Senior Kenyatta Carbon eclipsed the 20-point mark for the eighth straight game as Owensboro grabbed another win on Wednesday and Trinity (Whitesville) counted on its upperclassmen to grab a win over Evansville Day, while Apollo, Daviess County and Owensboro Catholic fell in its respective matchups.
Owensboro vs. University Heights
Carbon was cooking offensively once again for the Red Devils on Wednesday, finishing the First United Bank Holiday Classic at 2-1 with a 71-61 win over University Heights.
The senior guard helped Owensboro get off to a strong start in the first quarter, grabbing 11 of the team’s points to take a 17-13 lead into the second. Carbon didn’t let off either, tallying eight more points as the Red Devils proceeded to take a 33-31 lead into halftime.
Owensboro didn’t slow down offensively either, as Carbon got some help from fellow seniors Talas Taylor and Ethan Pendleton had strong second halves to defeat University Heights 71-61. Carbon finished the night with 27 points, while Taylor (17), Pendelton (11) and AP Mitchell (11) all scored in double figures.
Owensboro advances to 8-3 overall with the win, as they now turn their attention to a 3rd Region matchup with Trinity (Whitesville) on Dec. 28 at the Sportscenter.
Daviess County vs. Taylor County
Gage Phelps, Denver Dickens and Evan Hillard’s combined 50 points wasn’t enough on Wednesday, as Daviess County ultimately fell to Taylor County 66-58.
The Panthers found themselves trailing 18-12 following a slow start in the first quarter, but were able to turn things around in the second. Dickens played a big role in that, scoring 10 points to help them cut the deficit to 35-30 going into halftime.
But Daviess County still couldn’t find an answer on the defensive end in the second half, as Taylor County outscored them en route to the 66-58 victory. Jackson Wise (18) and Keeton Clements (17) combined for 35 points in the win, while Layken Lyons added 11.
Phelps led the way for the Panthers with 20, while Dickens had 16 and Hillard had 14, serving as the only players to score more than three points on the night. Daviess County falls to 2-6 overall with the loss, as they will look to bounce back against Metcalfe County at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins
The Aces couldn’t find an answer for Madisonville-North Hopkins in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, as they suffered their first loss of the season at 68-61.
Behind another strong game from senior Brian Griffith and some sharp three-point shooting, Owensboro Catholic went into the fourth quarter holding a 47-39 lead. But the Aces were only able to hit one from beyond the arc, while Griffith grabbed all seven of his points in the fourth from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, Marcus Eaves (nine) and Tre Carvey (eight) combined for 17 of 29 points for Madisonville-North Hopkins in the fourth, as Owensboro Catholic couldn’t slow them down and ultimately lost 68-61.
Eaves led the way with 17 points for the Maroons, while DeAaron Watkins followed with 16 points. Griffith led all scorers with 25 points on the night, while Gray had 15 as the only other Ace in double figures.
Owensboro Catholic had its eight-game winning streak snapped with the loss, as they will now look to bounce back against Fleming County on Dec. 28 at 7:15 p.m.
Apollo vs. Walton Verona
The Eagles struggled on both ends of the floor on Wednesday, as Walton Verona handed them an 88-45 loss in the Capital City Holiday Classic Tournament.
Apollo didn’t have an answer defensively for Julian Dixon (29) and Aaron Gutman (28) combined for 57 of the Bearcats points, while Max Montgomery followed with 16 in the win. Senior Donte Dixon was the only Eagle to score in double figures in the contest, tallying 19 points in the loss.
Apollo falls to 0-7 with the loss, as they look to grab their first win of the 2022-23 campaign when they take on Greenwood at 3 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Trinity (Whitesville) vs. Evansville Day
The Raiders bounced back to open up the Independence Bank Classic, getting strong play from its seniors in the second half to grab a 68-60 win over Evansville Day.
Narrowly trailing 34-32 entering the third quarter, Trinity got a combined 18 of its 19 points from seniors Landon Smith (10) and Nolan Mills (8) to take a 51-45 lead going into the fourth. In the final quarter it was fellow senior Landon Huff that helped the Raiders seal the deal, as he scored 10 of their 17 to fend off Evansville Day in the 68-60 win. Smith led the way with 22 points, while Huff followed with 19 and Mills finished with 11.
Trinity improves to 4-2 overall with the win and is now looking ahead to its 3rd Region matchup with Owensboro on Dec. 28, as their matchup with Evansville Reitz on Wednesday was canceled because of weather conditions.
