Hampton, Zanesville finally kick down door, end skid against Heath

On Jan 18, 2023

ZANESVILLE ― Zanesville’s boys basketball team had waited five long weeks to taste victory, and on Tuesday night in Winland Memorial Gymnasium, the Blue Devils feasted.

Five straight losses by three points or less, including an overtime heartbreaker Saturday against Licking County League-Buckeye Division leader Granville, and eight in a row overall fueled their hunger in a 49-37 LCL crossover win against visiting Heath.

“The coaches have been telling us, to keep believing, and have trust and respect,” said Xavier Riley, the lone senior starter on the floor for either team. “And just enjoy playing together on this team. We have a lot of fight, and we were ready for this long streak to end.”

“They were locked in, from warmups right up to the start,” coach Cedric Harris said. “You could tell, they told themselves, ‘we are going to win. Regardless of who we’re playing, we are going to win.'”

The Blue Devils (2-11, 2-6) were in control from the beginning in the battle of youthful teams, including junior Drew Doyle’s pass to classmate Rashaud Hampton for a layup off the opening tip. Riley cashed in a 3-pointer off sophomore Mikey Johnson’s assist, then later took a charge as Zanesville stormed ahead 10-2 on Hampton’s 3-pointer, after junior Maddox Hayes fought for an offensive rebound.

The Bulldogs (8-4, 5-3), surprising contenders for the LCL-Cardinal title in a major rebuilding season, scrapped back to within 12-8 by the end of the first quarter. But junior Drake Tabler came off the bench to stroke a 3 and Johnson followed it up with two more as Zanesville built a 25-12 halftime lead. Forced to take mostly perimeter shots, Heath hit just 4-of-20 the first half and made just one 3-pointer, by freshman Jordan Kaminsky in the first quarter.

“We had 12 3-point shots there with good looks, and we only made one,” lamented Bulldogs’ coach Devin Fulk. “If we shoot like that, we’re going to struggle and we’re probably not going to win, no matter who we’re playing against. And we knew they were way, way better than their record.”

“If they were going to beat us, it was going to be from the outside, and we played the gaps really well,” Harris said. “And we were holding them to just one shot.”

Any doubts of letting another one slip away ended in the third quarter, when Hampton hit one of his hot streaks. He canned a 17-footer, then a 3 after a Doyle steal, drove for another basket, and made an acrobatic scoop shot as Zanesville surged ahead 34-18. Brayden Bayles drilled a 3, and Will Robertson and Kaminsky added 2s as the Bulldogs chopped their deficit to 37-25 going to the fourth. But the heady Doyle took over, scoring out of a trap, driving for another layup, then feeding Johnson for a 3-point play and 47-27 cushion.

“Drew was really solid for us and made good decisions,” said Harris, after Doyle scored all seven of his points in the second half, and had eight rebounds and eight assists.

But it was Hampton’s performance which helped put the Blue Devils over the top. He scored 19 points and Johnson added 14, while Hayes snagged 10 rebounds.

“When Rashaud gets hot, we just let him go, and the guys feed off of that. He’s in the gym, all the time, working on his shooting,” Harris said. “It’s amazing, the way he shoots and we really respect him for it,” Riley said. “When we need a big basket, we look to him.”

“My teammates trust in me, and I’ve really worked on things,” Hampton said. “Put the work in, and believe in yourself. We compete very well, whether it’s in the gym or during games, and coach keeps us going. This is the probably the best brotherhood we’ve had in several years.”

Although Zanesville was just 4-of-13 at the line, the Blue Devils went 19-of-42 from the field for 45 percent. Heath wound up with six 3-pointers but was only 14-of-45 from the floor for 31 percent. Sophomore Preston DeVito and Kaminsky had 10 points apiece and Kaminsky also had six rebounds for Heath, playing without leading scorer in sophomore Jaxon Duston, who sprained his ankle Saturday against Lakewood.

Fulk refused to use that as an excuse.

“We didn’t guard or rebound, and our defense was not good enough to carry us,” he said. “I was not thrilled with our energy or effort. We’re not talented enough to just show up. We’re contending for a title, and every game is a must win.”

With nine games left, Zanesville will look to build some momentum for a Division II tournament run. “We want to go 9-0. Our record tricks people,” Hampton said. “This boosted our confidence, and we should be able to go out and get some more wins,” said Riley.

The Blue Devils came out on the short end of the stick often against a demanding early schedule that saw them take several teams down to the wire, including unbeaten Maysville, Wheeling Park, Berlin Hiland and LCL-Cardinal leader Northridge.