Madisonville-North Hopkins has seized the lead in the boys 7th District race after defeating Caldwell County 85-68 on Tuesday.
The Tigers tried to hang tough with the taller and longer Maroons early on. A three-point play by Derrin Boyd had Caldwell within 29-25 midway through the second quarter.
But Madisonville (11-5 overall, 3-0 district) countered with an 11-1 run and went on to build a 44-32 lead at halftime.
Caldwell (10-5, 1-1) could not make a run in the second half. Instead, Madisonville pushed its lead to 24 points, 65-41, during the third quarter.
The Maroons carried a 68-51 lead to the final frame. Caldwell got only as close as 14 points early in the fourth period but couldn’t put a late scare into the host team.
Cade Cunningham had 21 points to lead Madisonville while Ksuan Casey added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kenny White scored 16 points and Keyshawn Stone had 12 points for the Maroons.
Derrin Boyd led all scorers with 26 points for the Tigers. John Davis added 10 while Cayden Fraliex and Tripp Branch each scored nine points.
The Tigers and Maroon will hook up again in Princeton on Friday, Feb. 1.
Caldwell has another big date coming up on Thursday. The Tigers will travel to Webster County as part of a girls and boys doubleheader in the Kentucky 2A Championships. The winner advances to the semifinals of the Section I Tournament and will be just one victory away from advancing to the inaugural 2A state tournament in Owensboro.