WILLIAMSBURG — Whitley County junior Maddy Hopkins turned in one of her best efforts as a Lady Colonel on Tuesday, scoring a game-high 33 points to lead her team past Pineville with a 55-40 decision.
Hopkins knocked down 13-of-16 free throw attempts while hitting two 3-pointers, and finishing with nine rebounds. Jonna Rice and Lydia Hale each scored six points apiece while Jaylee Cox added five points. Aubrey Fore finished with three points while Cristin Siler had two points.
“Our girls battled hard tonight,” Whitley County coach Ronnie Collier said. “I thought we did a pretty good job for most of the game guarding (Rachel) Howard. She’s a really good player. Maddy was awesome tonight offensively. She scored the ball at every level. She also had nine rebounds. Jonna is the most underrated player in the region. She controls our offense, plays great defense, and rebounds the basketball.
“I thought Jaylee Cox and Cristin Siler had great games tonight defensively,” he added. “Lydia Hale and Aubrey Fore were really solid against pressure tonight, and both hit big 3s in the third quarter to extend our lead. We will get back in the gym tomorrow and start preparing for a really good Pulaski team that we’ll play on Monday. Go Colonels.”
Hopkins scored eight points in the first quarter as Whitley County built a slim 12-11 edge. She exploded for 14 points to help the Lady Colonels take a 28-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Whitley County knocked down four 3-pointers in the third frame, outscoring the Lady Mountain Lions, 21-10, to pull away.
Rachel Howard led Pineville with 14 points while Madison Johnson scored 12 points.
The Lady Colonels will be back in action Monday on the road against Pulaski County while the Lady Mountain Lions host Perry Central on Friday.
