A big second quarter for McLean County turned out to be the difference Thursday night. The Lady Cougars broke open a tight game in the second and then held off the Hopkinsville Lady Tigers for a 56-45 win in Tiger Gym.
Both teams struggled to get their offense going in the opening quarter, as the two teams battled to a 9-9 tie after the first eight minutes. Kenadi Level kept McLean County in the game early, scoring all nine first-quarter points for the Lady Cougars.
While Level did not score for McLean County in the second quarter, seven of her teammates did. That combined with the Lady Cougar defense limiting Hoptown to just ten points in the quarter would send McLean into the locker room with a 28-19 lead at the half.
The two teams played close to even in the third quarter, as the Lady Cougars inched the margin to 40-30 heading into the fourth. Hopkinsville used long-range shooting to stay within range as the Lady Tigers knocked down three shots from behind the arc in the quarter.
Hopkinsville and McLean County played close again in the fourth quarter, but the problem for the Lady Tigers was they needed to make a run and chew into the lead to have a chance to pull out a late-game rally. The Lady Cougars were able to do what they needed to hold on for the 11-point win.
Hopkinsville was led by Kahtahvia Fleming with 14 points. MaKaya Payton added 13 for the Lady Tigers.
Kenadi Level and Breanna Frailey paced the effort for McLean County with 11 points each.
Hopkinsville drops to 6-12 on the season. They are right back to action Friday night as they host the UHA Lady Blazers.
MCHS – 09 19 12 16 — 56
HHS – 09 10 11 15 — 45
McLean County – Level 11, Frailley 11, Rice 8, S. Miller 7, Larkin 6, A.Miller 6, McCoy 3, Lannum 2, Schutte 2
Hopkinsville – Fleming 14, Payton 13, Sharber 6, Earthman 6, McGee 3, Moore 2, Murray 1
