Jumping out to a quick 20-4 lead over Apollo in the 9th District Tournament, Owensboro Catholic never took their foot off the gas, closing out the game 64-34 and punching their ticket to the 3rd Region Tournament.
Taylor Mannahan stole the show early, drilling three threes and scoring 11 of her game-high 18 points in the opening quarter.
“We got off to a good start, and I thought Taylor played really well,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Michael Robertson said. “We had Katie for six assists and six steals, and Claudia also had six steals. Taylor was a menace and she shot the ball well. I was just proud overall. We had a lot of girls come in off the bench and I think they all contributed in some form or fashion.”
Taking a 20-7 lead into the second quarter, Mannahan continued to terrorize the E-Gals, scoring seven points to put her team up 37-17 at halftime. Robertson was able to go to his bench early and often, with Hallie Boarman, Skye Riley, Betsy Moore, Scarlett Isenbarger, and Sadie Blair all making their presence felt.
Claudia Muncey was second on the Lady Aces in scoring with 17 points, Layla Martin hit a pair of threes to go with her 10 points, and Katie Hagan finished with six points.
For Apollo, LaShay Vera led the way with a team-high 14 points, Taylor Mattingly finished with nine points, and Maleah Potter had four points.
Off until Thursday, the Lady Aces will return to action against Daviess County in the 9th District Championship.
“It feels good to advance,” Robertson said. “I feel like this is the hardest game because if you lose this game, you go home and you are done. This is an important game, especially when we had a season like we’ve had. So, we really wanted to make sure that we were able to get this win, move on, and see what we can do in the 3rd Region Tournament.”
