With the regular season come and gone, Owensboro, Apollo, Daviess County, Owensboro Catholic and Trinity (Whitesville) boys basketball teams will begin their postseason journeys this week.
Apollo vs. Owensboro
Serving as the No.1 seed, Owensboro will look to remain undefeated against Apollo in the first round of the 9th District Tournament.
The Red Devils currently sit at 19-7 overall and 6-0 in district play, while the Eagles are currently riding a 15-game losing streak and are 2-25 overall and 0-6 in district play.
Owensboro was victorious in both of the regular season matchups between the two, winning the first game at a score of 87-53. The Red Devils had four players finish in double figures in the game, getting 28 from senior Amari Robinson-Wales, 18 from junior Kenyatta Carbon and 10 each from juniors Cayman Powell and Dylon Talbott.
Apollo was led by senior Jaden Kelly’s 17 points on Dec. 17, while junior Zjhan Tutt and sophomore Eli Masterson both registered 12 each.
It was much of the same for the Eagles when they took on Owensboro on the road, falling 94-35 on Feb. 5. Kelly led the way again with 12 points, while Masterson was only able to grab 11.
On the other hand Robinson-Wales and Carbon were putting on an offensive showcase, scoring 27 and 24 points respectively en route to the win.
Apollo will need to find a way to stifle the Red Devils dynamic offense and create some of their own, while Owensboro will look to stick to its winning ways and remain undefeated in district play. The two are set for 7 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday, playing at Daviess County High School.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Daviess County
After splitting their two regular season matchups, Owensboro Catholic are set for one last grudge match in the first round of the 9th District Tournament.
Coming into the postseason, Daviess County sits at 11-16 overall and finished 3-3 in district play. The Aces district record is identical, while owning a 16-11 overall record.
In the first game between the two on Dec. 17, the Panthers came away with a 65-60 win on the road. Junior Cole Burch and sophomore Gage Phelps chipped in 17 points each.
Without juniors Brian Griffith and Ji Webb healthy, junior Parker Gray poured in 31 points and sophomore Tutt Carrico tallied 14.
The second time around was a much different story, as the trio of Griffith (21), Webb (20) and Gray (10) combined for 51 of the team’s points en route to a 69-60 win. Without Burch in this matchup, senior Devonte McCampbell (20), junior Jack Payne (14) and sophomore Gage Phelps (11) tried to step up in order to earn the comeback win.
Daviess County will be without Burch once again, as he suffered a season-ending leg injury about a month ago. The Panthers will rely on McCampbell as a playmaker and scoring threat, a role he has continually improved in during Burch’s time away.
Meanwhile, Owensboro Catholic will focus on gameplanning with its big three in the upcoming matchup with an emphasis on closing out the game. This will be key, as Daviess County nearly came back to defeat the Aces from down 20 in the matchup on Feb. 7.
The Panthers will host Owensboro Catholic in the first round battle, as the two are set for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday.
Trinity vs Edmonson County
Trinity (Whitesville) will look to avenge its most recent loss to Edmonson County, when the two face off for the third time this season in the first round of the 12th District Tournament.
The Raiders are 1-1 against the Wildcats this season, opening up the duels with a 67-55 win on Jan. 14. Junior Landon Huff led the way with 15 points in this game, while senior Bailey Wright chipped in 14 and junior Landon Smith had 11 points.
Edmonson County got 24 points from Braden Wall in the first matchup, as Trace Taylor was the only other player in double figures with 14 points.
Third quarter struggles ailed Trinity the second time around, as they were unable to pull off a fourth-quarter comeback and fell 62-58 in double overtime.
Junior Landon Huff led the charge once again for the Raiders with 21 points, while junior Nathan Hernandez followed with 18 points. Wall finished with 21 points to lead the Wildcats in their second matchup as well, while Tyler Anderson followed with 14 points.
If the first two matchups are any indication, both teams will rely on its offensive core while trying to limit the others en route to a win in the grudge match during the postseason.
The two are set for a first round battle in the 12th District Tournament on Tuesday, as they are set to tip-off at 6 p.m. at Butler County High School.
