Burch, offensive rebounding in second half leads Panthers past Trinity

December 1, 2021 | 12:04 am

Updated November 30, 2021 | 11:44 pm

Winning the battle of the boards led to a strong second half offensively for Daviess County, as the Panthers grabbed a 62-44 win over Trinity (Whitesville) on the road.

The game got off to a slow start for both teams, as the Raiders held a narrow 7-6 lead going into the second quarter.

Both teams started to figure things out offensively in the second quarter, as junior Cole Burch chipped in six of the Panthers’ 12 in the quarter.

However, it was the Raiders who had a slight edge thanks to a trio of threes that accounted for nine of the team’s 13 in the quarter, with two coming from junior Nathan Hernandez and one coming from junior Gavin Howard. This allowed Trinity to walk into the locker room owning a 20-18 lead over the Panthers.

After controlling the boards in the first half, the Raiders weren’t able to sustain that success in the second.

The Panthers came out of the locker room playing much more aggressive and controlling the glass—something Head Coach Neil Hayden emphasized at halftime—which led to a strong offensive third quarter.

Burch was a huge factor in their success on the glass, as he earned them countless second chance points. He had seven points in the quarter and helped Daviess County hit three of its four threes on the night to take a 38-30 lead into the fourth.

Trinity Head Coach Nathan West said the change in the leader in the rebounding battle was a major part of why Daviess County had such a strong offensive second half.

“They got more second chance points,” West said. “That’s kind of what separated it. With that they got a couple putbacks, they got some fouls, they got some in and out threes—which are some of the best kinds of threes you can get. They started getting clean looks because we had guys crashing.”

With some newfound success at the line in the fourth quarter as well as continued dominance on the boards, the Panthers’ offense was reeling and led them to a 62-44 win over the Raiders on the road.

Hayden was pleased with Daviess County’s performance, saying that they defeated a strong team after shaking off the first-game jitters.

“They’re long in some spots and they play really hard,” Hayden said. “Nathan’s got a really good team. I thought we settled in and kind of got the emotions of the first game out of the way and just played.”

The Panthers were able to hold Trinity to 32% from the floor, while limiting them to 6-18 from deep on the night. Hayden said the key for their defensive success was being in sync with one another at all times.

“We knew they were going to put us in some ball screens and dribble handoffs, so we just wanted to be really good and move as a team together,” Hayden said. “I thought we did that and stayed out on some of their better players.”

Hernandez and junior Landon Huff led the way for the Raiders on the night, finishing with 11 points each.

Meanwhile Burch led Daviess County with 21 points and eight rebounds while helping the team have a balanced attack on the offensive end.

“He just moves,” Hayden said. “He does so many things that are just instinctive to him, so I don’t want to take any credit for what he does. He just moves around and plays hard. He kind of was a spark plug for his teammates because he has such high energy and has a knack for slashing to the basket and getting extra shots off of rebounds.”

Hayden said he was pleased with the way the Panthers played as one cohesive unit all night and how they closed out the game strong.

“We’ve been talking about finishing, so I was most happy with that,” Hayden said. “It was a team win. Everybody did something that was extremely important. That’s my biggest takeaway. I was just really proud of us collectively.”

On the other hand West knows that Trinity could’ve played better in the season opener, noting that they seemed a tad uncomfortable at times offensively.

“We’re still figuring out how to be a great team,” West said. “We didn’t look as good as we have in practice or even in our scrimmages. I think there was a little bit of nerves since it was the first game. We were passing up some shots that we have been taking.”

West is still pleased with the team’s performance and feels that they will be a force to be reckoned with as the season progresses. For now, the Raiders turn their attention to a home matchup with Calloway County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Meanwhile Daviess County owns a 1-0 record to start the year, but will be faced with a tough opponent when they host Warren Central at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

“They’ll be one of the best teams in the state,” Hayden said. “They are long and they’re really guard-oriented. They’re going to pressure us the entire time. It’s going to be a challenge for us, but it’s good for us at the same time.”

December 1, 2021 | 12:04 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like