For a while Saturday afternoon it looked as if the Price might be just right for the Butler County Bears. But in the end, it was the Hopkinsville Tigers winning the ‘showcase’ as they held off Ty Price and the Bears for a 71-66 win in the second game of the day in the Akridge Ace Jam at Lyon County High School.
Bubba Leavell hit 6 of 8 from the free throw line in the waning moments of the game to secure the win for the Tigers as they fought off a late-game charge from the Bears that saw Hopkinsville’s lead cut from 8 all the way down to one in the final quarter.
Butler County’s Ty Price came into the game as one of the state’s top scorers and those in attendance Saturday afternoon got to see why. Price scored 22 points in the first half and finished the game with 35. He might have had even more but got hit in the nose on a shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter and did not return until half the final quarter was gone.
From the beginning, it looked as if the game might come down to the final horn as the two teams battled back and forth. The game was tied nine times in the first half with seven lead changes, most of those coming in the second quarter. Hopkinsville led 18-17 after one and the game was tied at 38-38 at the break.
After one more tie and two more lead changes to start the second half, Hopkinsville took the lead for good at 43-42. After leading by as many as seven, the Tigers would lead 56-51 heading into the final quarter. The inside play of Antonio Williams and Isaiah Manning was a key part of the Tigers being able to get to the front and stay there.
The Hopkinsville lead would grow to as much as 8 points in the final quarter at 61-53. Price and his inside counterpart Lawson Rice brought the Bears to as close as 65-64, but Leavell stepped up to the free throw line and kept Butler County from getting back to the lead. The Tigers would then get key defensive plays from Isaiah Manning and Antonio Williams to seal the win.
KeiMarion Smith was Hoptown’s leading scorer with 19 points, seventeen of them coming in the first half. Bubba Leavell added 17. Antonio Williams finished with 11, while Jacob Gavin also hit double figures with 10.
In addition to Ty Price’s 35, Butler County got 15 from Lawson Rice and 12 from Justin Castlen.
The Tigers improve to 11-15 and will return to action next Thursday against Greenwood in their final home game of the season.
HHS – 18 20 18 15 — 71
BCHS – 17 21 13 15 — 66
Hopkinsville – Smith 19, Leavell 17, Williams 11, Gavin 10, Manning 8, Northington 4, Johnson 2
Butler County – Price 35, Rice 15, Castlen 12, Deweese 2, Grubb 2
