The Hopkinsville Tigers turned a 2-point halftime advantage into a 21-point cushion with a huge third quarter, going on to beat visiting DuPont Manual 75-53 Friday night at Tiger Gym. The Tigers bounce back from a loss at Graves County to win their fifth in six tries and improve to 13-9 overall. The Crimsons slip to 8-13, and will be back on the court across town on Saturday afternoon for a match-up with the Christian County Colonels.
The Tigers got off to a good start, taking a 14-5 lead on a Reece Jesse putback with 3:52 left in the opening quarter. But the Crimsons would close the quarter on an 8-2 run to trim the lead to 3.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter, combining for only 19 points. James Nicholas gave the Tigers a 4-point edge with a layup with 10 seconds left in the half, but the Crimsons beat the buzzer with a lay-in for a 25-23 Hoptown lead at the break.
The Tigers clamped down defensively after halftime, while also posting 30 points in the third quarter. Don Victor scored 8, Jamarion Sharp had 6, and DeEvan Williams and Jacarius Burks each had 7. Hoptown opened up a 20-point advantage after a 3-point play by Burks with :23 left in the third, and the Tigers took a 55-34 lead into the fourth.
Burks kept up the attack over the final 8 minutes, scoring 6 points, including dunks on back-to-back possessions early in the quarter. The lead reached 30 after a Nicholas bucket with 4:12 to play, and the Tigers cruised in from there for a 22-point win.
Williams led the Tigers with 16 points, followed by 15 for Burks, and 13 for Victor. Sharp finished with 9 blocked shots to go with his 11 points.
Eli Roberts was the only DuPont Manual player in double figures with 11, while Andrew Schaff added 8.
