Apollo relied on a strong game from Kassidy Daugherty, who helped the E-Gals pull away in the fourth quarter to get past Daviess County for a 53-41 home victory Friday night.
Apollo (10-4, 1-2) built up a 13-point lead early, but it was trimmed to two by halftime and the game was knotted at 36-all heading into the final period.
“They had us on the ropes tonight,” said E-Gals head coach Natalie Payne. “Daviess County was not going to go away tonight, they are too good of a basketball team for that. Their guards are all so athletic and talented, which caused us a lot of trouble.”
Daugherty led all players with 23 despite not scoring in the first quarter, and she scored 10 in the fourth. She also helped Apollo maintain possession down the stretch.
“I thought Kassidy did a great job helping us take care of the ball tonight,” Payne said. “We only had nine turnovers, which I would be happy with every game.”
In the final two minutes, Daviess County failed to cope with a tough Apollo defense, committing four costly turnovers that turned into trips to the charity stripe at the other end. The E-Gals did not waste their chances from the line, converting seven of eight free throws late.
The Lady Panthers showed grit to keep the game close, as they overcame a 13-point deficit in the second quarter. During a 14-3 run to close out the half, Brooklyn Daugherty led the way by scoring eight of her 19 points.
The Daviess County offense was solid again in the third period — even allowing them to take a brief lead — but they failed to score a point in the final three minutes of the game.
“It feels great to get our first district win of the season,” Payne said, as they lost to Owensboro Catholic and Owensboro in their first two district games.
Apollo’s Zoe Floyd had 11 rebounds and scored seven points, while Amber Dunn grabbed 10 boards and added five points.
The E-Gals return to action at 7 p.m. Monday against Henderson County, while Daviess County matches up at home with University Heights at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
BOX SCORE
DCHS 7-14-15-5—41
AHS 12-11-13-17—53
DCHS (41): Brooklyn Daugherty 19, Adylan Ayer 9, Ella Payne 5, Katie Mewes 5, Emma Anderson 2, Shea Mason 1
AHS (41): Kassidy Daugherty 23, Amaya Curry 7, Zoe Floyd 7, Addison Carter 6, Amber Dunn 5, Amari Sanders 3, Shelbie Beatty 2
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2019-20 basketball coverage is presented in part by Rhoads & Rhoads Attorneys at Law.
