Fresh off a disappointing 9th District loss to Daviess County, Apollo bounced back in a big way behind Landon Hennings record night, cruising past Owensboro on the road 67-43. Henning led the way with 19 points and broke the school record for dunks in a game with six.
“I thought we had a strong start and got ahead,” Apollo Head Coach Ryne Tinsley said. “They came back, and I will give them a lot of credit. They haven’t won a game yet, but they have some talent, and it is still Owensboro High School. I thought we did better in the second half and played better defense.”
Apollo took a 19-12 lead entering the second quarter behind Henning and Sam Butterworth, combining for 14 points. The Red Devils cut the lead to 27-22 halfway through the second quarter, but Apollo closed on a 8-0 run to take a 35-22 lead into halftime.
The Eagles were partly able to end the first half on a run due to limiting DaMarcus Ganaway Jr. The Owensboro point guard scored six of his team-high 12 points in the first quarter, but was held to only one point in the second quarter.
Apollo started to run away with the game in the third quarter, but Owensboro’s Kade Arnold and Zeke Beehn combined for three threes to cut the lead to 13. After a timeout, Apollo was able to regain momentum and closed out the game on an 18-7 run, which included Henning catching an alley-oop and throwing down another dunk for the school record.
While all eyes were on Henning, Tate Powers hit four threes to go along with his 16 points, and Carlos Cruz and Butterworth both finished with 12 points.
“After Friday, I was just ready to get back on the floor,” Tinsley said. “Against anybody, just get back on the floor. I will sleep a little better tonight. …I think we are the most underrated 11-3 team in the region. I just want us to keep grinding. I know Apollo has been down, and we are starting to pick it back up. We just need to keep grinding.”
For the Red Devils, Arnold was second on the team in scoring with 10 points, and Beehn added eight points.
Both teams are back in action tonight, as Owensboro hosts Breckinridge County and Apollo travels to Muhlenberg County.
