On Friday night, the Hopkinsville Tigers faced off against the Castle Knights in the Banterra Bank Warrior Showcase. Despite strong long-range shooting from Bubba Leavell, the Tigers ultimately fell to the Knights with a final score of 78-62.
Leavell, who hit six of eight attempts from deep, led the Tigers in scoring 26 points. He contributed three triples and 11 points in the first quarter alone. However, the Knights’ Weston Aigner also had a strong start with eight points, giving Castle an 18-17 lead after the first quarter.
The Tigers fought back in the second quarter, utilizing a balanced effort to outscore Castle 16-13 and take a 33-31 lead heading into halftime. But the Knights came out strong in the second half, posting 27 points in the third quarter thanks to nine points from Aigner. Antonio Williams had seven points for the Tigers, but they found themselves trailing by 14 heading into the final quarter.
Leavell continued to push for a Hoptown comeback in the fourth quarter, hitting three more three-pointers for 11 points. But the Knights’ defense proved too much for the Tigers to overcome. Aigner added seven more points to his total, finishing with a game-high 30 points, and helping the Castle close the game with a win.
With this loss, Hopkinsville dropped to a 5-11 overall record. The Tigers will have one more game in Indiana on Saturday before heading to Madisonville-North Hopkins on Monday. Despite the defeat, the Tigers will look to bounce back and come out with a win in their next game.
