On a night when Owensboro Catholic’s leading scorer Luke Beickman only scored nine points, Vince Carrico, Solly Smith, and Dre’Mail Carothers all stepped up – combining for 37 points in their 56-50 win over Sayre.
The Aces fell behind early, due to turnovers and missed shots. Jumping out to an 8-6 lead, the Spartans responded with a 12-2 run. Sayre feasted on multiple trips to the free throw line and fast break opportunities to take a 26-16 halftime lead.
The Aces shot a measly 6-20 from the floor in the first half, but held Sayre to 9-24 shooting. Making some adjustments and reestablishing their game plan, the Aces looked like a completely different team down the stretch.
“We had to slow the game down because they are very athletic,” Owensboro Catholic head coach Tim Riley said. “Once we slowed the game down and we slowed ourselves down, offensively the game changed.”
Out of the half, Smith and Carothers helped the Aces go on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to two – forcing Sayre to call a timeout. With the home crowd back in the game, Owensboro Catholic completed its comeback, responding with a 10-2 run to take a 37-30 lead.
After a second timeout, Sayre cut the lead to five entering the fourth quarter. In the final frame, whenever the Aces needed a play, Carrico responded in kind – be it a layup, rebound, or screen.
“Carrico had three rebounds, but he fights,” Riley said. “His baskets were big in the second half.”
In control of the flow, the Aces dictated the fourth quarter – eating up the clock or scoring at will. Sayre cut the lead to three, but Owensboro Catholic refused to allow an opportunity for the game to slip out of their hands – setting up a semi-finals match with Lyon County tonight at 6 pm.
Despite the rough first half, Riley’s team won thanks to their gameplan.
“We felt the only way they could beat us was if we turned the ball over and they got good shots out of it,” Riley said. “Or if they killed us on the glass. If stayed in front of them and they shot jump shots and we could rebound, we thought we could win the game.”
Smith led the way with 18 points, seven rebounds, and one steal, while Carothers added 10 points, five steals, four rebounds, and one assist. Beickman led the team in rebounds with nine, while Waryn Ebelhar added nine points, two steals, two rebounds, and one assist.
