The Owensboro boys’ basketball team kept their 9th District record clean Friday evening by ousting Apollo 72-44 at Eagle Arena.
For a game that was slow-going in the first half, the fan faithful for both the Red Devils (3-3 2-0 9th District) and the Eagles (1-8, 2-0) were privy to a spectacle of a third quarter.
Going into halftime, the score was 26-17 in favor of the Red Devils – not an uneventful first half, but the flow of the game resembled more of an unsteady ride at the hands of a new driver than fluid, graceful work of art the city has come to expect of an Owensboro-Apollo basketball matchup.
The third quarter, however, was electric. Both teams more than doubled their score totals, and the basketball game took new shape.
“We let them play comfortable in the first half,” said veteran Red Devils’ head coach Rod Drake. “In the second half, our defense turned into our offense. We tightened things up.”
Owensboro’s scoring effort was lead by freshman Gavin Wimsatt, who posted a game-high 21 points – 11 of which came from the charity stripe, where Wimsatt shot 92 percent on the evening.
“He’s a hoss, a solid player,” Drake said.
Wimsatt was excellent not only in his scoring ability but in his overall impact on the game — scoring, rebounding and defending.
Speaking of the team in general, Drake radiated an air of pride regarding his young men. The Red Devils were on the committing end of seven first-quarter fouls, and quickly had to turn to their bench for support and stability.
“I think we played nine guys in the first half,” Drake said. “When you deal with young guys, they worry about points – they don’t always worry about going out there and making a stop or being in the right position to create a turnover.”
The Red Devils ended up using 13 players throughout the game, and Owensboro’s young men did not have the look of a team plagued by selfish players.
While the Eagles only trailed by nine at the half and showed signs of life in the third quarter, the tale of the tape was Owensboro’s depth proving too much for Apollo’s inexperience.
“We have some young, inexperienced guys out there,” said Apollo head coach Steve Barker. “Our biggest problem is we go in spurts.”
The Eagles scores 20 points in the third quarter – just shy of half of their game total. Despite the struggles the Eagles are facing, Barker is staying positive. He said they have to focus on daily improvements, and Barker believes in his players’ ability to develop and compete.
The 20-point third-quarter surge by Apollo was stymied by Owensboro’s own 27-point performance.
In addition to Wimsatt’s 21 points total points for the Red Devils, Darrion Wimsatt posted 20 and Amari Wales had 12. Leading the Eagles in scoring was sophomore Harrison Bowman with 11 points. Evan Deaton added 10 points to the Eagles’ effort.
The Red Devils return to action Monday evening as they host to Ohio County. The Eagles will not return to action until Thursday as the annual Owensboro Invitational Tournament (OIT) begins play.
Owensboro stats: Gavin Wimsatt (21 points), Darrion Wimsatt (20 points), Amari Wales (12 points), Aireon Phillips (5 points), Jaiden Greathouse (5 points), Matt Brown (4 points), Tucker Hagan (3 points), Isaac Humphrey (2 points)
Apollo stats: Harrison Bowman (11 points), Evan Deaton (10 points), Luke Girvin (7 points), Ryan Ash (6 points), Dan St. Clair (4 points), Dylan Talbot (3 points), Jamen Kinison (2 points), Jaden Kelly (1 point)
