In their first of two regular-season games, Owensboro Catholic’s defense stifled Daviess County early, holding them to 14 first-half points in their 65-57 win.
“Defensively, for the most part, we did a really good job of the game plan,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Michael Robertson said. “We have to do a better job taking care of the ball. We really struggled there in the fourth quarter, finishing the game. We have to finish stronger, but in the first half I thought we played well in spurts.”
Owensboro Catholic took a 44-35 lead into the fourth quarter, but struggled to close it out – in part to the Lady Panthers’ Kennedy Lane and Briley Henry. The duo combined for 13 of the team’s 20 fourth-quarter points, helping cut the deficit to three in the last 90 seconds.
Fouled on the inbound pass, Owensboro Catholic hit their ensuing free throws and were able to close it out from the line. Daviess County Head Coach Natalie Payne attributed her team’s second half surge to their increased effort.
“We were getting multiple stops, creating turnovers, and scoring off those turnovers,” Payne said. “That was getting us going offensively. It’s a learning experience. I know it’s important for district seeding, but it is also growing pains. Figuring out what we need to work on, what we do well, and what our weaknesses are. So were going to walk away with our heads held high knowing we competed in the second half.”
Owensboro Catholic’s Taylor Mannahan led all scorers with 27 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter, and Layla Martin added 13 points. For the Lady Panthers, Lane finished with 21 points, two rebounds, and a steal, and Henry had 20 points.
The Lady Aces return to action tomorrow mourning at 8 am when they take on Bishop Brossart in the semi-finals of the All A Classic.
Panthers remain undefeated in 3rd Region play
On a night where both teams showed signs of rustiness early on after being off for a week due to snow, Jonathan Moss exploded for 25 points to power Daviess County past Owensboro Catholic 56-45.
The Panthers jumped out to a 16-8 lead, but relied on the three ball heavily to start the game, falling into the Aces zone.
“They did some things that bothered us,” Daviess County Head Coach Neil Hayden said. “In the first half, I think 12 of our 19 first shots were threes, which is what they wanted us to do in their zone. So, I thought we settled, and then we forced a couple of things, and it stopped us from getting into a rhythm defensively. But we were good when we got into transition.”
Leading 29-23 at halftime, the Panthers returned to their original game plan in the second half of attacking. Moss, DeAaron Watkins, and Michael Acton combined for all 13 of the team’s third quarter points, pushing the lead to 42-31 entering the final eight minutes. Moss closed out the game, hitting a pair of threes and scoring eight of the Panthers final 14 points.
For the Aces, Jake Murphy caught fire in the second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points, including a pair of threes. Dre’Mail Carothers was second on the team in scoring with nine points, while Myles Grant scored all eight of his points in the second quarter.
“I am proud of our effort on the defensive end,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Tabor Shadowen said. “We did well to contain the basketball. They’re an athletic team, and our next step is to limit their second chances. Offensively, we left a lot of points out there. We missed some easy ones around the rim and turned it over more than we would have liked. There are easily identifiable mistakes that we will work to clean up. I am proud to have a group that’s been through a lot the last few weeks and has remained bought into our process.”
Acton was second on the Panthers in scoring with 12 points, and Davyn Randolph finished with eight points, five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Owensboro Catholic will host Greenwood on Tuesday, while Daviess County returns to action next Friday when they travel to Apollo.
