Fourteen different players found the scoring column for McCracken County, which earned a decisive 78-47 high school girls’ basketball victory Tuesday at Hopkinsville. Hoptown’s Donnisha Flowers racked up game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (14) at Tiger Gym, but it was the balanced attack of the Mustangs that held more weight in McCracken’s road win.
Playing in the first game of a four-game homestand to wrap up its regular season, HHS took the contest’s first lead on a pair of offensive rebounds and a bucket by Flowers in the opening seconds. But the ‘Stangs fired back, abruptly piecing together an 11-0 run to take control for the remainder of the night.
Six-foot freshman Destiny Thomas, who came into the game averaging over 15 points per outing, was held to just three points in the opening frame. The dynamic MCHS youngster would rally, though, scoring six of her team-high 13 points in the second quarter to put Hopkinsville in a 36-17 halftime hole.
McCracken County (16-8) was also efficient from deep, drilling six 3-pointers. Claire Johnson, who also reached double digits with 12 points, accounted for a pair, both in the second period.
Caroline Sivills – the daughter of Mustangs coach Scott Sivills – went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter to add nine points, helping MCHS set the tone for a tough upcoming stretch that includes matchups against Henderson County and at Calloway County.
Flowers played virtually the entire game and remained aggressive until the final horn. She and Lakayla Samuel combined for all of Hoptown’s first-half points. The first player not named Flowers or Samuel to score for the Tigers was Jakayla Epps, who drilled a free throw at the 5:30 mark in the third.
By that point, however, McCracken had already built a 20-point lead. Samuel added six steals and also pulled down five rebounds in defeat, before fouling out with 30 seconds to go in the third period.
Epps had eight points and was one of just five Hopkinsville players to score a point.
The Lady Tigers (12-12), who are attempting to avoid their first losing season since the 2014-15 campaign, take on Webster County (Feb. 8), Todd County Central (Feb. 11) and South Warren (Feb. 20) before beginning postseason play the week of Feb. 24.
SCORE BY QUARTER
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q
MCHS (16-8) 15 21 22 20 – 78
HHS (12-12) 6 11 13 17 – 47
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
MCHS: Destiny Thomas 13, Caroline Sivills 9, Marlee Morehead 6, Ashton Rudy 3, Claire Johnson 12, Bethany Russell 4, Lacey Cruse 3, Shymiya Daye 3, Mary Beavers 4, Abby Ellington 1, Lulu Lerho 7, Jade Tinin 8, Sophie Williams 1, Mikylee Buchanan 4;
HHS: Donnisha Flowers 23, Shaterra Bellamy 2, Lakayla Samuel 9, Jakayla Epps 8, Jakiyah Hinton 5
3-POINTERS
MCHS: 6 (Johnson 2, Tinin 2, Sivills); HHS: 1 (Epps)
