A monster third quarter run thanks to some chaotic fullcourt pressure and contributions from multiple players offensive propelled the Red Devils to a first round win in the 3rd Region Tournament on Thursday, pushing past a talented Ohio County team 61-51 to survive and advance.
Senior Ji Webb got things going with some nifty footwork in the post leading to a reverse layup, helping Owensboro to a 4-0 start. The Eagles responded swiftly though, grabbing multiple offensive rebounds to earn a 7-0 run and a 7-4 lead with 3:38 to go in the first quarter.
The Red Devils struggled to find a way to finish inside early, but senior Kenyatta Carbon led a block party with three—alongside a few from teammates Webb and senior Kanye Johnson—later in the quarter to help keep their deficit at 11-8 heading into the second. Owensboro was able to grab the lead at 14-13, as Carbon earned a layup two minutes into the quarter.
After the lead changed multiple times thanks to the Eagles effort on the offensive glass, it was Carbon who gave it to the Red Devils again by knocking down a three against Ohio County’s 2-3 zone with two minutes to go in the first half. Owensboro took this momentum into the locker room, getting a layup from freshman Jonathan Moss before senior Parker Culberson missed a three at the buzzer to send the Eagles into halftime down 25-21.
Coming out of the locker room the Red Devils defense was dialed in though, holding Ohio County scoreless for the first two minutes of the second half and using a 5-0 run to take a 30-21 lead. The Eagles were able to stay within reach down 33-28 with three minutes to go in the third, but junior Dayshaun Sanders got a corner three and followed it up with a steal and layup to kickstart an 11-0 run to close out the quarter.
This was a result of Owensboro’s intense ball pressure for all 90 feet, frustrating Ohio County into multiple turnovers and offensive fouls en route to a 44-28 lead for the Red Devils heading into the fourth.
“Our defense has really picked up the last couple of weeks,” Head Coach Rod Drake said. “Our defense drives us. Everybody’s healthy and everybody’s on the same page… I think we kind of shocked them with our toughness tonight, because I think we had them on their heels for the first 20 minutes of the ballgame.”
Sanders stretched the run to 13-0 shortly into the fourth, scoring two more of his nine-point second half to help Owensboro take a 46-28 lead. Sanders has been catching steam as of late, providing the Red Devils with a much needed surge off the bench in another big postseason game.
“Day-Day has put his time in,” Drake said. “Typical kid, he was pouting early on. He got better in practice. We had a week off and he picked it up and right now he’s playing starter minutes and he’s lights out.”
Ohio County tried to claw their way back into the game by playing the foul game late—and getting 14 of senior Parker Culberson’s 23 points on the night—but the Red Devils were able to make enough free throws late and count on eight points from Carbon to seal the 61-51 first round victory.
Carbon led all scorers with 29 points in the contest, leading the way for Owensboro and both ends of the floor with his high motor.
“He dominated,” Drake said. “He went coast-to-coast tonight. He was a man. On nights like that, what can you do? And he was doing it on both ends of the floor too. He can go.”
Sanders nine points followed him, while Webb chipped in seven points. Webb was also a major presence inside on the defensive end, hosting a block party down low all night while creating turnovers with his teammates’ intense ball pressure throughout.
“We’re in the passing line and we’re up in people and guarding people,” Drake said. “We’ve been standing back and watching people, but now we can see their dentures. That’s where we want to be [defensively].”
The Red Devils will now see Ty Price and Butler County’s dynamic offense in the 3rd Region Semifinals, as the two teams have yet to face off this season. Having played against top-20 teams in the last four games, Drake and company feel like they are battle-tested and hungry for more going into their matchup with the Bears at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday.
“We’ll go back tomorrow and go through some walkthrough,” Drake said. “We’ll look at some video tonight and then we’ll get them ready. They’ll be ready.”
