In a match-up between two teams capable of winning the 2nd Region championship, UHA prevailed 72-65 over Hopkinsville in an 8th District semifinal on Tuesday. The Blazers have won five straight and claim their third victory of the season over the Tigers, improving to 19-7 overall. Hopkinsville’s season comes to an end with a 13-14 record, the first time since 2010/11, Coach Tim Haworth’s first season, that the Tigers fail to appear in the regional tournament.
It’s been a struggle for the Tigers to assemble their whole team this season, and that trend continued on Tuesday. Junior guard James Nicholas, the team’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, missed the game due to an injury suffered away from the court, and would not have been available had the Tigers advanced.
Hopkinsville scored on either side of a three pointer by Blazers’ freshman guard KJ Crump, before the Blazers scored 9 straight on two three pointers by junior guard Kyky Tandy and one from junior forward TaQuan Hollowell to lead 12-4. Senior guard Jalen Johnson answered with 7 points in less than a minute to pull the Tigers to within 1 at 14-13 with 2:05 left in the period. A Crump three with a minute left pushed the lead to 5, and the Blazers closed the quarter with an offensive flurry. An acrobatic Tandy layup, followed by a Crump steal and pass to Tandy for a dagger three pointer at the buzzer, gave the Blazers a 25-15 lead. Tandy nearly single-handedly matched the Tigers in the first quarter with 14 points.
Tigers’ sophomore guard Don Victor and Johnson scored to open the second quarter, cutting the lead to 6. Tandy, as he would all night, responded with a three pointer, before a Johnson and-1 again cut the lead to 6. Tandy drilled a deep three, and pulled down a rebound and scored to give the Blazers their first double-digit lead at 35-24 with 2:30 until halftime. Senior point guard Stephen Cager drew the third foul on the Blazers’ Hollowell, and converted two free throws to trim the lead to 7. The Tigers were called for two offensive fouls in the last minute, setting up an opportunity for the Blazers to stretch the lead, but their three-point attempt missed and they led 35-28 at the break.
Tandy poured in 22 first-half points to lead the Blazers, followed by Crump with 6, and Hollowell with 5. Johnson paced the Tigers with 16, with Cager and Victor adding 6 each.
The teams traded baskets for the first two minutes of the second half, before a three pointer by freshman guard Alijah Watts and a bucket from Cager cut the Blazer lead to 4. Cager rebounded and scored of a free-throw miss by junior center Jamarion Sharp, and Watts drilled another three to pull the Tigers to 43-42 with 2:49 to play in the third. Sharp had three straight blocked shots to build momentum for Hoptown, but once again Tandy popped up the drain a three pointer and push the lead back to 5 at 47-42. The Tigers weren’t going away, and with :40 left Johnson hit a three to tie the game, the closest they had been since the opening moments of the game. Blazers’ senior forward Malik Lovan hit two free throws, and Hopkinsville called a timeout with the ball and :7.6 on the clock. Cager would deliver, scoring and drawing a foul for a three-point play to give the Tigers their first lead since 2-0 at 50-49. Hoptown seemed to be heading for the fourth quarter with the lead and a head of steam, but Blazers’ junior guard Drew McGowan had other ideas, banking in a three at the buzzer to regain the lead at 52-50.
McGowan kept the hot hand, hitting another three and one of two free throws for a 6-point Blazer lead with 6:44 to play. Cager scored at the rim, but Tandy delivered again, splashing the last of his eight three pointers to put the Blazers up 7. Cager scored with 2:50 left, followed by two free throws from Victor, and the Tigers were within a basket at 63-61. Holloway connected on a jumper, and Lovan hit one of two free throws with :56.6 to go, building the lead to 5. Hoptown turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, leading to a McGowan layup off a pass from Tandy, and the Blazers looked to be in control. However, the Tigers were conceding nothing, and after two Johnson free throws it was a one-possession game at 68-65. Hopkinsville were forced to foul, and Tandy kept his nerve and hit both free throws. Cager drove and had his layup roll off, and the Tigers lost the rebound out of bounds with :7.5, effectively ending the game. Tandy went for the exclamation point, drawing a foul on a dunk attempt in traffic, and his two free throws sealed the game at 72-65.
Tandy finished with 32 for the Blazers to lead all scorers, joined in double figures by McGowan with 15, and Hollowell with 11. Crump scored 8, and Lovan rounded out the scoring with 6. Johnson’s 26 led the Tigers, with Cager scoring 21. Victor finished with 8, Watts had 6, and Sharp chipped in 4.
The Blazers set up a district championship game against Christian County on Thursday at Colonel Gym. The Colonels took both regular season meetings, winning by 9 and 10 in two games played within a week of each other in early February. UHA will be seeking its first 8th District championship since the 2010-11 season, and the first for Coach Grant Shouse.