The Lady Panthers grabbed its first win of the season on Tuesday, while the Lady Devils used some clutch fourth quarter free-throw shooting to move to 2-0.
Daviess County vs. Hancock County
Outside of a rough second quarter, Hancock County’s defense was no match for Daviess County as they had four players finish in double figures en route to a 75-66 road win to open the season.
The Lady Panthers came out of the gates clicking offensively, with junior Adylan Ayer and freshman Lily Hoagland combining for 15 of their 22 points in the first quarter. The duo nearly outscored the Lady Hornets themselves, as Daviess County owned a 22-16 going into the second quarter.
However, the Lady Panthers were not able to find that same offensive success in the second quarter, as they were limited to just seven points.
Hancock County wasn’t on fire by any means, but junior Bailey Poole was almost single-handedly leading the charge for the Lady Hornets in the quarter.
She had eight of their 11 points in the quarter, but despite this they still trailed Daviess County 29-27 going into the second half.
The Lady Panthers offense returned to form in the third quarter, as junior Madison Spurrier rattled off eight points in the quarter to lead Daviess County to a 51-41 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Hancock County did everything in its power offensively to try and make a comeback, outsourcing the Lady Panthers 26-24 in the fourth quarter.
However, they were unable to stifle Daviess County’s offense as Spurrier (eight) and junior CJ Paige (eight) combined for 16 points in the fourth to close out its first game of the season with a 75-66 win.
Hoagland led the way for the Lady Panthers with 17 points, while Ayer (16), Spurrier (16) and Paige (15) all finished in double figures.
Opening up the season 1-0 Daviess County now turns its attention to the Independence Bank Tip-Off Classic, in which they will take on Meade County at Owensboro Catholic at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
Owensboro vs. Ohio County
A strong fourth quarter and some clutch free-throw shooting gave Owensboro its second straight win to start the season, defeating Ohio County 57-53.
The Lady Eagles got out in front early, looking to pick up a road win in their first game of the season. Led by senior Camden Sandefur who scored half of the team’s points, they headed into the second quarter owning a 12-9 lead over the Lady Devils.
Living in the paint and at the free throw line, Owensboro bounced back in the second quarter to take a 21-20 lead into the second half.
The game remained a heated battle that looked like it would go down to the wire in the third quarter, as Sandefur grabbed six points once again for Ohio County as they were able to gain a narrow 38-37 lead going into the fourth.
In a final quarter full of free throws, that is ultimately what determined the game in the end. This was especially true for the Lady Devils who were without one of their leading scorers in sophomore Alyrica Hughes after she fouled out.
While it was a team effort as Owensboro went 7-10 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, it was junior Chandler Worth who went 4-4 from the line—where she scored half of her eight points in the quarter—in the final two minutes to secure the 57-53 win over Ohio County for the Lady Devils.
Thanks to a trio of threes on the night junior Lindsey Gibson led Owensboro with 14 points, while Hughes (12), sophomore Lizzy Phillips (11) and Worth (10) all finished in double figures.
The win moves the Lady Devils to 2-0 on the season, as they prepare for their second home game of the season when they host Evansville Christian at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
