COLUMBIA, Ky. – The Campbellsville Tiger Basketball team traveled Highway 55 to compete in a rivalry match-up against the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders. Campbellsville dominated from the tip and left Biggers Sports Center victorious, 70-50.
The Tigers were first to take shots and make opportunities to score. Keaston Brown ran ahead to place Campbellsville on the board first with his layup. The Tigers went for the small buckets to continue their offensive drive. The intensity of the match escalated, creating a competitive game for both teams. However, Campbellsville held the lead. Jordan Graham capitalized off an offensive rebound to put the Tigers' lead up to five. Jarius Key pushed Campbellsville further ahead with his jump shot. Tre'Shon Smoots made his mark as a Tiger, with his first points coming from deep. Smoots' shot, accompanied by a couple of buckets from Malachi De Sousa, put the Tigers' lead at double-digits. Graham grabbed five consecutive points to extend the Tigers' lead further.
At the half, Campbellsville led the Blue Raiders 43-27. The Tigers collected more than half of those points in the paint (22). Campbellsville solidified a field goal percentage of 48.6% compared to Lindsey Wilson's 37%. De Sousa led his team with 14 points and five rebounds. Graham followed closely behind with 10 points and three rebounds, while Muhammed amassed eight points and four rebounds.
Muhammad's layup was the first offensive play made by either team for the first 90 seconds of the second half. Muhammad's layup began an eight-point run with a three-pointer by Javaughn Smith and a dunk from De Sousa. The Tigers return to their rim after the Blue Raiders suffered a shot clock violation. Muhammad seized the opportunity to crash the board. Muhammad's first attempt was no good, but he collected an offensive rebound and tallied a layup. Lindsey Wilson retaliated with a collection of points, but Brown and Smoots worked together to place Campbellsville back at a 25-point lead. Lindsey Wilson reigned in their discrepancy to 16 points as four minutes remained in the competition. Campbellsville captured the Battle of Highway 55 with a 70-50-point win.
Two Tigers earned themselves career-highs in tonight's match. Muhammad was tied for the Tigers' leading scorer with 16 points (shared with De Sousa), while the other to hit the mark was Graham, who ended with 13 points in his first appearance. De Sousa totaled the highest number of rebounds with eight, while Muhammad followed with six.
Campbellsville will have their home debut this Friday, November 25th. The Tigers will host the Lou Cunningham Classic, with the first match-up to begin at 6 p.m. ET against the Virginia University of Lynchburg.
