For the second time in two weeks, the Daviess County boys’ basketball team had to come from behind to beat Apollo. With a final of 54-45, this time wasn’t quite so dramatic — the first meeting was won with a pair of free throws by Dakota Walden with .1 second to play.
The 9th District win marked the first back-to-back victories for the Panthers (6-7, 1-2), while the Eagles (1-15, 0-3) are still searching for their first win since the season opener.
Apollo held the advantage through the first half, turning a 16-14 lead after one quarter into a 31-26 lead at the break. A big third quarter for the Daviess County — with 9 points by Walden, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer — pushed the Panthers out to a 44-39 lead heading into the final frame.
The Eagles were only able to post six points — all by Ryan Ash — in the fourth as the Panthers added to the lead. Ash finished with a double-double, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points.
Walden led all scorers with 19 points, and Mason Payne scored 13 to go along with 8 rebounds.
Daviess County is off until Tuesday, when they host Breckinridge County at 7 p.m.
Apollo doesn’t return to action until Jan. 15, when they travel to Breckinridge County for a 7:30 p.m. game.
SCORING
DCHS 14-12-18-10–54
AHS 16-15-8-6–45
DCHS: Dakota Walden 19, Mason Payne 13 (8 reb), Logan Hillard 8, Gavan Ray 5, Bo Stratton 4, Will Barron 3, Chase Luckett 2
AHS: Cameron Frantz 15, Ryan Ash 10 (11 reb), Harrison Bowman 10, Dan St. Claire 6, Jaden Kelly 3, Adam Fitzgerald 1
