The Red Devils had four players finish in double figures, while freshman Jonathan Moss shined in his debut to fend off senior Kaleb Keown and Hancock County in a season-opening 76-71 home win.
While it was the Hornets who got the first point of the night by going 1-2 from the line early, it was Owensboro who was able to grab the first big lead with a 7-0 run to make it a 7-1 ballgame with 5:35 left to go in the opening quarter. Hancock County was able to respond swiftly though, getting a pair of threes from senior Ryan Ogle later in the quarter to reclaim the lead at 13-10.
The Hornets 7-0 run had given them a 17-10 lead as the first quarter winded down, taking the lead into the second quarter at 17-12 despite a buzzer-beating layup as Moss hit Red Devils’ sophomore Keaton Hughes.
Owensboro got right back to work to start the second quarter, getting a quick 9-0 run capped off with a nifty move from senior Kenyatta Carbon to take the lead back at 19-17 with just under seven minutes left in the first half. The Hornets tied it up at 19-19 shortly after with a layup, but the Red Devils were able to stay out in front as the quarter progressed despite a 7-0 run by Keown himself to cut their deficit to 29-26 with 3:38 left in the second quarter.
Owensboro remained in charge though, continuing to turn defense into offense and taking a 41-36 lead into the locker room. The Red Devils were able to hang onto the lead for most of the third quarter, but after 11 points in the second quarter Keown kept firing.
He grabbed eight of the Hornets 20 in the third quarter, including the buzzer-beating three that evened the contest up at 56-56 going into the fourth. Owensboro managed to reclaim the lead shortly after, but were going to be challenged defensively for the rest of the night after putting Hancock County in the bonus and having senior Ryan Ogle cut their lead to 61-58 with 5:32 left to play.
Keown and the Hornets continued to battle Owensboro for a chance at the lead, getting another layup from the senior to make it a 66-64 deficit with two minutes to go. But the Red Devils had the answer once again, as Moss broke down the zone and found senior Ethan Pendelton down low for a layup and a 68-64 lead with 1:40 to go.
Hancock County called a timeout afterwards looking to regroup and get a bucket to make it a one-possession game, but Carbon forced the steal and Moss finished it to make it a 70-64 lead for Owensboro. This would be the proverbial dagger, as the Hornets continued to battle back by earning points at the charity stripe but ultimately fell to the Red Devils 76-71.
Owensboro Head Coach Rod Drake was thrilled with the season-opening win, knowing that they were dealt a tough test at home to begin the year.
“I told our guys, I’ve got them as a top-five team in our region,” Drake said. “It’s a quality season-opening opponent. They’re a veteran squad… I thought it was a good win for us.”
Moss led the way with 19 for the Red Devils, while Sanders finished with 15 points off of the bench, Taylor had 14 and Carbon had 12 en route to the win. With football players such as Pendleton and senior Jeremiah Goodwin paired with a number of newcomers, Drake is excited for the depth the team has and looks forward to trying to wear down teams as the season progresses.
“Moss and Dayshaun Sanders [played well],” Drake said. “I thought Dayshaun came off the bench and gave us some quality minutes, Ethan was able to [also]. Everybody that played tonight contributed at some point and that’s what we gotta be. Some nights some guys are gonna score and some guys are going to rebound, but overall I was pleased with it.”
Defensively Owensboro faced foul trouble throughout the game, but with wanting to play aggressive and get up and down the floor Drake and company aren’t too worried about it.
“The way we play, we want to foul,” Drake said. “I thought we did well. We’ve only got a few guys who know what they’re doing, because those guys that came in late they played a couple years ago and of course it’s not there. But we’ll get there. As long as we hustle and pay attention to what’s going on in practice I think we’ll be alright.”
Keown was a recipient of a number of free throws on the night, finishing the game as the leading scorer with a whopping 29 points. He was the clear standout for the Hornets on the night, while fellow big Ogle (18) and senior Devyn Powers (12) both finished in double figures as well.
“He’s (Keown) a pretty tough kid,” Drake said. “He shot the ball well and he’s physical. He’s been around for a long time, so if you’re going to come back that’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s the way to do it.”
It’s a sharp start to the season for the Red Devils, beating one of the best teams in the 3rd Region in a hard fought win at home. Drake is thrilled with the outcome and is looking forward to getting better over the next two days before returning to the floor Friday on the road against Evansville Christian at 7 p.m..
“Our preparation was good for this game,” Drake said. “We’ve had a few scrimmage games, but not against a team like that that can shoot the basketball. Especially with bigs that can shoot the basketball and brought us out on the floor. They exploited a few things, so we’ll go back and look at the video and come back tomorrow and get ready for Evansville Christian.”
