For anyone who wondered just how much of a difference the return of Shorty Cager to the lineup would make for the Hopkinsville Tigers, they have just gotten the first glimpses Monday night. After getting off to a little bit of a slow start in the first quarter, the Tigers roared back and left the Ohio County Eagles in their wake, cruising to an 84-43 win.
The Eagles put up a battle early in the contest. In fact, Ohio County led Hopkinsville 18-16 after the first quarter. Then, the Hopkinsville Tigers began to scarily look like the team everyone thought they could be before the season got underway.
Over the middle two quarters of the game, Hopkinsville then outscored Ohio County 53-14, and it was game, set, and match at that point. With the clock running continuously in the 4th quarter, the Tigers still outscored the Eagles 15-11 to close out the game.
Cager was more than impressive in his return, coming up with 15 points and 9 assists, in less than 17 minutes of playing time. Jalen Johnson led the way with 20 points, in less than ten minutes of game action. James Nicholas added 14 points, while Don Victor chipped in with 12.
The win improves the Tigers record to 7-10 on the season. They are set to return to action Tuesday night at home against Graves County.
