Turnovers proved to be the E-gals achilles heel on Friday night, as the Lady Panthers clawed their way back to a 66-61district win behind their fullcourt pressure and an impressive fourth-quarter performance from senior Adylan Ayer.
Apollo and Daviess County relied on its guard play to kickstart things in the first quarter, with E-gals freshman Kennedy Lane drilling three from deep en route to 14 points and a pair of threes en route to eight points for Lady Panthers senior Adylan Ayer. Lane’s marksmanship proved crucial, helping Apollo take a 21-18 lead into the second over the Lady Panthers.
Both teams continued to trade points back and forth to start the second, including Ayer giving Daviess County a 22-21 lead with an offensive rebound and layup with seven minutes to go in the first half. The E-gals were able to grab the lead back with 4:43 to go in the first half though, as eighth grader Abby Sapp drilled her second three of the quarter to make it 30-27.
Despite drawing her third foul late in the second, Sapp also had a key rebound and was fouled at the buzzer. She proceeded to sink 1-2 at the line, giving Apollo a 38-33 lead over Daviess County at halftime.
Both teams slowed down offensively in the third, but it was the E-gals who still had a slight edge up 49-43 looking for their first district win of the season heading into the fourth. But with just over two minutes left to play, the Lady Panthers utilized some fullcourt pressure and began to close the gap.
It was a 7-0 run by Ayer herself that did the trick, as she grabbed a pair of steals in the process to knot things up at 59 after converting an and-one with 1:32 to go. Apollo was able to reclaim the lead shortly after thanks to a pair of free throws, with Lane being sent to the line on the following possession after a quick stop on the other end.
Lane—who led Apollo with a whopping 33 points on the night—was unable to sink the first of the one-and-one, as Daviess County charged down the floor and got a massive three in the corner from none other than Ayer to take a 62-61 lead. The E-gals proceeded to turn it over with a travel on the ensuing possession, as the Lady Panthers then sank key free throws to solidify their first district win of the season at 66-61.
Daviess County Head Coach Stephen Haile was less than pleased with how his team started the night, but was proud of the persistence they showed in clawing their way back towards a tough win on the road.
“We didn’t play very well to start the game in the first half and even the third quarter, but I’m proud of the way we fought back and won the game,” Haile said. “Too many times this year we’ve been in the same situation and we’d lose the game 10-15 points and we just made some plays and clutched up when we had to come back and win the basketball game.”
The Lady Panthers were catapulted to success thanks to their fullcourt press with a little over two minutes left in the contest, as they were able to turn things around after they were unable to execute it early on.
“We were planning on pressing in the beginning of the basketball game,” Haile said. “We came out and did, but we didn’t do a very good job of it. We lost 15 too many times in transition and then lost 22 in the corner about four times… We can’t pressure all game long. That’s just not the team I’ve got right now. We’ve kind of got to pick our spots… At the end we just picked it up and the girls started making plays.
Ayer played a big part at the front of the press for the Lady Panthers, helping her grab 17 points in the fourth and 31 total to lead the way while sophomore Zoey Beehn added 13, senior Madison Spurrier added 11 and freshman Briley Henry added nine. Haile was proud of the senior guard’s ability to adjust late, taking advantage of a physical game by getting to the line and going 6-6 in the fourth and 8-8 on the night to earn the win.
“She really carried us on her shoulders the last three or four minutes of the game,” Haile said. “When she puts her head down is going to get to the rim [she’s tough to stop]. That’s what I told them, ‘the way the referees were calling the game you’ve gotta get to the rim.’ They were calling the handcheck. They were calling it pretty tight… She’s a great free throw shooter, so any time she can get to the free throw line that’s also a plus for us.”
This was the first of two regular season district matchups between Daviess County and the E-gals, as Haile and company had some added motivation coming in after their 2022 season was ended by Apollo. Haile said that with that in mind and the goal of going 4-2 in district, tonight was a must win for the Lady Panthers.
Daviess County now sits at 7-10 and 1-2 in district play following the win, as they will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they take on Pulaski County at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The E-gals on the other hand fall to 5-13 and 0-3 in district play, as they’ll look to bounce back from back-to-back home losses on the road against Evansville Bosse on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.
