By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter
nbrockman@the-messnger.com
MORTONS GAP - Down one point with less than 10 seconds, the Hopkins County Central basketball team faced do or die, and they survived.
Storm forward Nikee Caldwell watched as his last-second shot circled around the cylinder on Saturday night and with its final rotation, the ball dropped through the net for a 70-69 Central (9-5) victory over Hopkinsville (6-5).
Tiger guard Dee Freeman stepped to the line with 9.9 seconds for a pair of free-throws with his squad leading by one. Central's Je'Vonte Hughes collected Freeman's second missed free-throw though to begin the game-winning play.
Hughes, falling out of bounds, passed to teammate Cameron Tabor, who pushed ahead to Caldwell as he rushed down the court.
Caldwell put the shot up with 2.7 seconds while players and fans alike waited to see the result.
"I was hoping it would go in because I missed two lay-ups earlier," Caldwell said. "I was hoping it would go in because I missed a free-throw too."
Despite his earlier misses, Caldwell said he felt comfortable taking the last shot because he wanted redemption.
Storm forward Nikee Caldwell watched as his last-second shot circled around the cylinder on Saturday night and with its final rotation, the ball dropped through the net for a 70-69 Central (9-5) victory over Hopkinsville (6-5).
Tiger guard Dee Freeman stepped to the line with 9.9 seconds for a pair of free-throws with his squad leading by one. Central's Je'Vonte Hughes collected Freeman's second missed free-throw though to begin the game-winning play.
Hughes, falling out of bounds, passed to teammate Cameron Tabor, who pushed ahead to Caldwell as he rushed down the court.
Caldwell put the shot up with 2.7 seconds while players and fans alike waited to see the result.
"I was hoping it would go in because I missed two lay-ups earlier," Caldwell said. "I was hoping it would go in because I missed a free-throw too."
Despite his earlier misses, Caldwell said he felt comfortable taking the last shot because he wanted redemption.
"Just get the ball and go, we had to get the last second shot and take whatever we could get," he said.
Central trailed by 20 points to begin the second half, but overcome improbable odds with a "never say never" attitude.
"I didn't know if it was going to go in or not, but the good Lord was good to us and allowed that ball to fall in and reward these kids for their great effort on the floor in the second half," Bell said.
Caldwell scored just eight points on the night, but made all of his buckets in the final 1:35 of the game. Before his winning heroics, Caldwell brought Central within one point on three different occasions in the game's final minutes.
The junior's performance was just one of many that allowed the Storm to pull out the comeback.
"I told them I believed in them and they knew what to do to get into the game," Bell said of his halftime motivation speech. "Everybody that played that second half gave us what we needed. These kids are fighters, they're warriors."
The Storm appeared closer to a blowout loss than a thrilling win during the first half due to poor shot selection.
Central's shooting woes hit its toughest stretch during the second quarter when the Storm scored five points and made just one field goal.
"We really couldn't have played any worse in the second quarter," senior Chuck Jones said. "It was probably the worst quarter that we've played."
After struggling from three-point range, Central attempted to pass the ball into the post to 6-9 twin towers Dan Croft and Jones. That strategy did not prove any more efficient.
On three consecutive Storm possessions, a pass was made into the paint only to be deflected and converted into points on the opposite end of the floor. The final of the three steal and conversion plays put Hopkinsville ahead 36-20.
Croft, a junior, collected a rebound and raised above the defense for a stick back and Central's only field goal of the second quarter with 1:17 remaining in the half.
The Tigers took a 43-23 lead into the intermission, but the second half proved fertile grounds for a Storm comeback.
Central opened the third quarter with a 15-2 run. Hughes provided plenty of spark with his improved three-point shooting.
Known for his dribbling and penetration, Hughes said he has been working on his shot beyond the arc.
"I was in a slump and I just had to get confidence in myself," he said. "The coaches told me I was a great shooter and I believed that, so I kept shooting."
Hughes final three cut Central's deficit to five at 56-51 with five minutes remaining in the game. The junior finished with a game-high 22 points, including five three-pointers.
HHS (6-5) 22 21 9 17 - 69
HCCHS (9-5) 18 5 20 27 - 70
HHS: Raphael Catlett 20, Stephen Lovan 18, Leon Swope 13, Marshall Stewart 10, Dee Freeman 6, Javarius Bussell 2
HCCHS: Je'Vonte Hughes 22, Dan Croft 14, Chuck Jones 14, Nikee Caldwell 8, Corey Coble 8, Josh Riley 4
Central trailed by 20 points to begin the second half, but overcome improbable odds with a "never say never" attitude.
"I didn't know if it was going to go in or not, but the good Lord was good to us and allowed that ball to fall in and reward these kids for their great effort on the floor in the second half," Bell said.
Caldwell scored just eight points on the night, but made all of his buckets in the final 1:35 of the game. Before his winning heroics, Caldwell brought Central within one point on three different occasions in the game's final minutes.
The junior's performance was just one of many that allowed the Storm to pull out the comeback.
"I told them I believed in them and they knew what to do to get into the game," Bell said of his halftime motivation speech. "Everybody that played that second half gave us what we needed. These kids are fighters, they're warriors."
The Storm appeared closer to a blowout loss than a thrilling win during the first half due to poor shot selection.
Central's shooting woes hit its toughest stretch during the second quarter when the Storm scored five points and made just one field goal.
"We really couldn't have played any worse in the second quarter," senior Chuck Jones said. "It was probably the worst quarter that we've played."
After struggling from three-point range, Central attempted to pass the ball into the post to 6-9 twin towers Dan Croft and Jones. That strategy did not prove any more efficient.
On three consecutive Storm possessions, a pass was made into the paint only to be deflected and converted into points on the opposite end of the floor. The final of the three steal and conversion plays put Hopkinsville ahead 36-20.
Croft, a junior, collected a rebound and raised above the defense for a stick back and Central's only field goal of the second quarter with 1:17 remaining in the half.
The Tigers took a 43-23 lead into the intermission, but the second half proved fertile grounds for a Storm comeback.
Central opened the third quarter with a 15-2 run. Hughes provided plenty of spark with his improved three-point shooting.
Known for his dribbling and penetration, Hughes said he has been working on his shot beyond the arc.
"I was in a slump and I just had to get confidence in myself," he said. "The coaches told me I was a great shooter and I believed that, so I kept shooting."
Hughes final three cut Central's deficit to five at 56-51 with five minutes remaining in the game. The junior finished with a game-high 22 points, including five three-pointers.
HHS (6-5) 22 21 9 17 - 69
HCCHS (9-5) 18 5 20 27 - 70
HHS: Raphael Catlett 20, Stephen Lovan 18, Leon Swope 13, Marshall Stewart 10, Dee Freeman 6, Javarius Bussell 2
HCCHS: Je'Vonte Hughes 22, Dan Croft 14, Chuck Jones 14, Nikee Caldwell 8, Corey Coble 8, Josh Riley 4
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