The Dawson Springs Panthers went into their Tuesday evening game looking for their first win of the season, while the Hopkins County Central Storm went into it in search of their second win in a row. After a matchup that got a bit chippy, it was the latter that was able to get the win 76-57
This was the Storm’s first win against the Panthers since January of 2023, as Dawson Springs had won the last four games in a row between the two teams. They will face off again on January 30, with that game being played at Hopkins Central High School.
The first quarter was very back and forth to start, but Central was able to get some stops and convert off of them to take an 18-8 lead by the end of the quarter.
Dawson Springs was able to make a small comeback at the start of the second period and make it just a three-point game. But Hopkins Central was able to build their lead back up to 29-19 at a late timeout, and they did so with some very solid play at the defensive end.
The game started becoming very physical, and that seemed to give the Panthers some fire for a few minutes. They were able to bring it back to be down just 29-25, but Central was able to extend their lead again and take a 33-26 lead into the halftime break.
The Storm came out of the gates hot in the third quarter, and Dawson called a quick timeout to prevent further scoring. But that was not before Central was able to grow their lead to 42-39. The lead stayed about the same for the rest of the quarter, as the Storm went into the fourth and final period up 59-47.
Hopkins Central kept getting their momentum from the defensive side of the ball, and they kept turning their stops into buckets. They went up 67-49 at a timeout, and they were able to keep that lead and win the game 76-57.
Samari Pettus led the Storm in scoring with 28 points, and he did so entirely in the paint. Davonyae Butcher also contributed 19 points of his own behind three made shots from beyond the arc.
As for the Panthers, Jaydon Plunkette led with 21 points, and he buried five shots from downtown over the course of the game. Cooper Burge also put up 15 points, scoring four in every quarter except the third where he scored three.
The Storm will be looking for their third win in a row on Friday, December 12, against the Madisonville-North Hopkins Maroons. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. at Hopkins County Central High School.
The Panthers will keep looking for their first win of the season in their next game against Caldwell County on Friday. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. at Dawson Springs High School.
