Daviess County’s run toward a second straight 3rd Region Championship started without a hitch, making quick work of Muhlenberg County 52-30. Kennedy Lane found her shot early, nailing four threes to go with her game-high 22 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
“Anytime you get a win this time of year, it’s exciting. You get to advance,” Daviess County Head Coach Natalie Payne said. “I’m happy for the girls that we get to continue to do that for the seniors. I just have really high expectations, and they know that. We weren’t as clean as I hoped we’d be, but it happens.”
Despite a slow start, the Lady Panthers took a 13-2 lead into the second quarter, behind Lanes’ six points. In the second quarter, the Lady Mustangs Taliana Groves and Brinly Sparks combined for all 11 of their team’s points, but Daviess County pushed their halftime lead to 29-13. The trio of Riley Hayden, Maddie Barron, and Lane hit four threes and combined for 16 points.
Payne was pleased with her team’s performance in the second half – which saw her team outscore the Lady Mustangs 23-17.
“We were cleaner, and the shots started going in more consistently,” Payne said. “…That kind of opens things up, and you start feeling a little bit better, and things start to get cleaner. Sometimes this time of year, you need to have a little ugliness to figure things out.”
Hayden was second on Daviess County in scoring with 12 points, and she added nine rebounds and one steal. Stella Mason scored six points off the bench, and Barron hit a three to go with her five points.
Muhlenberg County was led by Sparks, who scored 11 points, while Izzy Wilkins finished with eight points.
The Lady Panthers have two days off before they return to action on Friday against Meade County with a trip to the finals on the line.
“These kids have to go back to watching film, paying attention to details, and all those little things come tournament time that really matter,” Payne said. “We can’t take any possessions for granted, and we just have to play cleanly.”
