Hopkinsville’s boys basketball team went into their game against Hopkins County Central on Tuesday night having won their last three games, and the Storm had won their last two. It was the Tigers who were able to extend their streak, and they did so in a close 80-76 victory.
The two teams started trading threes to begin the first quarter, as Central’s Blaze Sumner and Hopkinsville’s Jayven Battle both made shots from beyond the arc. The game stayed tied at nine, but the Storm were able to go on a run and take an 18-11 lead.
The Tigers got back some of those points, but Channing Stone was able to make a three and keep Central up 22-15 going into the second.
Stone picked up right where he left off, as he was able to get an and-one to start the next period. Hopkinsville was able to whittle down the lead and cut it to just one with a Jonovan Leavell three, but Central’s Peyton Smith was able to answer right back with a long bomb of his own.
The game was then eventually tied at 37 points apiece, but the Storm’s Samari Pettus was able to make a pull-up mid-range in the final seconds to put his team up 39-37 going into the half.
The Tigers came out of the break with a very fast 5-0 run, but Central made a couple of quick buckets to shut that down before it got too bad for them.
The third quarter was very back and forth, and saw Devante Jagoe scoring eight for the Storm, and Jayon Bass scoring 10 for the Tigers. His scoring led the Tigers to win the back-and-forth by just a bit and go into the final quarter with a two-point lead.
Central was able to take a 71-68 lead going into a timeout with just over five minutes left in the fourth, but that is when the Tigers turned it on. They went on a 6-0 run to take the lead and force a timeout, which extended to 10-0.
A couple of free throws and a three-pointer from Central’s Davonyae Butcher cut the lead to two with just 26 seconds left, but Hopkinsville was able to make their free throws and secure the 80-76 victory.
This is now the 11th straight time the Tigers have beaten Hopkins Central, as the last time the Storm won the matchup was in January of 2009.
The leading scorer in the game for Hopkinsville was Bass with 23, with 20 of those coming in the second half. Leavell finished the game with 19, and James Bradley Jr., TaShaun Quarles, and Battle were also able to get into double-digits.
As for the Storm, Davonyae Butcher was able to have a monster game with 28, and he was able to do so with four made shots from beyond the arc. Stone and Pettus were also able to contribute 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Hopkins Central will be looking to bounce back in their next game against the Maroons of Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday, January 20. Their game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Madisonville-North Hopkins High School.
On the flip side, the Tigers will be searching for their fifth straight win on Thursday, January 15, against the University Heights Academy Blazers. That game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Hopkinsville High School.
