Trailing by double digits early in the second half at University Heights Tuesday night, the Hopkinsville Tigers were in danger of losing their first 8th District game of the season. It was a situation that would require the Tigers to look deep inside to find a way to rally in a tough road environment.
Or more specifically, it would require the Tigers to look down deep inside the paint to pull out the win. Led by the inside trio of Olajuwon White, K.C. Cabiness, and Antonio Williams, Hoptown rallied and came away with a heart-stopping 61-58 win over the UHA Blazers in Blazer Gym in front of a loud packed house.
The trio of White, Cabiness, and Williams combined to score 24 points in the second half as Hopkinsville came back after trailing 37-26 in the opening moments of the second half.
As Hopkinsville was making the move to get back into the game, the Blazers seemed to lose a bit of their shooting eye, momentum, and swagger that had carried them to the lead in the second quarter. After a tight first quarter, the Blazers used a 15-0 run to turn a 22-18 deficit into a 33-22 lead late in the first half. UHA would take a 33-26 lead into the break.
Lemar Northington nearly fended off the Hopkinsville rally by himself. The Blazer junior made big play after big play on both ends of the court, including knocking down four 3-pointers. His shot from 25-feet late in the game put UHA up 54-52. Still, the upset was not to be on this night.
Trailing 56-53, the Tigers scored seven quick points to take a 60-56 lead in the waning moments. Hopkinsville would leave the door cracked open by missing some late free throws, but the Blazers made some crucial late-game mistakes and missed some good looks at the basket as Hopkinsville escaped Blazer Gym with the win.
Antonio Williams, Olajuwon White, K.C. Cabiness, and Bubba Leavell all finished with 12 points each. It was the play of White in the third quarter that ignited the comeback for the Tigers, as there was a stretch of time in the third where UHA simply had no answer for the big man down inside the paint.
UHA’s Lemar Northington led all scorers in the game with 19 points. Preston Thomas added 9, while Trevonne Wallace scored eight.
Hopkinsville improves to 16-4 overall and 5-0 in district play. The Tigers now get ready for arguably the biggest regular-season game in the 2nd Region this season as they travel to Eddyville Friday night to take on Lyon County.
UHA falls to 8-12 overall and 1-3 in the 8th District. The Blazers have another big home contest Friday night when they host Madisonville-North Hopkins.
HHS — 15 11 18 17 – 61
UHA — 12 21 12 13 – 58
Hopkinsville (16-4) – White 12, Cabiness 12, Williams 12, Leavell 12, Smith 8, Mercer 2, Green 2, Dowlen 1
UHA (8-12) – Northington 19, Thomas 9, Wallace 8, Quarles 7, C. Brown 5, Walton 5, Grubbs 3, J. Brown 2
