The Red Devils finished the regular season off strong with a road win over Henderson County, while Trinity, Daviess County and Apollo fell in its respective matchups on Thursday.
Trinity vs. McLean County
A slow start offensively in the second half ultimately came back to bite the Raiders on Thursday, as McLean County’s offense pushed them to a 57-49 comeback win.
The Cougars had a 14-11 lead going after the first quarter thanks to eight points from Brodie Cline, but the second was a much different story.
Cline was silenced in the second, while McLean County was limited to seven points as a team. Meanwhile, Trinity had cracked double digits once again and were able to claim a 22-21 lead going into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room the Raiders didn’t have the same success offensively, as they were held to single digits. For the Cougars, Cline had come alive again with six points and helped them reach 20 points in the quarter to take a 41-30 lead into the fourth.
Trinity was able to bounce back and outscore McLean County in the fourth, but the Raiders had no answer defensively. The Cougars were able to get 16 points, sealing the deal on a 57-49 win.
Cline led all scorers with 16 points on the night, while junior Nathan Hernandez and senior Bailey Wright led the Raiders with 15 and 11 points respectively.
The loss sends Trinity into the postseason riding a three-game losing streak and owning a 16-13 record overall, as they are set to take on Edmonson County at 6:30 p.m. in the first round of the 12th District Tournament on Feb. 22.
Daviess County vs. Union County
Turnovers and struggles at the charity stripe were key factors in a 78-75 Daviess County loss against Union County in its regular season finale.
It was a back-and-forth affair all night long, as neither team was able to outscore the other by more than two points. That is, outside of the first quarter in which Union County had a narrow 16-13 lead.
Trailing 36-33 at halftime the Panthers didn’t give up, trying to claw its way back in the second half 42 points. However, they were unable to stifle the Braves, as they matched Daviess County’s offensive output en route to a 78-75 win.
The Panthers (8-17) and Union County (9-18) were prolific from deep, but the difference was in points off of turnovers and at the free-throw line. The Braves were shot 75% at the charity stripe (9-12) as opposed to Daviess County’s 59% (13-22), while Union County won the points off of turnovers battle 16-3.
The loss is the Panthers second straight, as they sit at 11-16 overall to finish the regular season. Now they have five days to prepare for the postseason, as they will go to battle with Owensboro Catholic at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 in the first round of the 9th District Tournament.
Apollo vs. Christian County
Unable to score more than nine points in any quarter minus the third, Apollo closed out the regular season with a 66-44 loss on the road to Christian County.
Getting five of their eight points from sophomore Eli Masterson, the Eagles found themselves trailing by just one after the first. But the Colonels caught fire in the second, getting a combined 11 of their 17 points from Derrell Bateman (six) and Breland Morrison (five) to take a 26-16 lead at halftime.
Apollo was determined to make up some ground offensively coming out of the locker room, having its biggest quarter of the night. They rattled off 19 points, getting 15 from junior Zjhan Tutt (nine) and senior Alex Morphew (six).
However, Christian County hadn’t slowed down either, getting 12 points from beyond the arc alone and taking a 51-35 lead into the fourth. The Colonels left no doubt on who the victor would be in the fourth, outscoring the Eagles once again en route to their 66-44 win.
Bateman led Christian County with 16 points, while Jordan Miles (12) and Morrison (10) also finished in double figures. Tutt led all scorers with 17 points, while Masterson was the only Apollo player to score more than six with 15 points on the night.
The Eagles head into the postseason riding a 15-game losing streak and sit at 2-25 overall, as they will take on Owensboro at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the first round of the 9th District Tournament.
Owensboro vs. Henderson County
A strong second half helped push the Red Devils past Henderson County for a 52-46 road win to close out the regular season on Thursday.
With the guard trio of senior Amari Robinson-Wales, junior Kenyatta Carbon and sophomore Chris Glover combining for 10 points, the Red Devils found themselves just out in front 10-9 following the first.
However, a balanced attack from the Colonels quickly turned things around, as they rattled off 16 points in the second. Holding Owensboro to single digits, Henderson County was able to take a 25-19 lead at halftime.
The Red Devils were able to find their rhythm again on the offensive end in the third, outscoring the Colonels 16-11 to cut it to 36-35 going into the fourth. It was there that Owensboro’s starting guard trio was clicking once again.
Glover led the way with eight of his 10 points in the quarter, while Robinson-Wales and Carbon chipped in four each to give the Red Devils its strongest quarter on the night at 17 points. Defensively Owensboro was able to limit Henderson County to 10 points, helping them wrap up a 52-46 win.
Robinson-Wales led the way with 17 points on the night, while Carbon followed with 12 and Glover finished in double figures for the second time in three games.
The Red Devils close the regular season sitting at 19-7 overall, as they are set to take on Apollo at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the first round of the 9th District Tournament.
