The Lady Talbots have gotten off to an 8-1 start to the 2021-22 basketball season. After their 2020-21 successes, Hampton has become very fond of the Section Title and they do not plan on achieving anything less this year. The Lady Talbots have a strong senior class returning, and most of their players are still on the roster from last season. Hampton opened this season by winning the Seneca Valley Tipoff Tournament by defeating McDowell 54-28 and then Seneca Valley in the Championship 48-32. The Lady Talbots continued to have big wins in section play by rallying victories with tall margins. Hampton defeated Knoch (45-32), Plum (63-42), Kiski (56-22), Peters Township (67-34), Seton-La Salle (63-28), and Deer Lakes (53-22). Last season, Hampton went 15-6 and were the lone Section 2-5A champions. The Lady Talbots were the 3-seed in the WPIAL playoffs but lost to Latrobe 53-48 in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals at home. Hampton will come back to 2022 with unfinished business and big expectations from last year.

Hampton has handled big expectations for decades, making the WPIAL playoffs every year from 1993-2018. The Lady Talbots had two rebuilding years where they missed the playoffs before last season. Hampton had an 11-32 combined record in those two seasons. Although the WPIAL has very tough competition in 5A, Hampton’s goals at a WPIAL Championship are achievable as they ranked #5 in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s rankings. In their most recent game, Hampton fell at home to Armstrong 41-29. Although having their first loss after an 8-0 start can be a challenging moment, the Lady Talbots are no stranger to overcoming adversity. In 2008, Hampton started 1-2 but won their next 25 games with their two superstars of Laurel Hansen and Jodi Luther. They defeated West Mifflin in a four-point victory at the WPIAL Championship but fell to eventual State Finalist, Mercyhurst Prep in overtime during the First Round of the PIAA 3A playoffs. Hampton finished that season 14-0 in conference play and 26-3 overall.

Although having the same success that 2008 Hampton had is a big task, this year’s Lady Talbots have the talent to get to that point. Hampton has four of their starters returning and a strong group of girls coming off the bench. Kayla Hoehler, Sophia Kelly, Meghan Murray, and Claire Rodgers were among the top scorers in Hampton’s last few games. The Lady Talbots hope to continue their success into the 2022 new year.