The Hopkinsville Tigers overcame a slow start to rout Heritage Christian Academy 91-41 Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Boys’ District 8 Basketball Tournament at Tiger Gym.
HCA came out of the gate strong, jumping to a 10-2 lead as the Hopkinsville fans were left a little nervous.
But things settled down quickly for the home team as Hoptown went on a 13-2 run to take a 13-12 lead after one quarter.
The Warriors took their final lead of the game at 15-13 on a 3-pointer by Nathan Wheatcraft early in the second quarter.
The Tigers answered with a 20-0 run that saw them take a 33-15 advantage halfway through the second quarter. In addition, the Warriors’ star guard Jason Leek picked up his second foul with more than half of the second quarter remaining.
Leek, who leads the state in scoring at 35.2 points per game, was hounded by Hopkinsville defenders all game and managed only 10 points. It was his lowest output of the season.
The Tigers led 41-21 at halftime and another big run in the third quarter pushed the advantage to 73-32 after three quarters.
Hoptown coach Anthony Babb began playing his substitutes early in the fourth quarter as the running clock was in effect.
Hoptown had three players in double figures led by Jonovan Leavell’s 23 points. James Bradley Jr. had 18 points and Curtis Dillard added 11.
The Tigers improved to 15-14 on the season while the Warriors saw their season end at 11-18.
Hopkinsville advances to the District 8 Tournament championship game to face Christian County at 6 p.m. Friday night in Tiger Gym.
Hoptown and Christian County split their regular season matchups this year with the Colonels winning 73-69 in Tiger Gym in January and the Tigers winning the second game 52-41 two weeks later at Lyle Dunbar Gym.
Airtime for Friday’s game is 5:45 p.m. with the Tigers’ edition airing on Newsradio 99.3 FM and 1230 AM WHOP while the Colonels’ edition will be on 95.3 The Farm.
Score by Quarters:
Heritage Christian Academy 12 9 11 10 – 41
Hopkinsville 13 28 32 18 – 91
Individual Scoring:
HCA (11-18) – Miles 2, Leek 10, Travis 2, Wheatcraft 5, Thompson 8, Hensley 2, Kirkman 6, Morgan 6.
Hopkinsville (15-14) – Hart 5, Bradley 18, Fleming 3, Bass 2, Dillard 11, Giltner 9, Lindsey 8, Bolinger 2, Burse 3, Moses 7, Leavell 23.
3-Point Goals:
HCA – Wheatcraft, Morgan 2; HHS – Hart, Fleming, Dillard 3, Lindsey, Leavell 2.
Photos by Peyton Biaquis