The Red Devils were simply dominant Friday night in a 77-55 rout of Owensboro Catholic, using a big second quarter to take control and never look back as they finished perfect in 9th District action for the second year in a row.
“We were just ready to play tonight,” said Owensboro head coach Rod Drake. “I think after Tuesday night’s game (OHS lost 62-61 to Bowling Green) our guys found out how much we improved from earlier in the year. That showed up Tuesday night, and we put it all together tonight.”
Trailing 7-0 early, the Red Devils (16-10, 6-0) went on a 16-4 run to take the lead for good. Catholic’s Brian Griffith banked in a 3-pointer from halfcourt at the first-quarter buzzer to cut their deficit to 16-14, but it was the closest the Aces (17-10, 4-2 district) would get the rest of the way.
Owensboro’s Amari Wales knocked down a 3-pointer and a layup to begin the second period, sparking a 22-2 run with scoring from five players over the next seven minutes. The Red Devils led 42-23 at halftime.
“Everybody contributed and our defensive pressure wore them down in the second quarter,” Drake said. “We’ve been out of position all year long. Tonight everybody was right where they were supposed to be. It was like a machine.”
OHS kept piling on to their lead in the third, using eight points from Jaiden Greathouse as they went up by as much as 60-29 on his putback late in the frame. Another late 3 from Griffith left the Aces trailing 60-32 after three.
Greathouse finished with 15 points and a game-best 11 rebounds. Wales led all scorers with 18 points, while OHS also got 16 from Kenyata Carbon and 11 from Gavin Wimsatt.
Griffith led the Aces with 16 points and hit four 3s. Ji Webb and Drew Hartz both added 14 points, and Webb grabbed eight rebounds.
The Red Devils earned the No. 1 seed for the 9th District tournament for the second year in a row, and Drake is happy with how they are playing entering the postseason.
“These guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” he said. “Our young guys are not really young anymore. They’re playing tough. It’s a good group right now.”
Owensboro Catholic is the No. 2 seed for the tournament, which will be at the Sportscenter. Apollo and Daviess County tied for third and await a coin flip to determine their seeding. The No. 3 seed will play Catholic and the No. 4 seed will play Owensboro.
The Aces are back in action Monday when they host University Heights. The Red Devils only have one game remaining, a home matchup with Henderson County on Friday.
BOX SCORE
OCHS 14-9-9-23—55
OHS 16-26-18-17—77
OCHS (55): Brian Griffith (16), Drew Hartz (14), Ji Webb (14), Sam McFarland (4), Gray Weaver (4), Luke Scales (3)
OHS (77): Amari Wales (18), Kenyata Carbon (16), Jaiden Greathouse (15), Gavin Wimsatt (11), Ethan Pendleton (5), Reis Dickinson (3), Tucker Hagan (3), Tyren Hayden (2), Trey Hinton (2), Cayman Powell (2)
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2019-20 basketball coverage is presented in part by Rhoads & Rhoads Attorneys at Law.
