The Lady Panthers snapped its losing streak and Apollo secured consecutive wins for the first time this season on Thursday, while Owensboro Catholic struggled offensively in its second loss of the season.
Daviess County vs. McLean County
The Lady Panthers defensive efforts paired with a strong game from senior Adylan Ayer helped them snap a five-game losing streak on Thursday, defeating McLean County 48-35.
By holding the Lady Cougars to single digits in the first and matching them with 10 points in the second, Daviess County had built a narrow 22-18 lead going into halftime. The Lady Panthers were only able to score eight in the third, but were able to hold McLean County to two buckets to make it a 30-22 lead going into the fourth.
It was then that Ayer scored 11 of her team-leading 20 points, helping Daviess County wrap up the 48-35 win in the fourth. The Lady Panthers now sit at 3-6 overall with the win, as they will look to keep rolling against Westmoreland at 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 27.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Pikeville
Owensboro Catholic’s offensive struggles came back to bite them on Thursday, as Pikeville was able to stifle them in a 55-45 win to close out the Queen of the Commonwealth tournament.
Both teams got off to a strong start in the first, as the Lady Aces drilled six threes—with sophomore Karmin Riley hitting three of them—while the Lady Panthers hit four as the two went into the second quarter tied at 24-24. But Owensboro Catholic slowed down in the second, being held to single digits while Pikeville hit two more threes en route to a 36-31 halftime lead.
The two teams matched each other with just nine points in the third, but the Lady Aces were held to single digits for the third consecutive quarter in the fourth. They tallied five points with one three in the quarter, as their struggles led to the 55-45 loss.
Riley and junior Hailee Johnson were the only players to finish in double figures on Thursday, finishing with 14 and 12 respectively. Owensboro Catholic falls to 10-2 with the loss, as they will look to bounce back at home against Webster County at 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 29.
Apollo vs. Ohio County
The E-gals grabbed back-to-back wins for the first time this season on Thursday, as freshman Kennedy Lane and juniors Jenna Dant and Jennifer Lee combined to match Ohio County themselves offensively in a 56-35 win.
Led by eight points from Lee, Apollo was able to build itself a 26-18 lead going into halftime. The E-gals caught fire defensively coming out of the locker room, holding the Lady Eagles to five while Lane (seven) and Dant (four) combined for 11 points to take a 40-23 lead into the fourth.
Apollo had more than enough momentum to wrap up the win in the fourth, getting contributions from a number of players to complete the 56-35 victory. Lane led the way with 15 points, while Lee and Dant added 10 points each.
The E-gals improve to 3-7 overall with the win, as they will look to continue their winning ways against Menifee County to kick off the First Bank Holiday Bash at 7 p.m. on Dec. 28.
