Basketball Game Preview: Hopkins County Central Storm vs. Dawson Springs Panthers

The Hopkins County Central Storm are taking a road trip to square off against the Dawson Springs Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Hopkins County Central has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while Dawson Springs will arrive with three straight victories.

Last Tuesday, Hopkins County Central was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 60-56 to Webster County.

Meanwhile, Dawson Springs hadn't done well against Madisonville-North Hopkins recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Dawson Springs walked away with an 80-67 win over Madisonville-North Hopkins.

Dawson Springs' win came from a few key players Hopkins County Central will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Rex Blue, who dropped a double-double on 28 points and 14 boards. The contest was his 14th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Montgomery Johnston, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 25 points in addition to six assists and five rebounds.

Dawson Springs' victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-9. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.4 points per game. As for Hopkins County Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Hopkins County Central couldn't quite finish off Dawson Springs in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 and fell 77-74. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Johnston, who went 7 for 16 en route to 35 points along with eight assists and five steals. Now that Hopkins County Central knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.