Apollo holds off late Daviess County surge to advance to district final

February 22, 2022 | 12:04 am

Updated March 21, 2022 | 5:58 pm

Photo by Gage Johnson

In the first round of the KHSAA Girls’ Basketball State Tournament, Daviess County played host to Apollo at Luther Beatley Court. Though the Lady Panthers secured the #2 seed in the final district game of the regular season, it was Apollo who was in control of the game from start to finish on Monday night. The E-Gals held off a late surge from the home team to advance to the third region tournament next week by a final score of 51-44.

To open the scoring in the game, Apollo senior Shelbie Beatty converted two free throw attempts with 7:08 to play in the first quarter after being fouled by Zoey Beehn. Beatty and fellow senior playmaker Amaya Curry combined for 35 of their team’s 51 total points in the contest, including 14 of their team’s 19 first-half points. 

Following Beatty’s free throw makes to open the game, Daviess County answered by way of an  Adylan Ayer layup, before Gracie Survant nailed her only three-point attempt of the night to put the E-Gals back on top at 5-2. Jenna Dant chipped in a jump-hook with a friendly roll before a Daviess County timeout was called by head coach Stephen Hale with his team trailing 7-2 early. Though the home team was playing from behind early, the atmosphere at Daviess County High School was all you could ask for in a game with so much riding on the outcome. 

After playing out a hard-fought opening quarter, Apollo took an 11-9 lead into the second period of play. Early in the second quarter, Lady Panthers senior Katie Mewes nailed her second jump shot of the night to tie the score at 11-11. Unfortunately for Daviess County fans, the ball did not make its way through the hoop for the rest of the quarter, save for an Ayer layup and a single Mewes free throw. The cold offensive display, coupled with a solid performance from Amaya Curry ensured a 19-14 lead for the E-Gals heading into halftime. 

Following the break, Apollo remained hot from the field, opening up a 28-16 lead with 5:00 left in the third quarter after a Shelbie Beatty 3-pointer. The lead did not last long, however, as Daviess County quickly responded with a 13-6 scoring run to cut the deficit to just five points at 34-29 by the end of the quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, freshman Lily Hoagland nailed a deep three-pointer with 5:50 remaining in the game making it a 38-36 ballgame. Beatty answered for the E-Gals with a huge 3-point play on the other end, less than two minutes after Hoagland’s big shot, stretching the lead to six at 43-37. 

As Daviess County chipped away once again, the play of the night came from Amaya Curry with 1:52 to go in the game. The senior guard converted a huge three-point play after driving in from the left wing and knocking down a 15-foot jump shot through contact. The E-Gals did not allow Daviess County another opportunity to tie the game, maintaining at least a two-possession lead as time dwindled down.

After the game, Apollo head coach Natalie Payne was ecstatic with her team’s commitment to the game plan and their performance down the stretch. 

“I felt like our kids were really focused tonight,” Payne said. “When you get into this environment where it’s win-or-go-home, you need that. It came down to getting consecutive stops in the game, and our kids were really focused on getting rebounds on the defensive end and limiting them to one shot per possession. They stuck to the game plan and executed really well.” 

For Stephen Haile, his first season at the reigns for Daviess County resulted in a winning season, despite a tough loss Monday. He remarked on his team’s great effort in the loss following the game.

“We didn’t come out like we did last game against them,” Hale said. “We dug ourselves too big of a hole and just couldn’t get over the hump tonight. The girls played hard and I’m proud of the effort they gave, it’s too bad that it didn’t go our way tonight. We haven’t had a winning season in a while, and I told the girls we should hold our heads high after a great season of basketball. I’m proud of our two seniors and how hard they played and what they contributed to our program during their careers and I’m excited to continue to be a district contender next year.” 

Seniors Ella Payne and Katie Mewes played their final game for Daviess County on Monday night. Mewes finished the game with 15 points, while Ella Payne provided much-needed defensive help on both Beatty and Jenna Dant at various times throughout the game. The Lady Panthers will return all other players next season. 

Up next for the Apollo E-Gals is a tough ninth district championship matchup with the Lady Aces of Owensboro Catholic on Thursday night. Catholic defeated Owensboro by a final score of 58-31 on Monday.

February 22, 2022 | 12:04 am

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