The Owensboro boys’ basketball team used a strong second quarter and another big defensive effort to remain perfect in 9th District play with a 65-53 win over Daviess County at home.
Darrion Wimsatt was consistent all night, scoring 18 points for the Red Devils (11-6, 4-0), while Jaiden Greathouse scored 8 of his 10 points in the second half to help them maintain the lead.
Dakota Walden continued an impressive season with a game-high 23 points for the Panthers (7-10, 1-3), who also got a double-double from Gavan Ray (11 points, 16 rebounds).
The teams traded buckets early, and a pair of free throws by Wimsatt in the closing seconds put Owensboro up 12-11 after the first quarter. Wimsatt then got a steal that lead to an and-1 layup to start the second.
A pair of buckets by Gavin Wimsatt puth the Devils up 19-13, and they continued to add to their lead over the next two quarters. Head coach Rod Drake said after the fast start, Owensboro did slow down for a couple minutes after halftime.
“We came out ready to play in the first half, I thought,” he said. “I told them at halftime that we’re young and we have to play for 32 minutes. We kind of lost our edge in the third quarter. That’s the cost of being young, but we picked it back up. You learn from winning and losing, and we learned a lot tonight.”
The Devils took their biggest lead at 43-24 on a 3-pointer by Amari Wales, but the Panthers did fight hard to get back within striking distance.
Down 50-32 to start the fourth, the Panthers went an 16-4 run to make it 54-46 with 3:02 to play. Wimsatt and Greathouse sparked a 6-0 response, though, and Daviess County wasn’t able to complete the comeback.
“We’re catching up a little bit on offense,” Drake said. “We can run sets and run time off the clock. We’re a work in progress.”
With the win, the Red Devils are in control of the district and would lock up first place if they beat Owensboro Catholic one more time.
“It puts you in the driver’s seat and everybody’s looking at you,” Drake said of another district win. “You don’t have to worry about if, if, if.”
Owensboro is off until Tuesday, when they travel to Madisonville-North Hopkins for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Daviess County also returns to action Tuesday when they travel to Henderson County for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Scoring
Owensboro 12-18-20-15–65
Daviess Co.11-6-15-21–53
Owensboro: Darrion Wimsatt 18, Gavin Wimsatt 13, Amari Wales 11, Jaiden Greathouse 10, Isaac Humphrey 6, Imonte Owsley 4, Aireon Phillips 3
Daviess Co.: Dakota Walden 23, Gavan Ray 11, Logan Hillard 9, Chase Luckett 6, Mason Payne 2, Camron Johnson 2
