The Hopkinsville Tigers and the Madisonville-North Hopkins Maroons were in two very different places heading into their Saturday evening matchup against one another. Hopkinsville had won back-to-back, while Madisonville had lost three straight games.
And those trends would continue for both teams, as the Tigers took full advantage of their home floor, winning 85-56.
Both teams started the game fairly slowly, with the score tied at 4 points apiece halfway through the first quarter. The tie was broken by a three-pointer from Hopkinsville’s Jayven Battle, but Madisonville’s Lake Sumner answered right back.
There was a bit more of back and forth, but a Hopkinsville 5-0 run helped them take a 17-12 lead going into the second.
The Tigers were able to keep that going with an 8-0 run to start the next period, which caused a Madisonville timeout just a minute in. The next score from either team didn’t come until three minutes in, when Sumner made another three.
The Maroons were able to cut the lead to six with just two left to play, but a couple of layups from Jonovan Leavell and a Battle three gave the Tigers a 37-24 lead going into the half.
Hopkinsville started out another quarter hot with a 12-2 run to begin the third, and Madisonville eventually called a timeout down 19 with two minutes on the clock after some more buckets by Hopkinsville.
The Maroons came out of the timeout with an and-one from Jeremiah Lewis and a three from Orion Underwood, but the Tigers were able to keep their lead at 18 going into the final quarter.
Hopkinsville could have taken it easy in the fourth, but they were once again able to outscore Madisonville 25-14. This was the nail in the coffin, and the Tigers were able to finish off the Maroons 85-56.
This snapped a three-game losing streak for Hopkinsville against Madisonville-North Hopkins, as the last win the Tigers had against the Maroons was back in March of 2023.
The leading scorer for Hopkinsville in the game was Jayon Bass with 20 points, and he did so by consistently getting to the rim. Leavell was also able to score 17, TaShaun Quarles had 15, and James Bradley Jr. finished with 12.
As for the Maroons, they were led by Sumner, who finished the game with 18 points and three made shots from beyond the arc. Deacon Dever was also able to contribute eight of his own, all of which came in the first half.
Madisonville will look to snap its losing streak in its next game, against Ohio County on the road on Tuesday, January 13. That game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
On the flip side, the Tigers will be searching for their fourth win in a row on Tuesday against the Storm of Hopkins County Central. Their game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. at Hopkinsville High School.
