The 100th meeting ever between Hopkinsville and Caldwell County was a memorable one.
Hoptown built a 21-point third-quarter lead in the battle of the Tigers Tuesday night, but had to withstand a late Caldwell rally to claim an 80-77 victory at Hoptown High School’s Tiger Gym.
It was Hopkinsville’s 18th straight win over Caldwell, with Hoptown leading the all-time series 74-26.
But it was a school-record scoring performance on the Caldwell side that most of the gym was talking about afterward.
Caldwell senior Jabrion Spikes poured in 59 points in the contest — breaking his own school record of 51 set earlier this season in a win at Dawson Springs.
Spikes almost single-handedly willed his squad back into the game in the second half.
Spikes scored 37 of his points after the break, including 22 in the final period.
Spikes was 23 of 39 from the field but just 9 of 17 from the free throw line in the contest. He also finished the night with 14 rebounds.
However, Spikes proved he was merely human when he was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 27 seconds to play and Caldwell down 80-77. No doubt gassed from his offensive effort, Spikes failed to convert any of the free throws, missing a chance to top 60 points on the night.
Caldwell also missed two 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds that would have tied the contest.
Hopkinsville (18-6) used a more-balanced approach in the victory, with four players scoring in double figures.
KC Cabiness had 19 points, Bubba Leavell 15, Olajuwon White 11 and Isaiah Manning 10.
Down 17-12 in the first quarter, Hoptown came back to lead 18-17 after 8 minutes.
Hopkinsville took a 44-31 lead to halftime, then threatened to blow the game open in the third quarter.
Hoptown led 69-50 through three quarters, but Caldwell slowly crept back into the contest behind Spikes’ offensive outburst.
Spikes set the school mark with a dunk with 1:58 to play, giving him 52 points and cutting Hopkinsville’s lead to 76-70.
Caldwell (17-10) got as close as 79-77 on a drive to the basket by Spikes with 46 seconds left. That bucket proved to be his final points of the night, though as Hoptown held on.
Caldwell has not beaten Hopkinsville since January of 2008.
Hopkinsville is scheduled to finish the regular season on Thursday when it hosts Muhlenberg County.
Caldwell plays its final regular-season tilt on Friday when it entertains Crittenden County.
Caldwell County 17 14 19 27—77
Hopkinsville 18 26 25 11—80
Caldwell County (17-10) — Spikes 59, Whittington 9, Riley 5, Thompson 3, Joyner 1.
Hopkinsville (18-6) — Cabiness 19, Leavell 15, White 11, Manning 10, Johnson 7, Mercer 4, Smith 2, Dowlen 2.
