A fourth quarter rally came up just a little bit short for the Hopkinsville Tigers Thursday. After trailing by double digits entering the final quarter, the Tigers rallied but ended up falling 57-52 to Jefferson City in their first game in the Machens Great 8 Classic in Jefferson City.
The game was a battle early. Jefferson City was able to inch their way out to a 13-10 lead at the end of the opening quarter. James Nicholas got off to a good start for the Tigers scoring eight points in the opening quarter.
Jefferson City’s offense got on track in the 2nd quarter, while its defense continued to cause the Tigers some issues. Hopkinsville went into the break looking to fight its way out of a 33-21 halftime deficit.
Behind the play of Nicholas and Arthur McKnight, Hopkinsville’s offense got rolling in the 3rd quarter. But, Jefferson City was able to get enough offense of their own to keep the lead at 49-39 going into the final quarter.
Hopkinsville kept battling down the stretch, but could not quite get to the front, as Jefferson City held on for the five point win.
James Nicholas was the leading scorer for Hopkinsville with 22 points. He also had 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Don Victor added 10, while Reece Jesse had 7 points and 6 rebounds coming off the bench.
The loss drops the Tigers to 8-4 on the season.