Antonio Williams posted a 32-point double-double on Thursday to push the Hopkinsville Tigers past Bardstown and claim 3rd-place at the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern High School.
The Tigers bounced back in a big way from a loss to DeSales on Wednesday, leading by as many as 31 points on the way to a 97-72 victory.
Hopkinsville led by six after the first quarter and blew the game open by outscoring Bardstown 27-12 in the second. Bardstown was 4 of 7 from behind the arc in the first half, but Hoptown led 52-31 at the break and was never threatened the rest of the way.
Williams was 16/25 from the field and also hauled in 13 rebounds. Hopkinsville enjoyed a 23-8 advantage in points in the paint and won the rebounding battle 47-30.
KeMarion Smith finished with 20 for the Tigers, Bubba Leavell had 17, and Isaiah Manning scored 11 and pulled down ten rebounds. Daisjaun Mercer stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Grant Bowling led the way for Bardstown with 19 points, followed by Armen Boyadjian with 13 and eight rebounds. Donovan Jones scored 13, and Tylan Spalding had 11 points and six rebounds.
Hopkinsville heads into the New Year with some momentum ahead of a matchup with Lyon County on Monday. The Lyons topped the Tigers 87-69 in last season’s 2nd-Region title game.
Hopkinsville 25 27 19 26 — 97
Bardstown 19 12 17 24 — 72
Hopkinsville (5-7) — Williams 32, Smith 20, Leavell 17, Mercer 13, Manning 11, Gavin 4
Bardstown (4-7) — Bowling 19, Boyadjian 13, Stone 13, Spalding 11, Montgomery 9, Williams 5, McNear 2
