As Apollo double-teamed Jonathan Moss throughout the first half, Daviess County’s DeAaron Watkins capitalized. The big man started his outing with a three before facing his way into the paint.
After scoring five points in the first quarter, he exploded for 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second quarter – including a pair of thunderous dunks. On the other side of the ball, he grabbed nine defensive rebounds and swatted five shots – making life a living nightmare for Apollo’s offense.
The outcome – an 83-47 win over the Eagles for Daviess County’s second straight 9th District Championship.
“I felt like we played great, we shared the ball, took great shots, and locked down on defense,” Watkins said. “We stayed in front of our man and competed.”
As Apollo doubled Moss early to start the game, Daviess County responded with four threes, taking a 20-12 lead into the second quarter.
“We had seen that from them, and we were ready for a lot of different stuff,” Daviess County Head Coach Neil Hayden said. “So, I am really proud of our guys for just playing the game.”
Halfway through the second quarter, the Eagles stopped doubling Moss – who quickly found his stride.
The senior pulled up for two midrange shots, nailed a three, and finished his second quarter with another two. After only scoring two points in the opening eight minutes, he scored nine of his 20 points in the second – pushing the Panthers halftime lead to 46-23.
Landon Henning led the way for the Eagles in the opening half, scoring nine of his 11 points, while Tate Powers, who didn’t score in the first quarter, responded with five points in the second quarter. Powers hit a pair of threes in the third quarter, and Carlos Cruz added four points, but the Eagles were unable to chip away at the lead.
Scoring just six points in the first half, Michael Acton took over the game after halftime – scoring 14 points. The junior attacked the rim with ease, scoring through contact multiple times and slamming a dunk on a fast break.
Hayden acknowledged that this was the best his team had played in a few weeks, which bodes well for a Panthers team that enter the 3rd Region Tournament with high aspirations.
Watkins finished with 21 points 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, Moss added 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists, and Acton recorded 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and one block.
Henning and Powers both led Apollo with 11 points, Cruz scored 10 points, and Kayden Green added eight points.
Both teams have punched their ticket to the 3rd Region Tournament, with the draw set for later this morning.
