In a battle of cross-county rivals, Trinity High School picked up a meaningful 61-51 win over Daviess County High School on Monday. The Raiders (4-1) used a season-high 14 points from Cameron Wright to knock off the Panthers (1-3) in front of a rowdy Trinity home crowd.
Trinity head coach Nathan West commended his senior big man’s efforts in what he called a big win for the community. Ethan Howard also added a team-high 15 points.
“Cameron Wright did a great job,” West said. “He finished well and controlled the glass all night. Early on he’d been struggling, but I knew it would even out. He was such a great contributor last year, it was bound to come around for him. Ethan Howard did a solid job of handling the County pressure in the backcourt as well.”
In the first half, Daviess County fell behind early, trailing 12-6 after the first quarter. The strong start by the home team continued through to halftime. Following a layup off a nice post move from Wright, the Raiders forced Dakota Walden into a charging violation just before the break and they extended the lead 26-16 at the break.
Daviess County started the second half with some momentum, and back-to-back baskets by Walden cut the Trinity lead to just five points at 30-25 with 3:49 to go in the third quarter. It was the closest Daviess County got for the remainder of the game.
Following a timeout, the Raiders promptly regained their double-digit lead on a 2-point bucket by Howard and a 3-pointer by Brenden Wathen.
On the night, the Panthers young core struggled to find a way to support another big scoring output from Dakota Walden. The Daviess County senior guard knocked down 11 field goals on 26 attempts and finished with 28 points. Through four games, Walden is averaging 27 points per contest.
Monday night’s game was highly attended, and the Raiders’ home crowd rattled the youthful Panthers. Daviess county head coach Neil Hayden was complimentary of the home team’s support and execution after the loss.
“Trinity did a good job of spacing us out,” Hayden said. “They are a well-coached team who executed their plan well. Our pressure wasn’t what we wanted it to be and ultimately we need to figure out how to play together. We will learn from the loss and move on.”
Trinity Stats:
Ethan Howard (15 points)’ Cameron Wright (14 points)’ Brenden Wathen (14 points)’ Trenton Morris (13 points)’ Landon Hall (3 points)’ Joe Brown (2 points).
Daviess County stats:
Dakota Walden (28 points)’ Ryan Thomson (7 points)’ Logan Hillard (4 points)’ Gavan Ray (4 points, injured in the 2nd quarter and did not return)’ Bo Stratton (3 points)’ Chase Luckett (2 points).
Looking ahead:
Daviess County hosts undefeated Owensboro Catholic in a 9th District showdown Friday night in the second game of a girls’/boys’ doubleheader, with a tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
Trinity has a quick turnaround as they host 3rd Region opponent Breckinridge County on Tuesday in the second game of a girls’/boys’ doubleheader, with a tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
