Owensboro and Daviess County fell in its respective road matchups on Saturday, while Owensboro Catholic’s trio of juniors in Brian Griffith, Parker Gray and Ji Webb led them to victory.
Owensboro vs. Greenwood
Playing without its dynamic junior guard Kenyatta Carbon, Owensboro wasn’t able to stifle Greenwood senior Cade Stinnett en route to a 73-54 loss.
Cade got right to work in the first quarter, grabbing 10 points and getting help from senior Hunter Raymer’s two threes to combine for 16 of the Gators’ 21 points.
Greenwood was able to keep the Red Devils from getting anything going offensively, thus sending them into the second quarter owning a 21-13 lead.
Cade didn’t miss a beat in the second quarter, scoring nine of the Gators’ 17 points. Nearly matching Owensboro’s productivity on the offensive end himself, Stinnett and Greenwood took a 38-24 lead into halftime.
The second half wasn’t a different story for the Red Devils, as they struggled to find a way to halt the Gators offensive momentum.
While Cade still led the charge, Greenwood’s balanced attack in the second half led them to outscoring Owensboro 35-30 and walking away with a 73-54 win.
Cade led all scorers with 32 points, while Raymer chipped in with 11 points, junior Lofton Howard put up 11 points and senior Brakton Stinnett put up nine.
Senior Amari Robinson-Wales was the only Red Devil in double figures with 18 points, while junior Cayman Powell and freshman Will Hume chipped in eight points each.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for Owensboro, as they will look to regroup before hitting the hardwood against Grayson County on the road at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Owensboro Catholic vs. McLean County
With junior Brian Griffith putting up a season-high 32 points, the Aces were able to defeat McLean County 59-52 to win the 3rd Region All-A Championship.
Griffith and junior Parker Gray kickstarted Owensboro Catholic’s offense in the first quarter, as the two combined for all 13 points and gave the Aces a 13-6 lead to open the second.
Owensboro Catholic struggled to get much going in the second, as Griffith scored all seven of the team’s points. While the Cougars made up some ground by outscoring them in the quarter, they still trailed the Aces 20-15 at halftime.
McLean County’s offense picked up even more steam coming out of the locker room, with a number of players getting on the team’s 18 points. But Griffith and junior Ji Webb kept the Cougars from gaining a lead and sent them into the fourth in charge 37-33.
The Aces ramped up the intensity on offense in the fourth, practically living at the charity stripe. Griffith went 9-10 at the line, while the team went a combined 16-19.
McLean County’s offense improved once again like it had in each quarter of the game, but the hole they had dug themselves at the beginning of the night was too steep and they fell to Owensboro Catholic 59-52.
Griffith led all scorers with 32 points, while Webb finished with 13 points and Gray followed with 12 points to combine for 57 of the Aces’ points.
Winning the 3rd Region All-A Championship, Owensboro Catholic now sits at 7-8 overall on the season and is riding a two-game winning streak.
Now the Aces will have a few days off before returning to action, hosting Webster County at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Daviess County vs. Ohio County
Second and third quarter struggles ultimately led to the Panthers downfall on Saturday, as their late comeback attempt fell short and Ohio County grabbed a 64-61 win.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter, as Daviess County and the Eagles matched each other for a 17-17 tie.
Ohio County was able to limit the Panthers to just 11 points in the second quarter and took advantage of the opportunity to create some separation. Scoring 17 points again, the Eagles earned a 34-28 lead at halftime.
Ohio County didn’t take its foot off the gas coming out of the locker room, exploding for 22 points in the third. Limiting Daviess County to 12 points, the Eagles took a commanding 56-40 lead into the fourth.
The Panthers weren’t going down without a fight despite an insurmountable lead for Ohio County, rattling off 21 points in the fourth.
Daviess County’s defense was also clicking, holding the Eagles to single digits. However, the Panthers fell just shy of overcoming their previous struggles and fell to Ohio County 64-61.
The Eagles were able to win despite losing the turnover battle 17-10, controlling the glass 29-20 and shooting 53% from beyond the arc to fuel their offense.
Daviess County shot 47% from the field overall, as sophomore Gage Phelps led the way with 15 points, while junior Cole Burch followed closely behind with 13 points.
The loss marks five straight for the Panthers, with the last three’s margin of defeat being three points. Now owning a record of 4-8 overall, Daviess County will look to bounce back when they travel to take on Breckinridge County at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
