Kaylyn Sowders came up big when it mattered most. Her free throws with 10.7 seconds to play sent the game into overtime, and she took a charge late in the extra period that sealed Owensboro’s 64-59 win over Daviess County.
Sowders scored 13 points and had 15 rebounds for the Lady Devils (8-10, 2-2) in Friday’s 9th District matchup with the Lady Panthers (4-15, 0-4). She had 8 in the fourth quarter, including going 4-of-5 at the line over the final 2:30 of regulation.
“I was just trying to be calm,” Sowders said. “I just focused on making free throws and trying to hit the inside spots. It was tough. It was about keeping my head.”
Head coach Jansen Locher said Sowders can be too hard on herself, so he told her to just stay focused.
“We told her to calm down and play her game because she can do some great things,” he said. “She’s put in so much extra time and extra work. She’s such a positive person. I’m so proud for her and her confidence.”
Owensboro got off to a hot start, building a 14-2 lead before Daviess County ended the first quarter with a pair of scores. Brooklyn Daugherty scored 8 of the Lady Panthers’ 12 points in the second frame to cut the lead to 23-18 at the half.
Daviess County carried the momentum into the third, using a 10-0 run that featured a pair of 3-pointers by Emma Anderson to take a 37-31 advantage. Two quick buckets from Owensboro got them within 2 points heading into the final quarter.
Amaya Curry got a steal and layup to tie the game at 41-41 with 5:18 to go, and the game was back and forth the rest of the way.
Sowders got an offensive board and put it back in for a 53-52 lead with 40 seconds left, but Claire Johnson drained a deep 3 at the other end to put Daviess County up 2 with 21.6 on the clock.
After another offensive rebound, Sowders was fouled on her putback attempt. She sunk both free throws, and the Lady Panthers couldn’t get the shot to fall at the other end.
Owensboro never trailed in overtime, and Sowders hit 1-of-2 at the line with 18.5 to play in overtime for a 62-59 lead. Mykael Winstead then ensured the victory with two free throws.
Locher was happy to come away with a win, saying the Lady Panthers have improved since the last meeting. Daviess County was on a three-game win streak, including a big victory over Muhlenberg County earlier this week.
“They have showed so much improvement,” Locher said. “They’ve won some big games. We knew it was going to be a battle. We knew it was going to be back and forth. We told the girls it was going to come down to who was going to make big plays in crunch time.”
Sowders said they knew how important getting a win would be for the postseason.
“It puts us in good spot for the district tournament,” she said. “We went into it knowing it was a big game. We came out ready to play.”
Owensboro will play again Monday when they host Union County at 6 p.m.
Daviess County is also home Monday, hosting Hancock County at 5:30 p.m.
Scoring
Owensboro 18-5-12-20-9–64
Daviess Co. 6-12-19-18-4–59
Owensboro: Mykael Winstead 14, Kaylyn Sowders 13, Tayonna Greer 11, Amaya Curry 11, Lyric Lawrence 9, LeMiya Greer 6
Daviess Co.: Brooklyn Daugherty 17, Emma Anderson 13, Kailey Bowers 12, Katie Mewes 8, Claire Johnson 7, Shealyn Mason 2
