By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
MORTONS GAP -- Pitted against the top squad in Region 2, the Hopkins County Central boys basketball team fell behind early, but appeared to have its second-half magic going once again until Henderson County utilized a fourth-quarter run for an eventual 83-66 win.
The Storm (18-8) trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, but rallied within three just inside the fourth quarter before losing the touch that put them back in the game against the Colonels (20-5).
Central chipped away at Henderson's advantage slowly, yet surely by trading four or five Storm points at a time for just two or three from the Colonels in the first eight and one-half minutes of play in the second half.
The method paid off as the third quarter progressed and Central found its way back into the game.
Helping the Storm rally back was an aggressive attack on both offense and defense. Forward Nikee Caldwell took a charge in the lane and the change in possession led to a Jones tip-in on the opposite side of the floor, cutting the Henderson lead to 48-41 with 4:41 left in the third.
On the ensuing Colonels' possession, Corey Coble stepped in front of a pass for a steal and ran the other way before finding an open Je'Vonte Hughes, who used the glass for a layup.
Central's Chuck Jones, a 6-9 post player, spearheaded the comeback attempt though with his powerful play inside. Jones, a senior, recorded 10 points in the third quarter alone en route to a game-high 25.
The Storm (18-8) trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, but rallied within three just inside the fourth quarter before losing the touch that put them back in the game against the Colonels (20-5).
Central chipped away at Henderson's advantage slowly, yet surely by trading four or five Storm points at a time for just two or three from the Colonels in the first eight and one-half minutes of play in the second half.
The method paid off as the third quarter progressed and Central found its way back into the game.
Helping the Storm rally back was an aggressive attack on both offense and defense. Forward Nikee Caldwell took a charge in the lane and the change in possession led to a Jones tip-in on the opposite side of the floor, cutting the Henderson lead to 48-41 with 4:41 left in the third.
On the ensuing Colonels' possession, Corey Coble stepped in front of a pass for a steal and ran the other way before finding an open Je'Vonte Hughes, who used the glass for a layup.
Central's Chuck Jones, a 6-9 post player, spearheaded the comeback attempt though with his powerful play inside. Jones, a senior, recorded 10 points in the third quarter alone en route to a game-high 25.
With 1:53 remaining in the third quarter, Jones pulled down a board on a missed Hughes three-point attempt and went strong to the bucket for two points. The basket brought the Storm within four points.
Jones continued to inch Central even closer to tying the game with another hard-earned score just inside the start of the fourth quarter at the 7:26 mark. After two consecutive Storm misses, Jones grabbed the rebound and drew contact for a three-point play opportunity. Jones sank the free throw to make it a 58-55 game, but unfortunately for Central the team did not come any closer.
Just a couple minutes later, Central's aggressive play on defense resulted in back-to-back Henderson trips to the line as the Storm attempted to create a pair of blocked shots. After the free throws, the Colonels led 62-55.
Henderson's lead hovered between six and 10 points for the next few minutes, but then the visiting squad put even more distance between its opposition. Brock Stone hit a pair of free throws with 2:42 to go for a 12-point advantage and the deficit never got any smaller for Central.
In the first quarter, Henderson quickly manufactured a sizable lead by charging ahead 21-9. Colonel standout Kevontae Hairlson paced the team with 19 points on the evening. Nine of Hairlson's points came on three three-point shots in the first five minutes.
During the second quarter, Central employed a 6-0 run as halftime neared to cut Henderson's lead to 10.
For the Storm, Hughes and Caldwell joined Jones in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively while Henderson boasted five players with 10 or more points.
HCHS (20-5) 21 17 18 27 - 83
HCCHS (18-8) 12 15 25 14 - 66
HCHS: Kevontae Hairlson 19, Cole Childress 16, Brock Stone 14, DJ Holmes 11, Adam Revelett 10, Taylor Young 8, Ryan Haile 2, Patrick Neel 1
HCCHS: Chuck Jones 25, Je'Vonte Hughes 11, Nikee Caldwell 10, Dan Croft 8, Josh Riley 6, Cameron Tabor 4, Corey Coble 2
Jones continued to inch Central even closer to tying the game with another hard-earned score just inside the start of the fourth quarter at the 7:26 mark. After two consecutive Storm misses, Jones grabbed the rebound and drew contact for a three-point play opportunity. Jones sank the free throw to make it a 58-55 game, but unfortunately for Central the team did not come any closer.
Just a couple minutes later, Central's aggressive play on defense resulted in back-to-back Henderson trips to the line as the Storm attempted to create a pair of blocked shots. After the free throws, the Colonels led 62-55.
Henderson's lead hovered between six and 10 points for the next few minutes, but then the visiting squad put even more distance between its opposition. Brock Stone hit a pair of free throws with 2:42 to go for a 12-point advantage and the deficit never got any smaller for Central.
In the first quarter, Henderson quickly manufactured a sizable lead by charging ahead 21-9. Colonel standout Kevontae Hairlson paced the team with 19 points on the evening. Nine of Hairlson's points came on three three-point shots in the first five minutes.
During the second quarter, Central employed a 6-0 run as halftime neared to cut Henderson's lead to 10.
For the Storm, Hughes and Caldwell joined Jones in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively while Henderson boasted five players with 10 or more points.
HCHS (20-5) 21 17 18 27 - 83
HCCHS (18-8) 12 15 25 14 - 66
HCHS: Kevontae Hairlson 19, Cole Childress 16, Brock Stone 14, DJ Holmes 11, Adam Revelett 10, Taylor Young 8, Ryan Haile 2, Patrick Neel 1
HCCHS: Chuck Jones 25, Je'Vonte Hughes 11, Nikee Caldwell 10, Dan Croft 8, Josh Riley 6, Cameron Tabor 4, Corey Coble 2
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