An aggressive defense propelled the Owensboro boys’ basketball team to an 85-61 victory over Meade County on Tuesday in the first round of the 3rd Region Tournament presented by Owensboro Health. The win secures a spot in the semifinals for the Red Devils, who extended their win streak to 10 games.
The Green Wave (12-18) kept things close early, but 12 first-quarter points from Darrion Wimsatt carried Owensboro (21-7) to a 19-14 advantage by the end of the frame. Head coach Rod Drake said he knew Meade County would put up a fight after they narrowly lost their district championship last week.
“I told our guys before the game this team was tough,” Drake said. “I knew we were going to be in for a surprise. They created some problems with their size and their big guy is pretty tough.”
Though shots weren’t falling early for the Devils, they relied on a steady defense that’s caused opposing teams problems all year. A 7-0 run pushed the lead to double digits, and Owensboro went up by as many as 13 before going into halftime up 37-26.
“Our guys came to play. Our defense was there and we made some adjustments,” Drake said. “As I’ve said all year, our defense turned into offense, and we got some fast break points out of it.”
The Green Wave fought back in the third quarter and slowly chipped away at the deficit to get within 5 points, but strong play and 8 points from Jaiden Greathouse down low helped Owensboro stay in front and lead 53-44 heading into the final period.
Seven different players scored in dominant final frame for the Devils, and they pulled away early to put the game out of reach. Drake said having a deep bench allows them to switch styles and create problems for opposing defenses.
“One of the things about us, is if we’re stale we can get fresh and bring somebody else in,” he said. “They made adjustments with the five we had, then we subbed and stretched the floor out on them a little bit.”
Wimsatt led all scorers with 25 points, while Greathouse finished with 18. Adante Greer added 13 and Gavin Wimsatt scored 10.
Owensboro went 17-for-22 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and finished the game 23-for-32 at the stripe.
With the win, Owensboro moves on to a semifinal meeting with Muhlenberg County (16-10), who had no trouble in their 70-39 win over Edmonson County in the final first-round game Tuesday night.
“We got this one under our belt, we survived, and we’re ready to advance to the next game,” Drake said. “We’re excited. It’s good for the kids, it’s good for OPS. It’s an exciting time of year, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Scoring
Owensboro 19-18-16-32–85
Meade Co. 14-12-18-17–61
Owensboro: Darrion Wimsatt 25, Jaiden Greathouse 18, Adante Greer 13, Gavin Wimsatt 10, Aireon Phillips 7, Amari Wales 6, Imonte Owsley 2, Isaac Humphrey 2, Reis Dickinson 2
