Owensboro, Owensboro Catholic, and Daviess County all won their opening games in their respective Christmas tournaments, while Trinity (Whitesville) split its first two games of the St. Mary Christmas Classic.
Owensboro vs. Evansville Reitz
Dominating in the second and fourth quarter, the Red Devils offense helped them come away with a 72-59 win over Evansville Reitz—its first loss of the season—in their first game of the Sportscenter Shootout on Monday.
Evansville Reitz got out to a solid start in the first quarter, limiting the Red Devils to 10 points en route to an 18-10 lead.
With the help of senior Amari Wales 10 points, Owensboro’s offense came alive in the second quarter. Coming off the bench, junior Dylon Talbott also chipped in six points to help the Red Devils grab a 32-28 lead going into halftime.
In the third quarter two teams went back and forth, with Evansville Reitz inching back towards a lead by cutting its deficit to 45-43 going into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter it was the Wales and Kenyatta Carbon show, as the two continued to find their way inside and to the free-throw line.
Wales grabbed 10 points in the fourth, while Carbon went 10-12 from the charity stripe for all 10 of his points. Led by the dynamic backcourt duo, the Red Devils were able to close the door on a 72-59 win over Evansville Reitz.
Wales led the way with 27 points, Carbon finished with 14 points, while juniors Talas Taylor, Jaylen Rogers and Talbott all finished with eight points.
Isaac Higgs led all scorers with 29 points, while Gavin Schippert was the only player on Evansville Reitz to finish with double figures with 14 points.
Now sitting at 7-2 overall, Owensboro will look to stay strong when they close out the Sportscenter Shootout with its matchup against Forest Park at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Graves County
In his second game of the season junior Ji Webb put on a show once again, leading Owensboro Catholic to a 72-54 win over Graves County with a 33-point performance.
Webb kickstarted the Aces’ offense early in this contest, scoring half of their 22 points while also limiting the Eagles to just nine points going into the second quarter.
Webb remained hot in the second quarter, scoring nine points to lead a balanced offensive attack from Owensboro Catholic. His play paired with junior Parker Gray’s five points in the quarter helped them jump out to a 41-22 lead at halftime.
Looking to forge a comeback attempt, Graves County outscored the Aces 21-15 in the third quarter. However, the Eagles still trailed 56-43 going into the fourth.
Leaving no question to who was going to win the game, Webb scored nine of Owensboro Catholic’s 16 points in the fourth to help grab a 72-54 road win.
Webb led all scorers with 33 points on the evening, while Gray chipped in 12 and sophomores Deuce Sims and Reid Clark tallied eight points each.
With a two-game winning streak under their belt, the Aces will look to stay hot when they close out the Madisonville-North Hopkins Holiday Classic against Hopkins County Central at 1:45 p.m.
Daviess County vs. Meade County
With the help of some solid free-throw shooting, the Panthers offense in the fourth quarter pushed them past Meade County for a 54-46 comeback win on Monday.
The game got off to a slow start, with both teams unable to score more than 10 points in each quarter. It was the Green Wave who had the slight edge in the second quarter that allowed them to take a 16-15 lead going into the locker room.
Both teams began to pick up steam in the third quarter, with Meade County’s Grant Beavin and Blake Edwards showing out.
Beavin (10) and Edwards (6) combined for 16 of the team’s 21 points, to take a 37-33 lead over Daviess County into the fourth quarter.
Despite trailing all game long, the Panthers were determined to climb their way back into the game and to victory.
They ramped up the aggressiveness of the offensive end, while also limiting the Green Waves to just nine points in the fourth.
Daviess County’s physical play offensively had them living at the charity stripe in the fourth, going 11-13. This accounted for half of their points, as this helped them outscore Meade County 21-9 en route to a 54-46 road win.
Junior Cole Burch led the way with 15 points, while senior Max Dees followed closely behind with 11 points off the bench.
The comeback victory extends the Panthers winning streak to three games, as they are set to play their final game in the Cecilian Bank Classic at 4 p.m. against North Hardin on Tuesday.
Trinity vs. Ballard Memorial
Led by a 28-point performance from junior Landon Huff, Trinity (Whitesville) grabbed a 76-66 win over Ballard Memorial in its first game of the St. Mary Christmas Classic.
A balanced offensive attack from the Raiders gave them the edge in the first quarter, taking a 24-17 lead.
In the second quarter it was Huff leading the charge, scoring 13 of Trinity’s 24. Meanwhile, Jace Birney was keeping the Bombers in the game, scoring 12 of their 19 to leave them trailing 48-36 at halftime.
Huff didn’t slow down in the third quarter, scoring nine points and helping the Raiders remain out in front 68-55 going into the fourth.
Ballard Memorial was able to outscore Trinity for the first time all game in the fourth quarter, by limiting them to eight points. However, they were unable to muster up enough offense of their own, as the Raiders walked away with the 76-66 victory.
Huff led all scorers with 28 points, while senior Bailey Wright (16), junior Landon Smith (13) and junior Gavin Howard (11) all finished in double figures.
Birney led the Bombers with 19 points, while Keaton Overstreet (14) and Phillip Duncan (10) all finished in double figures.
Trinity vs. Carlisle County
Unable to silence Carlisle County’s offense in the second half, the Raiders fell in their second game of the St. Mary Christmas Classic 77-67.
With junior Nathan Hernandez drilling four threes and leading the way with 12 points, Trinity got out to a 32-29 lead at halftime.
While limiting Trinity to just one three in the third quarter, senior Garrett Hayden began an incredible second half performance.
Hayden scored 14 of the Comets’ 24, while limiting the Raiders to 15 points en route to a 53-47 lead going into the fourth quarter.
It was the senior guard in Hayden who led the charge for Carlisle County again in the fourth, scoring 11 points while his team lived at the free throw line.
The Comets went 20-22 at the line in the quarter, while Huff was trying to keep the Raiders in it while getting to the charity stripe himself.
Huff scored eight of Trinity’s 20 in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to Carlisle County 77-67.
Hayden led all scorers with 39 points on the night, while Zack Grogan and Isaac Keeling both chipped in 11 points each for the Comets.
Huff led the Raiders with 19, while Hernandez finished with 17 points after a 12-point first half and Wright finished with 11.
Trinity now sits at 5-5 overall on the season, as they will look to bounce back when they close out the St. Mary Christmas Classic on Tuesday.
