Basketball Recap: Nai Thomas' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Hunter-Kinard-Tyler over Calhoun County

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler easily dispatched Wagener-Salley last Tuesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Trojans fell just short of the Calhoun County Saints by a score of 51-49 on Friday. It was the first time this season that the Trojans let down their fans at home.

Nai Thomas

Steals

01/31/25 vs Calhoun County	4
01/28/25 vs Wagener-Salley	2
01/25/25 vs North	4
01/24/25 @ Horse Creek Academy	3
01/17/25 vs Blackville-Hilda	4
+ 6 more games

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nai Thomas, who posted eight points and four steals. Thomas has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 11 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Amen Darby, who earned ten points and eight boards.

It was another big night for Jayden Wallace, who scored 25 points for Calhoun County. That's the most points Wallace has posted since back in February of 2024. A'Darion Sumter was another key player, putting up seven points.

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 11-7. As for Calhoun County, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season.

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has already played their next game, a 60-32 win against Williston-Elko on the 4th. As for Calhoun County, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 60-57 defeat against Blackville-Hilda on the 4th.