A hot start propelled the Owensboro boys’ basketball team to a 69-61 victory over Owensboro Catholic, locking up the top seed in the 9th District with a 6-0 record.
Darrion Wimsatt hit three 3-pointers in the opening period to propel the Red Devils (17-7, 6-0) to an 18-10 advantage, though the Aces (15-9, 4-2) were never out of striking distance.
An even attack and scoring from six players helped Catholic slightly trim the deficit to 31-25 at the break despite going down by as many as 15 points in the second quarter.
Another team effort got the Aces within 4 points a couple of times early in the third, but Wimsatt and Jaiden Greathouse combined for 11 points in the final minutes to push the lead to 53-38.
John Parker led one final charge for Catholic, and his bucket with 3:30 to go had them within 6 points. Some back-and-forth scoring kept the gap steady, and a putback by Ty Vincent had the Aces within 5 with 50.7 seconds to go. They couldn’t get any closer, and Owensboro hit enough free throws to maintain their distance for the win.
“We fought back in it,” said Catholic head coach Tim Riley. “A team with that kind of athleticism and quickness, you have to take that initial lick. We didn’t take it very well. We fought back in it, and then we had a bad ending to the third quarter.”
Owensboro head coach Rod Drake said his team got relaxed, so the Aces came storming back. They withstood the charge, and Drake said he’ll take a win. The Devils also finished 3rd Region action with an 11-0 record.
“I think we’re playing with high confidence right now,” he said. “I think we’ve gotten better mentally. Guys are trusting each other and we make basketball plays.”
Scoring
O. Catholic 10-15-13-23–61
Owensboro 18-13-22-16–69
O. Catholic: Ty Vincent 15, John Parker 12, Peyton Survant 10, Brian Griffith 9, Ji Webb 6, Drew Hartz 4, Zach Cecil 3, Andrew Riney 2
Owensboro: Darrion Wimsatt 24, Gavin Wimsatt 17, Jaiden Greathouse 10, Amari Wales 8, Isaac Humphrey 4, Aireon Phillips 3, Dante Greer 3
