Zoe Floyd and Amber Dunn each had a double-double, but the E-Gals relied on just about everyone to make big plays in all the right moments as they held off a fierce final push by Daviess County to earn a 56-43 win in the 9th District tournament semifinals Monday night.
Apollo (21-8) moves on to Thursday’s championship, where they’ll face Owensboro Catholic in the title game for the fourth consecutive year. The E-Gals also secured a spot in next week’s 3rd Region tournament.
“It’s a huge momentum-builder for us,” said Apollo head coach Natalie Payne. “We had momentum coming in, but we told the kids it was tournament time. We had to not panic and just execute. We bent a little bit and didn’t break. That’s all that matters come tournament time. Survive and advance.”
After maintaining a small but steady lead most of the night, Apollo was tested in the fourth quarter. The Lady Panthers (10-19) got within 43-41 when Katie Mewes scored on a putback with 4:55 to play.
Floyd came through at the other end, scoring on a putback of her own and converting the and-1 for a five-point lead.
Another bucket by Mewes got DC back within one possession, but this time Addison Carter had the answer for Apollo with a 3-pointer for a 49-43 lead with 2:35 to go.
The Lady Panthers went scoreless the rest of the way, while the E-Gals went 7-for-10 at the free throw line down the stretch.
“There’s no doubt we played hard and gave them all we could, especially on the defensive end,” said DC head coach John Kirkpatrick. “We just struggled to get shots to fall. I’m proud of our kids for stepping up to the plate this year. I don’t have anything bad to say about tonight.”
Floyd came through in big stretches for Apollo, and she finished the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“When we got a little stale or things were a little off, she just helped change that momentum with a key rebound-putback, or we’d throw it to her in the middle and she’d turn and power it up,” Payne said. “She was a force. She was hard to handle.”
Dunn wasn’t at full strength but still finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds — pushing her season-long average back above a double-double.
“She’s a gritty player,” Payne said. She’s playing through some pain but she’s able to withstand it. When you see a kid that consistently gets double-doubles, that’s just a want-to thing — you can’t teach that.”
After being held scoreless in the first half, Kassidy Daugherty helped Apollo stay on top by scoring seven points in the third quarter. The E-Gals also relied on Amaya Curry to navigate DC’s extended defense.
“Amaya’s ball-handling and her presence of being a coach on the floor and knowing where the ball is supposed to be was big,” Payne said. “We only had seven turnovers against a team that pressured most of the game.”
Curry ended the night with seven points, seven rebounds and five assists. Duagherty scored 10 points.
Mewes and Adylan Ayer each finished with 15 points to lead Daviess County. They combined for all 12 of the fourth-quarter points as the Lady Panthers made their final run.
BOX SCORE
DCHS 5-10-16-12—43
AHS 11-11-17-17—56
DCHS (43): Katie Mewes (15), Adylan Ayer (15), Shea Mason (6), Brooklyn Daugherty (4), Ella Payne (2), Lily Hoagland (1)
AHS (56): Zoe Floyd (15), Amber Dunn (10), Kassidy Daugherty (10), Addison Carter (9), Amaya Curry (7), Shelby Beatty (5)
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2019-20 basketball coverage is presented in part by Rhoads & Rhoads Attorneys at Law.
