Owensboro Catholic defensive pressure early was too much for the E-gals, as turnovers plagued them in a 61-39 loss in the district season opener on Friday night.
The Lady Aces got off to a strong start defensively, holding Apollo scoreless until a layup from junior Jenna Dant knotted things up at 2-2 with 4:36 left in the first quarter. Owensboro Catholic’s stingy fullcourt defense eventually got its offense going as well, turning steals into buckets time and time again to take a 15-5 lead into the second.
The Lady Aces picked up right where they left off in the following quarter, opening it with a 10-0 run. Apollo was able to end the run and slow things down a little more in the second, but turnovers were still hurting them as they went into halftime trailing 28-16.
After draining a pair of threes and finishing the second with nine points, junior Hailee Johnson stayed hot in the third with another three en route to six points in the quarter. The Lady Aces hit three from beyond the arc in the third, helping them hold onto a 44-28 lead going into the fourth.
Owensboro Catholic got three more from beyond the arc in the fourth, helping them finish with eight on the night and close the door on a 61-39 win over Apollo. Head Coach Michael Robertson was pleased with the way his team played Friday night, especially coming off a six-day break in between games.
“Defensively we turned them over, offensively we struggled a little bit,” Robertson said. “We did hit a lot of threes tonight I believe, but we shot a lot of threes. Which that’s ok, but we missed a lot of easy shots. That just comes with it. We’ve been off for a whole week. We played four games last week and that was the first time we played [since]. I look for us to play a little bit better tomorrow.”
Dant (13) and freshman year Kennedy Lane (12) combined for half of Apollo’s points on the night, scoring the most points that the Lady Aces have allowed this season at 39. Robertson said that defensively Owensboro Catholic has played extremely well and hopes that with time they’ll put together more complete games.
“We’ve held everybody under 40 so that’s a good thing,” Robertson said. “I think we’re playing hard. We’re still getting healthy, as in we’ve had sickness go through the team, so the more we get to playing and get in practice and learn the plays I think the offense will come to where the defense is right now.”
The Lady Aces got contributions from a number of players on the night, with Johnson’s 17 leading the way while Lexie Keelin (11), Aubrey Randolph (11) and Lauren Keelin (10) all finished in double figures.
“I liked what we did,” Robertson said. “We’ve gotta continue to get better. I really like what the Keelins have really added this year. They’re playing really well. Then of course you’ve got your other four that are there day in and day out. Jenna Krampe has come in and played well for us and Aubrey Randoplh has been giving us great minutes. We’re doing a really good job with our eight giving us time. We’ve just gotta continue to build depth.”
The Keelin sisters have taken a step forward in their respective games early in their senior seasons, grabbing eight points per game each while spreading the floor with their ability to light it up from deep. Robertson said that he’s been very happy with what they’ve brought to the team and that the key to their improvement comes down to a key factor.
“Confidence,” Robertson said. “Last year they were probably looking over their shoulder all the time. ‘Who’s going to come in for me, am I going to make a mistake or is he gonna pull me.’ I’ve gotta let them play through that stuff. They’ve gotta have confidence in me and I’ve gotta have confidence in them, so hopefully we’re getting there and we’re doing that.”
Owensboro Catholic improves to 5-0 with the win, as they have a quick turnaround and will hit the road to take on Benton, Illinois, in the Holiday Hoopla Classic at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Apollo on the other hand falls to 1-4 on the season, as they have a few days off before they look to turn things around against a tough Meade County team at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
