No nets were cut down Friday night, because the Red Devils don’t settle for those. They save the big celebrations for region titles, and Owensboro certainly proved to be on track for a return trip to state after repeating as 9th District champions.
OHS got past Owensboro Catholic 66-50 in Friday’s district title game at the Sportscenter, continuing a perfect run against district foes over the last two seasons.
The Red Devils (19-10) were hot from the outset, using a persistent attack on both ends to seize early control before really putting the game away in the third quarter.
“We came out ready to play,” said OHS head coach Rod Drake. “(Catholic) had a different game plan, but we adjusted very well.”
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For more photos from the game, click here.
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As they’ve done in recent weeks, the Red Devils relied on an extended defense to disrupt their opponent and create opportunities for themselves. Owensboro — winners of six of their last seven — has given up an average of 55.7 points in their last six victories, winning those games by an average of 17.2 points.
“It’s evident the last several weeks that our defense has been our offense,” Drake said. “That’s where we want to be at this time of year. I thought when our personnel was different at the beginning of the year, we were trying to outscore people. As we got our team together, we got back to what we can do — defend, rebound, make stops when we need them.”
Kenyata Carbon put the Red Devils up 5-4 on a 3-pointer with 5:20 left in the first quarter, and Gavin Wimsatt took over from there. Wimsatt scored the next nine points for OHS — including a deep 3 from the top of the key and a steal that led to a big two-handed jam — as they ended the first period with a 16-10 advantage.
The Aces found success by driving inside, and they got within 25-21 midway through the second frame on a tough make by Brian Griffith.
Over the next two minutes, Amari Wales scored six points during an 8-0 run that stretched Owensboro’s lead to 12 points, but Catholic closed the gap to 33-25 by halftime.
Griffith and Ji Webb each hit a bucket and a pair of free throws during a run that trimmed the deficit to 38-33 with 5:08 to play in the third, but it was all Red Devils the rest of the way.
A 12-3 Owensboro run featured a pair of 3-pointers by Cayman Powell, and they entered the fourth quarter with a 50-38 lead.
The last threat by Catholic came after a steal set up a 3-pointer by Gray Weaver to get the Aces within 11 points with 3:40 to play, but Carbon converted an and-1 at the other end. After a dunk by Webb, OHS got inside buckets by Wimsatt and Wales for a 16-point lead with 1:55 to go.
Though the Aces were able to battle early, they simply wore down as the game wore on. Even when they turned the ball over and missed shots in the first half, Catholic was able to at least force Owensboro to set up their offense.
“They didn’t hurt us transition defense,” said Aces head coach Tim Riley. “We got back and got in front of them. That’s how they generally beat people, by steals and turnovers and bad shots leading to fast breaks. I didn’t think they killed us with that.”
But they ultimately didn’t have enough. Andrew Riney sprained his ankle in the opening minutes and was limited the rest of the game. Webb picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter and had to watch as OHS built their lead back up.
With the OHS defense focusing on Griffith, Weaver picked up a lot of the ball-handling duties early. Weaver started strong, but the constant pressure was taxing.
“He got tired. They wear on you,” Riley said. “We can’t have Brian bring the ball up every trip and then be a scorer. We tried to get the ball out of his hands some and let some other people bring it up, but he’s got to get it back since he’s our leading scorer.”
Wimsatt finished with a game-high 20 points, while Wales and Carbon added 16 each. Jaiden Greathouse led OHS with seven rebounds and scored seven points.
Webb and Weaver paced Catholic with 13 points each and Griffith finished with 12. Webb also grabbed 12 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Riley is confident heading into the region tournament.
“Our record down the stretch doesn’t show it, but since our last Owensboro game (a loss on Feb. 14) I’ve been proud of how the way we played,” he said. “We just have to keep playing like we’ve done.”
For Owensboro, Drake said his veterans have the team prepared for another deep postseason run.
“This group of seniors has only lost one ball game to the region in two years,” he said. “As far as preparation, they know how to handle it. These upperclassmen have done an excellent job with these younger guys. It’s hard to play younger guys without strong seniors.”
BOX SCORE
OCHS 10-15-13-12—50
OHS 16-17-17-16—66
OCHS (50): Ji Webb (13), Gray Weaver (13), Brian Griffith (12), Drew Hartz (6), Andrew Riney (4), Sam McFarland (2)
OHS (66): Gavin Wimsatt (20), Amari Wales (16), Kenyata Carbon (16), Caymen Powell (6), Jaiden Greathouse (6), Trey Hinton (2)
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