Apollo grabbed its first win of the season and Owensboro nabbed a comeback win, while Daviess County fell in its respective matchup.
Apollo vs. Nelson County
Apollo’s defensive effort as a team in the second and third quarter made the difference, as the Eagles defeated Nelson County 56-44 for their first win of the season.
With a number of players chipping in offensively, the Cardinals were able to grab an early lead at 15-12 going into the second quarter.
After trailing in the first quarter, Apollo was able to make up some ground and tie things at 24-24 by holding Nelson County to single digits in the second.
The Eagles defensive prowess continued to show in the second half, as they held the Cardinals to eight points in the third quarter.
On the offensive end sophomore Eli Masterson scored eight of Apollo’s 19 as they were able to take a 43-32 lead going into the fourth.
Inching closer to their first win of the season the Eagles were able to hold on in the fourth, outscoring Nelson County 13-12 en route to a 56-44 final score.
Eight different players scored for Apollo, with Masterson leading the way as the only player in double figures with 14 points.
The win is a big one for the Eagles, as they get over the hump and now sit at 1-9 on the year.
They will look to make it two in a row on Thursday, as they will wrap up the Magnolia Bank Holiday Classic.
Owensboro vs. McLean County
Despite trailing the vast majority of the game, a strong fourth quarter allowed Owensboro to complete a 59-49 comeback win over McLean County.
Led by Jaxon Floyd’s 13 points in the first, the Cougars held the Red Devils to single digits and took a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.
Holding Floyd to four points for the remainder of the first half, Owensboro was able to make up some ground and went into the second half trailing 28-24.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the third quarter, with both teams looking to swing momentum their way in the game.
While the Red Devils had the slight edge, they remained behind at a score of 38-35.
In the fourth quarter Owensboro ramped up the intensity offensively, forcing its way inside time and time again.
These efforts led the Red Devils to the charity stripe repeatedly, going 14-19 in the quarter.
This was responsible for the majority of their 24 points, as it propelled Owensboro to a 59-49 lead after limiting McLean County to 11 points.
Floyd led all scorers with 22 points, serving as the only Cougar to finish in double figures.
It was the usual suspects leading the way for the Red Devils, as junior Kenyatta Carbon finished with 19 points, while senior Amari Wales finished with 14 points.
The win improves Owensboro to 9-3 on the season, as they will look to grab back-to-back wins with a matchup against Castle at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Sportscenter.
Daviess County vs. University Heights Academy
Unable to muster up enough offense in the final three quarters, Daviess County was unable to bounce back in the fourth and fell to University Heights Academy 56-53.
Getting solid outings in the first quarter from senior Devonte McCampbell and junior Cole Burch, the Panthers took a 14-9 lead.
The Blazers were able to make up some ground in the second quarter, scoring 13 points to trail 24-22 at halftime.
UHA continued to play strong offensively in the third quarter, taking the lead at 37-36 after narrowly outscoring Daviess County by three in the quarter.
The Panthers did their best to fight its way back to a lead in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t stop the Blazers as they battled their way to a 53-50 win.
Burch led Daviess County with 15 points on the night, while sophomore Gage Phelps followed closely behind with 14 points.
The loss extends the Panthers losing streak to three games, as they now sit at 4-6 overall.
Daviess County will look to turn things around when they take on Union County at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
