The 3rd Region boys’ tournament kicks off today, and defending champion Owensboro is playing like the team to beat — though there are a handful of teams nipping at their heels.
The Red Devils (19-10 overall, 11-1 region) had a bit of a slow start to the year, but they have been on a roll down the stretch. They won six of their final seven games — with an average win margin of 17.2 points — and the lone defeat was a last-second 62-61 loss to Bowling Green.
Key to success for OHS has been a renewed focus to their style of basketball along with the development of their young players.
“Early in the year, we struggled bad defensively. We were in ball games trying to outscore people,” said head coach Rod Drake. “Our record could very well be a lot better than it is. But everybody has grown up. Everybody improved through the process. We’ve been through that before with a young group, and it’s paying off.”
Owensboro’s deep roster makes them possibly the most dangerous team in the field. Senior Jaiden Greathouse (12.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) leads the team despite coming off the bench. Senior Amari Wales (12.7 ppg), sophomore Gavin Wimsatt (12.3 ppg) and freshman Kenyata Carbon (9.2 ppg) can also take over in any game and lead them to a win.
“We’ve got an old but new team,” Drake said. “It’s going to be a new experience for these guys. Right now everybody is excited about (the tournament) and I hope we can continue having fun doing what we’ve been doing — playing hard and don’t lose focus.”
The Red Devils play a 6 p.m. game Thursday against Meade County. They did not meet in the regular season.
Owensboro Catholic head coach Tim Riley said he’s glad to be on the opposite side of the bracket from OHS, but he knows anything can happen.
“I think Owensboro is the clear favorite right now because of they way they’re playing, but that’s why you throw the balls up,” he said.
Despite going 1-5 over their last six games, Riley is happy with how the Aces (18-14 overall, 12-5 region) are playing.
“I think we’ve played our best basketball since the Owensboro game,” he said, referencing a 77-55 loss on Feb. 14. “Friday night (in the district championship) our lack of depth hurt us, but I wasn’t disappointed with how hard we played and how we competed.”
Senior Andrew Riney (6.9 ppg) suffered an injury early in the district championship but played through it. As of Saturday, Riley was unsure how available Riney would be for their tournament opener.
“We’re pulling for Andrew to get healthy because he’s very much a glue guy,” Riley said. “He plays multiple positions for us and allows us to do a lot of different stuff because he knows every position on the floor.”
Other key contributors for Catholic are the sophomore duo of Brian Griffith (16.8 ppg) and Ji Webb (13.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) as well as senior Drew Hartz (11.6 ppg).
The Aces will play at 6 p.m. today against Butler County. The teams met once this season, with Catholic claiming a 66-56 home victory.
The Aces are making their fifth straight appearance in the region tournament, and they’ve won their first-round game each of the last four years. Riley isn’t taking anything for granted, though, and said Butler County has the talent to challenge Catholic.
“They’ve got a nice team and Parker Rice is a really outstanding player,” Riley said. “They’ve got some size. We’re familiar with them. We’re alive, but we’ve got to win.”
See below for more info on the rest of the teams in the tournament. Click here for a tournament schedule.
TEAM INFO (by district)
Muhlenberg County (19-11 overall, 12-2 region) — 10th District champion
The Mustangs have won 11 of their last 12 games and should be among the top title contenders after going 7-1 against teams making the tournament. They use a fairly balanced attack, with Nash Divine (15.2 ppg) leading the team in scoring and Hayden Perkins (7.7) leading on the boards. A stingy defense and ability to close out close games has fueled their success.
McLean County (21-11 overall, 9-7 region) — 10th District runner-up
Though their record against the region is mediocre, the Cougars can’t be taken lightly after knocking off Ohio County — one of the region favorites — in the first round of district play. Logan Patterson (18.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg) leads the way for McLean, who was up and down much of the season before winning seven of their final eight games.
Breckinridge County (20-9 overall, 18-3 region) — 11th District champion
The Fighting Tigers played 21 of their 29 games against region opponents and largely had success. While they had some blowout victories, they lost to each of the top three teams in the standings and five of the wins came by seven points or less. Four players average at least eight points, and Kaeveon Mitchell (24.4 ppg) leads the way.
Meade County (10-16 overall, 6-8 region) — 11th District runner-up
The Green Wave only have one win against a team in the tournament (Grayson County), and they’ve suffered some one-sided losses against the top contenders. Mitchell Dozier (14.8 ppg) leads the team, but Meade has one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the region and doesn’t have a deep roster. They also haven’t won more than two games in a row this year.
Butler County (21-9 overall, 13-6 region) — 12th District champion
The Bears started the season 8-0 but were up and down the rest of the way. Though their versatile offense kept their scoring floor high, Butler struggled against the top competition in the region. Parker Rice (19.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg) leads the offense, while three others also average at least eight points per game.
Grayson County (10-21 overall, 8-11 region) — 12th District runner-up
The Cougars started the year 5-19 before going 5-2 down the stretch, and their only win against a team in the tournament was a 47-45 overtime victory against Butler County. Grayson also averages the fewest points of any team in the field. Nolan Shartzer (17.7 ppg, 5.8) leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
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