With Christmas rapidly approaching, the Hopkinsville Tigers had their own “Nicholas” to deliver some good cheer in their match at crosstown rival Christian County Friday night. While he was not in a red suit, and his name was not “Saint”, James Nicholas had some really good presents for his teammates and Tiger fans, as he hit for 25 points, 12 of them in the first quarter, leading the Tigers to a 79-64 8th District win over the Colonels in front of a loud and packed house.
The crowd and both teams had their intensity cranked up as the game got underway. With Nicholas setting the tone, Hopkinsville went on a 12-1 run in the first quarter, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 15-5 lead less than three minutes into the game. The Tiger offense keep things running for the rest of the quarter, with the Tigers holding a 27-18 lead at the quarter’s end.
The first part of the second quarter saw more of the saw, as Hopkinsville kept the lead in double figures for most of the first five minutes of the quarter. Then, the Colonels made a big move to get back into the game. Fred Tandy and OlajuwonWhite led the charge, as the Colonels ripped off a 15-5 run, to come back from 37-24 down, to trail only 42-39 at the half.
The third quarter became the Don Victor show for the Hopkinsville Tigers. Victor scored 10 of his 12 points in the 3rd, including two 3-pointers, as Hopkinsville opened the quarter 14-5. Victor’s second three of the run gave Hopkinsville a 56-45 lead.
Christian County could then get no closer than 9 points the rest of the way. Hopkinsville would lead at the end of the third 67-54.
The Colonels tried to make one more run in the 4th quarter by aggressively attacking the basket. However, with 7-2 Jamarion Sharp patrolling the paint, that turned out to be easier said than done. Sharp had at least six blocked shots in the final quarter, and helped his team to fight off any potential comeback by Christian County.
James Nicholas was big for Hopkinsville, coming up with 25 points on the night. Don Victor and Jacarius Burks added 15 points each.
For Christian County, Fred Tandy led the way with 16 points. White chipped in with 13, while Eric Brody scored 12.
Hopkinsville improved their record to 3-1 with their third straight win.
Christian County falls to 0-2.
