Playing in only its fourth game of the season and doing so without second-leading scorer and rebounder Jamarcus Burks, the Hopkinsville boys’ basketball team saw a fourth-quarter rally fall short in a 55-51 loss to visiting Webster County on Tuesday night.
The Trojans took an early 5-point edge after a 3-point play by Ryan Roland, but Hoptown was back within 3 when Alijah Watts scored down low with two minutes left in the first quarter. Holden Raley drilled a 3-pointer to put Webster up 17-11 and they led by 5 after one.
Destin Allen scored 5 of his 8 second-quarter points to give the Trojans an 8-point cushion, but Watts connected on a 3-pointer to trim the margin to 4 with five minutes left in the half. Isaiah Manning scored on a putback for the Tigers’ last points before the break, and they trailed 32-25 at halftime.
The Tigers’ Arthur McKnight got hot out of the locker room with 7 points, including a 3-pointer to close to 39-37, but Webster still led by 4 after three quarters.
Down by 6 with three minutes to play, the Tigers turned up the defensive pressure and began to turn the Trojans over. McKnight connected on another 3-pointer and Manning followed with a jumper in the lane to give the Tigers their first lead since the opening minutes of the game at 48-47 with 1:48 left. However, the Trojans ended the game on an 8-3 spurt to secure the win.
The Tigers aren’t scheduled to play again until they travel to Dawson Springs on Saturday. The Trojans will look at add to a four-game winning streak when they visit Caldwell County on Thursday.
Webster County 17 15 9 14 — 55
Hopkinsville 12 13 14 12 — 51
Webster County (8-2) — Allen 15, Roland 14, Raley 11, McNaughton 11, Nelson 4
Hopkinsville (2-2) — Watts 15, McKnight 12, Cabiness 7, Mercer 6, Manning 6, Jesse 5
