Woodside suffered two earlier defeats at the hands of the Crabbers by 24 and 17 points.

Woodside’s coach Mike Tallon declared by many to be one of the best girl’s basketball coaches in the state came up with another game winning formula.

Tallon's plan was simple; play smart, be aggressive on defense and most importantly be patient offensively. The Lady Wolverines executed the game plan perfectly and came away with a 40-33 win over the Crabbers to force a tie for the top spot in the Peninsula District.

"I was confident that our girls could beat Hampton on their own floor," Tallon said. "The first two losses early in the season, was not a major concern to me. I was more interested in getting some of our young players ready for the second half of the season. We have a couple of girls that are just beginning to come into their own as basketball players."

Woodside (17-2) – (14-1) have beaten two of the top ten teams in the state. Woodside is the only team to beat seventh ranked Indian River and No.1 ranked Hampton in state Group AAA.

Woodside, known for its defense, appears to have made a case for itself as one of the better team in the Eastern Region. Woodside should move up in the polls.

Woodside's defense never allowed Hampton, to get into any type of rhythm. The first half saw several ties and lead changes, but it was obvious that Woodside was setting the tempo.

Hampton trailing 15-14 at halftime started quickly in the second half and took a 19-15 lead behind the shooting of Shavon Earp.

Tallon called for an immediate timeout to make a couple of adjustments. Tish Lyons responded with six consecutive points for Woodside. Lyons put-back late in the third quarter made the score 23-22 and put Woodside ahead for good.

The Crabbers had several opportunities, but a lack of patience and Woodside’s defense forced them into some poor shots. Hampton seemed to come unglued at the end as they took several shots without hitting the rim.

Woodside spread the floor to run the clock down and force Hampton to foul. But Woodside responded by hitting 9 of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Lyons led Woodside with 18 points. Springer added seven rebounds and four assists, and Denise Moore, who is their most improved player, added eight points to go with her eight rebounds for Woodside.

Earp led Hampton with 14 points.

WOODSIDE 40, HAMPTON 33

WOODSIDE (17-2, 14-1): Lyons 18, Moore 8, C. Gordon 8, Nuzzo 4, Springer 2, Munson 0. Totals 15 9-13 40.

HAMPTON (18-1, 14-1): Earp 14, Johnson 8, Hester 7, Stephens 4, Bozeman 0, Artis 0, Edwards 0, Hill 0. Totals 12 9-12 33.

Woodside 4 11 10 15—40
Hampton 3 11 8 11—33

3-point goals -- Woodside 1 (C. Gordon), Hampton 2 (Earp 2).
Total fouls -- Woodside 11, Hampton 14