Christian County will be hosting seven other schools Saturday at the annual Toyota of Hopkinsville Classic at Lyle Dunbar Gymnasium. The event has morphed in the past several years from a two-day event before Christmas into the current format. Three of the four Hopkinsville schools will play Saturday.
2:00 — Hopkinsville (7-8) vs. Lyon County (8-6)
This is a matchup of teams looking to find their footing in 2020. Hoptown is 3-5 in their last eight games although their last two losses were to Bardstown, featuring Louisville signee J.J. Traynor, and Madisonville. The Tigers should see their win total increase once they field their full roster at one time. Don Victor leads the Tigers at 18.6 ppg.
Lyon County has dropped three straight games and were spanked in their last two in losses to Crittenden County (73-45) and Marshall County (77-46). While Hoptown is just trying to get all of their players healthy and on the floor, the Lyons are battling through some dysfunction.
Eighth grader Travis Perry is averaging 23.4 points a game. However, the Lyons have failed to score 51 points during their three-game losing streak. A solid performance Saturday may be enough to get the Lyons back on track.
Saturday’s game is the first between the schools since a 74-42 Hoptown in in 2013.
4:00 — University Heights (6-8) vs. Clarksville Northeast (9-3)
UHA may be the most Jekyl-Hyde team in the region. Half their eight losses are by single digits, but the Blazers hammered Christian County 77-50 Tuesday.
The under-sized Blazers start four guards — all averaging double-figures in points. K.J. Crump (21.7 ppg.) and D.J. Quarles (14.7 ppg.) lead the way.
The Blazers struggle against bigger teams, but Coach Grant Shouse has not been pleased with their efforts on the boards over the past few weeks. When the Blazers rebound, they win.
Northeast already owns wins over two Kentucky schools this year. They beat Paducah Tilghman 56-37 and Caldwell County 56-39 in consecutive days at the West Kentucky Hoops Classic.
The Eagles are led by Isaiah Farrior and Fort Campbell transfer Marcus Averhart. Don’t expect this one to be a 40-39 game.
6:00 — Christian County (6-9) vs. Madison Central (6-8)
Kerry Stovall is just looking for consistency out of his Colonel squad. They have played one of the toughest schedules in the state, but the Colonel skipper feels like they should have won more games against the competition.
Christian County has battled some sickness and injuries that have kept some players off the court in recent weeks. Jalil Farrow is the only Colonel to play in all 15 games this season, and three other starters have missed multiple games.
Stephen Bussell is averaging 12.7 points a game and is coming off a 25-point game against University Heights.
Madison Central has won three of four games and like the Colonels, they have played one of the tougher schedules in the state.
The Indians are led Kole Browne’s 17 points and six rebounds a game.
8:00 — Madisonville (13-3) vs. Male (12-3)
This looks to be the best game in state Saturday featuring a pair of top-10 teams. The Maroons have lost two of their three games on last-second shots. The other was a 14-point loss to unbeaten John Hardin.
Kenny White (18.4 ppg.) and K’Suan Casey (15.9 ppg.) lead the Maroons in scoring, but Deljuan Johnson (10.3 ppg.) has been the catalyst for the Maroons in many of their wins. As a team, Madisonville is shooting 50-percent from the floor.
Male, coached by former Hopkinsville coach Tim Haworth, hasn’t lost to a Kentucky school this year and is ranked No. 1 in several polls. They beat Collins by 11 points on Dec. 23, two days after Collins beat Madisonville in overtime.
The Bulldogs are led by Tyren Moore (17.2 ppg.) who recently topped the 1,000-point mark for his career.
