A much-improved Apollo pushed Owensboro Catholic to the limit Friday night, but the Aces escaped with a 73-71 victory as they watched the Eagles’ game-tying shot attempt bounce off the rim just before the final buzzer.
Apollo got a big stop with 6.5 seconds to play and trailing by three, using full court pressure to force a turnover under their own goal. The Aces then intentionally fouled Cameron Frantz, who hit both free throws to cut the deficit to one with 5.3 to go.
After a quick Eagles’ foul with 4.8 seconds left, Catholic’s Gray Weaver split a pair of free throws at the other end. Apollo’s Malik Wilson drove the length of the court and put up a last-second jumper but it was just short.
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Aces head coach Tim Riley said his team struggled to limit the Eagles’ offensive opportunities.
“We didn’t guard very well,” he said. “They did a nice job. They got the ball where they wanted. We fouled way too much, so they got to shoot free shots.”
Catholic (11-6) threatened to pull away in the opening minute of the third quarter when Gray Weaver’s 3-point play gave them their biggest lead of the night at 41-29.
The Eagles (3-15) did not fold, instead clawing their way back into contention and tying the game three times in the final five minutes. They had a small handful of possessions that could have put them in front but could never capitalize.
The final tie came at 63-all with three minutes to go after a pair of free throws by Apollo’s Ryan Ash. The Aces didn’t hit a shot from the field the rest of the way, but they hit 10 of their final 12 free throws to maintain a slim advantage.
Riley said the Aces struggled at times on offense because they expected a zone defense from Apollo.
“We didn’t plan on playing man,” he said. “We didn’t think they played man. We didn’t work on it like we should have.”
Drew Hartz again came up big for Catholic, knocking down six 3-pointers and finishing with 22 points. Brian Griffith — in his first game back from injury — also had 22 points and played a big role in helping Catholic take an early lead.
Apollo used a full team effort at both ends of the floor, with several guys contributing key plays throughout the second-half comeback bid. Wilson finished with a team-high 15 points and Ash added 14. Jaden Kelly scored all 13 of his points in the second half — including 11 in the fourth quarter.
Owensboro Catholic will play again Monday when they host Butler County, while Apollo hosts Breckinridge County on Tuesday.
BOX SCORE
OCHS 15-23-16-18—73
AHS 13-16-19-23—71
OCHS (73): Drew Hartz 22, Brian Griffith 22, Gray Weaver 10, Ji Webb 8, Andrew Riney 8, Luke Scales 3
AHS (71): Malik Wilson 15, Ryan Ash 14, Jaden Kelly 13, Dan St. Claire 10, Cameron Frantz 7, Landon Hamilton 6, Harrison Bowman 6
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