Playing in front of a boisterous Owensboro home crowd, Jonathan Moss finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists to power Daviess County past their rival 75-47 and keep the Panthers undefeated in 9th District and 3rd Region play.
“I thought we had some good energy in the first half,” Daviess County Head Coach Neil Hayden said. “I thought in the second half we turned it over too much.”
The Panthers got out to a slow start, before ending the first quarter with a 13-5 lead. In the second quarter, the starting five of Jonathan Moss, DeAaron Watkins, Michael Acton, Davyn Randolph, and Lemontae Ratcliff combined for 25 points, pushing the lead at halftime to 40-21. Moss took over in the third quarter, hitting three threes and scoring 11 of his 21 points.
Owensboro had its best scoring output in the third quarter with 16 points – six points coming courtesy of Tre Shemwell. The fourth quarter was a low scoring affair between the two rivals, but Watkins led the way scoring seven of his 20 points in the final frame.
Watkins finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and two assists, and in his first game against his former team, Michael Acton finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Davyn Randolph was the driving force for the Panthers, grabbing 10 boards and continuously putting his body on the line by diving for loose balls.
“I thought Davyn played really hard,” Hayden said. “He ended up with 10 rebounds. I thought he flew around and got on the floor. I thought he was really good and played really hard. He was very efficient.”
Shemwell led the way for Owensboro with 10 points, and DaMarcus Ganaway Jr. and Jamil Waddy both recorded eight points.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday when Owensboro heads to Hancock County and the Panthers host Meade County.
Lady Panthers hold off Lady Devils
Leading 40-36 entering the fourth quarter, Daviess County’s Kennedy Lane showcased her ability to score at multiple levels, hitting a three, repeatedly finishing in the lane through contact, and pulling up from midrange. The senior scored 14 of her game-high 29 points down the stretch in the Lady Panthers 62-47 win over Owensboro.
“I thought we were a little sloppy at times,” Daviess County Head Coach Natalie Payne said. “I was disappointed in our turnovers because I felt they were unforced. Just some silly stuff that we need to clean up if we want to compete with the best of the best. But we have been shooting the ball very well.”
Daviess County jumped out to an early 17-12 lead and pushed it to 32-24 entering halftime, but were unable to fully pull away due to the Lady Devil’s Olivia Hogg. The sophomore scored 11 of her team-high 21 points in the first half and was a machine on the boards. Payne acknowledged that her team didn’t do a great job of guarding her.
The Lady Devils’ defense held Daviess County to eight points in the third quarter – cutting the lead to four points entering the final frame. Payne credited her team’s turnaround in the fourth quarter to locking in on the defensive end.
“I think that they dialed in on the defensive end and we started getting consecutive stops,” Payne said. “We always preach three stops in a row. We got out and ran and got some things in transition.”
Lane, Riley Hayden, and Briley Henry combined for all 62 of the Lady Panthers’ points on an impressive 21/30 shooting. Hayden hit a pair of threes and added 20 points, while Henry finished with 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
For the Lady Devils, Abby Sapp was second on the team in scoring with 15 points, and Unique Carter-Swanagan added eight points.
It is a quick turnaround for both teams as later today, Daviess County travels to Muhlenberg County High School to play Graves County, while Owensboro hosts Meade County.
