Owensboro and Owensboro Catholic both grabbed wins heading into its district matchup on Friday, as the Eagles and Panthers fell in their respective matchups on Tuesday.
Owensboro vs. Grayson County
Trailing at halftime the Red Devils battled its way into an extra period of basketball, ultimately coming away with a 62-60 overtime victory against Grayson County.
The Cougars jumped out to a 16-12 lead following the first quarter, as they were able to limit Owensboro’s offense to the guard duo of Amari Robinson-Wales and Kenyatta Carbon.
The two teams went blow-for-blow in the second quarter, matching each other’s production with 13 points each. However, Grayson County’s first quarter advantage gave them a narrow lead as they were out in front 29-25 at halftime.
Fueled by Carbon’s nine points, the Red Devils came alive out of the locker room. This offensive outburst from Owensboro quickly shifted the momentum of the game, as they went into the fourth leading 41-39.
The Red Devils were clinging onto their lead for much of the fourth, as the Cougars refused to go away and surrender a loss on their home court.
Grayson County’s efforts eventually paid off, as they were able to sink two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to play to tie the game at 51-51 and force overtime.
While the Cougars relentlessness in the fourth and in overtime got them near a win, Owensboro was able to secure the lead and hang on to grab a 62-60 victory.
Carbon led all scorers with 21 points on the night, while Robinson-Wales finished with 15 points and junior Dylon Talbott finished with 10 points.
The win moves the Red Devils to 11-4 overall, as they are set for a tough district matchup with Owensboro Catholic at home at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Webster County
A strong first half set the tone for the game, as the Aces put on an offensive showcase en route to a 77-61 win over Webster County on Tuesday.
Owensboro Catholic wasted no time getting going offensively, with a number of players getting involved en route to 26 points. Junior Brian Griffith accounted for 10 of the 26, while the Aces went into the second quarter owning a 26-19 lead.
The offense saw a dip in production in the second quarter, but Owensboro Catholic’s defense stepped up and held the Trojans to single digits to own a 38-24 lead at halftime.
Webster County tried to make up some ground in the third quarter by outscoring the Aces 20-16, but a strong fourth quarter helped Owensboro Catholic easily secure a 77-61 home win.
Griffith led all scorers with 27 points on the night, junior Ji Webb followed closely behind with 17 points and junior Parker Gray grabbed 10 points.
With a three-game winning streak under their belt, the Aces now sit at 8-8 overall and will look to stay strong in a tough road district game against Owensboro at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Daviess County vs. Breckinridge County
Unable to muster up much offense in the first half, the Panthers weren’t able to dig themselves out of a hole as they fell to Breckinridge County 58-40.
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, as junior Cole Burch scored all eight points for Daviess County as they went into the second up 8-5.
Burch was responsible for all of the Panthers offense again in the second quarter—all four points—while the Fighting Tigers picked things up and went into halftime owning a 23-12 lead.
Daviess County’s misfortunes offensively disappeared in the second half, but they were unable to stop Breckinridge County’s offense as they fell 58-40.
The Panthers struggled from the field, shooting 35% overall while going 2-18 from beyond the arc. Burch led Daviess County with 16 points, while sophomore Gage Phelps finished with 11 points.
The loss extends the Panthers losing streak to six games, as they fall to 4-9 overall and will look to bounce back with a home district win against Apollo at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Apollo vs. Hopkins County Central
Failing to find a way to stop Hopkins County Central’s potent offense, four players finished in double figures as the Eagles fell 68-55 on the road.
The Storm had the slight edge early, grabbing a narrow 18-12 lead going into the second quarter. Apollo was able to slow down Hopkins County Central in the second, but were unable to make a big leap offensively as they trailed 31-24 at halftime.
The Eagles kept up its improvement on the offensive end in the third, but so did the Storm as they extended their lead to 51-39 going into the fourth.
Apollo fought its way to the line time and time again in the final quarter of play, but Hopkins County Central matched them as they remained out in front to grab a 68-55 win in front of its home crowd.
Junior Marcus Eaves led all scorers with 20 points, while junior Trevor Weldon finished with 14 points, sophomore Drake Skeen had 13 and senior Wesley Morris had 12 for the Storm.
Sophomore Eli Masterson led the way for the Eagles with 19 points, while junior Jaren Stites followed with 14 points on the night.
Suffering back-to-back losses, Apollo drops to 2-12 overall and will look to turn the tides with a district win when they take on Daviess County at 7 p.m. on Friday.
