The Red Devils and Eagles fell in their respective matchups on Saturday, as Trinity moved to .500 with two wins and Owensboro Catholic grabbed a win with Ji Webb back on the floor.
Owensboro vs. Warren Central
Defensive struggles in the first quarter and struggles at the charity stripe in the third ultimately led to Owensboro’s demise on Saturday when they fell to Warren Central 71-64.
The Red Devils had themselves a solid first quarter offensively with 20 points, but were unable to stop the duo of Jaiden Lawrence and Chapelle Whitney.
The two combined for 17 of the team’s 27 in the quarter, helping them take a 27-20 lead going into the second.
Owensboro was able to limit the duo to just four points in the second quarter, helping them make up some ground but still trailing 40-36 going into halftime.
In the third quarter Lawrence came alive again for the Dragons, scoring 10 of their 16. Meanwhile, the Red Devils were only able to notch 11 points, while missing some opportunities at the line thanks to a 2-9 mark.
Trailing 56-47 in the fourth quarter, senior Amari Wales did all he could do to put together a comeback attempt for the Red Devils.
He scored 13 of the team’s 17 points in the fourth, but the hole they had dug themselves was too deep as Warren Central secured a 71-64 win over Owensboro.
Wales led all scorers with 27, while Lawrence followed closely behind with 25 points to lead the Dragons. The Red Devils and Warren Central had three players finish in double figures.
The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for Owensboro, as they will look to bounce back when they take on Evansville Reitz at 5:15 p.m. at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Monday.
Apollo vs. Murray
Murray locked down Apollo’s offense in the second and third quarter on Saturday, as the Eagles fell 72-43 on the road.
Trey Boggess and Caleb Gill came out the gates ready to take control of the game for the Tigers, as they combined for 15 points in the first quarter to help them lead the Eagles 23-16 going into the second quarter.
Murray tallied just 13 points in the second quarter, but Apollo was only able to muster up four points—all coming from the free throw line—and went into halftime trailing 36-20.
The Eagles were limited to single digits again in the third quarter, only scoring nine points and heading into the fourth down 55-29.
With momentum completely on their side, the Tigers wrapped things up well in the fourth quarter to hand Apollo a 72-43 loss.
Boggess led all scorers with 18 points, while Gill followed closely behind with 17 points. For the Eagles, junior Jaren Stites and sophomore Eli Masterson were the only players in double figures with 11 points each.
Apollo’s losing streak now sits at eight straight games, as they will have plenty of time to recoup with its next game coming against Rockcastle County on Dec. 28 at 3 p.m.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Butler County
In his first game of the 2021-22 season, junior Ji Webb led Owensboro Catholic in scoring as they grabbed a narrow 50-48 victory over Butler County on the road.
It was a slow start to the ballgame as the Aces grabbed a 12-8 lead going into the second quarter, but then Webb made his presence known.
The junior forward was the focal point of Owensboro Catholic’s offense in the second quarter, rattling off 12 of the team’s 18 points while limiting Butler County to seven points en route to a 30-15 lead at halftime.
The Aces offense didn’t have the same success in the third quarter, as the Bears made up some ground and trailed 37-30 going into the fourth.
Despite Jagger Henderson’s 10 points in the fourth and Butler County’s best efforts to mount a comeback win, Owensboro Catholic was able to hang on and came away with a 50-48 win.
Webb led all scorers with 18 points, while junior Parker Gray had 14 points and sophomore Tutt Carrico finished with 12 points.
The win moves the Aces to 3-5 as they will look to stay strong when they take on Graves County at 7:15 p.m. on Monday.
Trinity vs Columbus Hawks (Game one)
With a balanced offensive attack remaining steady throughout the game, Trinity (Whitesville) was able to defeat Columbus 61-49 in its first game of the Louisville Christmas Classic on Saturday.
The trio of Landon Smith, Landon Huff and Nolan Mills led the way for the Raiders in the first quarter, combining for 13 points en route to a 17-11 lead going into the second quarter.
Columbus and Trinity traded buckets back and forth in the second quarter, but it was the Raiders who had a slight edge and went into halftime owning a 29-22 lead.
Holding the Hawks to just eight points in the third quarter, Trinity was able to extend its lead to 42-30 going into the fourth. There the Raiders matched Columbus point for point, closing the game out and grabbing a 61-49 victory.
Huff led the way with 13 points for Trinity, while juniors Gavin Howard and Nolan Mills both finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Trinity vs. St. Francis
A strong third quarter was the difference maker for the Raiders in their final game of the Louisville Christmas Classic, as they defeated St. Francis 63-48.
Trinity and St. Francis went blow-for-blow in the first half, with the Raiders owning a slight edge en route to a 30-28 lead going into the third quarter.
However, Trinity’s offense erupted coming out of the locker room, earning 23 points with Huff’s seven points leading the way.
Meanwhile, they were able to limit St. Francis to just 10 points in the quarter and went into the fourth owning a 53-36 lead.
St. Francis outscored the Raiders 12-10 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late as Trinity was able to secure the 63-48 win.
Huff led all scorers with 17 points on the night, while Mills was the only other player to finish in double figures with 10 points for the Raiders.
Trinity closed out the Louisville Christmas Classic with a 2-1 record, moving them 4-4 overall on the season. They will look to carry this momentum into the St. Mary Christmas Classic, as they are set to take on Ballard Memorial at noon on Monday.
