The rain isn’t supposed to get here until later today, but for the Hopkinsville Lady Tigers, the storm started Monday night and Hopkins County Central rained on their Region 2 tournament stay.
The Lady Storm ended Hoptown’s season with a 79-54 victory on Monday night at Christian County High School. Hopkins Central advances to Friday night’s semifinal round to take on tournament favorite Henderson County. The Lady Colonels defeated Lyon County 77-40 in the first quarterfinal game.
Cold shooting and turnovers plagued Hopkinsville at the start as Hopkins Central jumped out to an early 15-6 advantage and led 19-10 after one quarter.
Kenzleigh Harrison and Addie Menser hit a pair of 3-pointers to push the Lady Storm’s lead to 28-14 midway through the second quarter. Hoptown’s starting point guard, Alicia Davis also picked up her third foul and went to the bench in the latter portion of the quarter, which also didn’t help the Lady Tigers’ comeback efforts.
Hopkins Central led 39-20 at halftime and then poured it on the Lady Tigers in the third quarter behind the play of Calaija Mason. Mason, a junior forward, finished the night with a game-high 25 points.
Hopkinsville (10-13) tried to stay in the game as senior guard LaShanti Wilson scored 13 of her team-high 18 points in the second half. But It wasn’t enough as Hopkins Central pushed its led to 62-36 after three quarters.
Davis was the only other player in double figures for Hoptown, as she finished with 13 points.
While the Lady Tigers’ offense struggled to make baskets, Hopkins Central was raining 3-pointers, connecting on eight long-range shots in the game.
Briniyah Dulin scored 14 points for the Lady Storm, who improved to 20-13 on the season.
Tonight’s quarterfinals begin at 6 with Christian County taking on Madisonville-North Hopkins. The F&M Bank pregame show is set for 5:45 p.m. on 95.3 The Farm. The second game at 7:30 will feature Crittenden County against Union County.
Score by Quarters:
Hopkinsville 10 10 16 18 – 54
Hopkins Co. Cent. 19 20 23 17 – 79
Individual Scoring:
HHS (10-13) – Davis 13, White 3, Wilson 18, Pizana 4, Watkins 2, Allensworth 2, Sharber 3, Love 6, Ewing 3.
HCCHS (20-13) – Liles 3, Marsh 9, Menser 9, Mason 25, Thomas 2, Hobgood 2, Cotton 3, Harrison 8, Beverly 2, Smith 2, Dulin 14.
3-Point Goals: HHS – White, Wilson; HCCHS – Liles, Marsh, Menser 2, Mason, Cotton, Harrison 2.
Photos by Joe Wilson