Fullcourt pressure from Owensboro and a monster second half on both ends of the floor proved to be the deciding factor in a 95-77 win over Butler County on Saturday night, sending the Red Devils to the 3rd Region Championship for the first time in three years.
A transition layup for senior Cayman Powell and then an offensive rebound and putback from senior Ji Webb got the night started for Owensboro, as Powell later hit a three to take an 8-2 lead with 6:22 to go in the first quarter after sophomore Trevor Deweese got a tip-in to put the Bears on the board. Butler County began to piece things together though, as a fastbreak bucket for standout sophomore guard Ty Price later knotted things up at 14-14.
The Red Devils responded quickly though, as a transition layup for freshman Jonathan Moss, a tough finish by senior Kenyatta Carbon and two more Powell’s seven first-quarter points led to a 6-0 run and a 20-14 lead over Butler County with 1:55 to go in the quarter. The Bears got a fastbreak bucket with 30 seconds to go in the half to end the two-minute scoring drought, but had them still trailing Owensboro 20-16 heading into the second quarter.
A deep three from Price helped Butler County cut it to a 25-23 deficit a few minutes into the second, but once again the Red Devils caught steam, as a pair of threes from senior Talas Taylor led to a 10-2 run and 35-25 lead with 2:50 to go in the first half. Following a short intermission for an injured referee—who was able to get up on his own and finish the game—Owensboro carried its momentum into the locker room with seniors Carbon (nine), Ji Webb (seven) and Taylor (six) combining for all 22 of the team’s points in the quarter to hold onto a 42-33 lead.
They didn’t skip a beat coming out of the break either, as the Red Devils got a three and a transition finish from Powell to cap off an 8-0 run and take a 50-33 lead with 5:35 to go in the third quarter. Owensboro went on to hold the Bears to single digits in the quarter as well, taking a 66-42 lead going into the fourth.
Price was held to just two technical foul free throws in the third quarter, as the Red Devils kept up the fullcourt pressure and were constantly sending double teams at him to make him work for clean looks. Forcing a number of turnovers as well in the process, Owensboro Head Coach Rod Drake thought they handled guarding Price well despite his game-leading 41 points.
“[Take away his space], that’s what we were trying to do,” Drake said. “We took him out of the game. We made him give it up and made somebody else get the ball. Those other guys, no disrespect, they’re not used to making plays. He’s their guy… He’s a heck of a ballplayer. We did a decent job on him.”
The fast-paced style of play continued in the fourth, as the Red Devils momentum never swayed and helped them close out a 95-77 win and secure their spot in the 3rd Region Championship for the first time in three years.
Owensboro took over the game in the second half, as their defensive intensity for 94 feet led had them playing their style of basketball and eventually wore down Butler County.
“Our conditioning [was big],” Drake said. “We got at their legs and we were shooting uncontested layups, three-on-ones, four-on-ones. We got up in them and once we established our style of play getting down the floor [we excelled].”
The Red Devils had plenty of contributors on the offensive end, as Carbon led the way with 20 points while sophomore Dayshawn Sanders (18), Powell (15), senior Ethan Pendleton (14) and Moss (11) all finished in double figures. Getting it done in nearly every facet of the game, Drake is happy to see his team playing true Owensboro basketball at the right time.
“I thought Cayman played really well,” Drake said. “Dayshawn did as well. Starters did too. It was a total team effort. I’ve been preaching to these guys that it’s going to take everybody in that room.”
The Red Devils will see Owensboro Catholic in the 3rd Region Championship at 7 p.m. on Tuesday—which is who they faced the last time they made the 3rd Region Championship in the 2019-20 season—taking them on for the fourth time this season. Owensboro was bested in two regular season games this year, before topping the Aces in the 9th District Championship 69-55.
Looking to grab their first 3rd Region Championship in four years, Drake and company know that they will have to be as sharp as possible mentally and physically to come out on top Tuesday.
“We’re going to have to get fired up for this one,” Drake said. “They’ll be ready to play. We’ll just have to come back and look at the film of the last two games we played and go from there… They’re very patient on offense and they scrap, so we’re going to have to be ready to play.”
