well tonight. He was going to keep taking it until he missed. He kept us in the game for a long time, but they all played hard. We're very proud of that."
Bamesberger had 17 points the first half alone of 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. Bauer said the Bulldogs were prepared to change defenses if they had to in order to slow down Bamesberger.
"We were going to go box-and-one or triangle-and-two if he kept going," Bauer said. "Kyle Giffin said he'd take him and shut him down. That was important
"But he didn't shoot a well in the second half. We wanted to get him tired. He just dominated that first half."
Neither team could open up any kind of a lead in the opening half. The largest lead was when Pleasanton went up by four at 12-8 on a basket by Mitchell Olson with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
The game remained close until Pleasanton's fourth-quarter run.
The Hawks also got 12 points from Dwayne Wall and 11 from Alex Dose.
"The kids gave a heck of an effort," Eickhoff said. "They didn't give up."
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