The E-Gals overcame a slow start on the road, using a strong second-half effort to power past Daviess County 59-38 to wrap up 9th District action Friday night.
Apollo (19-6, 4-2) rattled off their sixth victory in a row, getting plenty of late help from Amaya Curry and Kassidy Daugherty — who combined for 21 points after halftime. Though they cruised down the stretch, the E-Gals were in a tight battle through the first two quarters.
Daviess County (10-16, 2-4) was playing without regular contributors Emma Anderson, Ella Payne and Brooklyn Daugherty — all out with the flu — but a youthful starting lineup for DC proved up to the task of staying competitive early.
The Lady Panthers controlled the tempo for large parts of the first half. The first-quarter scoring was capped off by a Katie Mewes 3-pointer with 29 seconds on the clock, knotting the game up at 13 going into the second frame.
Adylan Ayer scored eight points in the first period, but Apollo was able to key in and hold her scoreless the rest of the way. Still, Daviess County was able to take a 25-24 lead into the midway break.
“In the first half, County spread us out in our man-to-man defense,” said Apollo head coach Natalie Payne. “Amber Dunn’s foul trouble was a huge hurdle for us, as well as Adylan Ayer’s ability to get in the lane. I give them a lot of credit because they are a well-coached, well-disciplined team that makes good decisions for the most part.”
In the second half, the E-Gals made the necessary offensive adjustments and exploded for 35 points. Curry helped give her team some breathing room, and her layup with 1:04 to play in the third quarter gave Apollo a 43-34 advantage.
With a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter, Zoe Floyd asserted herself into the Apollo offensive scheme. Floyd converted four layups, tacking on a free throw to cap off an impressive run, to finish the night with 12 points.
Payne said her team was able to adjust their game plan for the second half in order to maintain a positive game flow.
“In the second half we were able to do more cutting off the ball,” Payne said. “We moved the ball around with a purpose, executing our offense much more effectively. In the end, a couple of shots went in, and that made all the difference.”
Apollo’s Daugherty finished with a game-high 20 points and Curry added 11. Mewes paced DC with nine points.
The two will face off again in the 9th District tournament, where the No. 2 seed E-Gals will serve as the home team against the No. 3 seed Lady Panthers.
Daviess County will be back in action Saturday with a game against Christian County in the Valentine Shootout in Murray. Apollo will also be on the road Saturday as they take on Graves County.
BOX SCORE
AHS 13-11-19-16—59
DCHS 13-12-9-4—38
AHS (59): Kassidy Daugherty (20), Zoe Floyd (12), Amaya Curry (11), Amber Dunn (5), Amari Sanders (4), Addison Carter (3), Janaya Douglas (2), Shelbie Beatty (2)
DCHS (38): Katie Mewes (9), Adylan Ayer (8), Shea Mason (8), Lily Hoagland (8), Kaylee Blandford (2), Madison Spurrier (2), Druree Glenn (1)
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