Getting a strong fourth quarter performance as a team defensively and an impressive display of marksmanship from junior Brian Griffith, the Aces were able to secure their spot in the 3rd Region Tournament and cut Daviess County’s season short with a 57-40 win.
Owensboro Catholic had all momentum coming out of the gates, using a fadeaway from junior Parker Gray to grab a 15-6 lead with 2:09 left in the first quarter.
However, the Panthers held them to one basket for the remainder of the quarter and got a tough three from sophomore Gage Phelps to cut their deficit to 17-9 going into the second.
Phelps continued his strong play in the second, slowly helping Daviess County chip away at the lead. A jump stop and a bucket kickstarted an 11-0 run for the Panthers, which he finished with a layup to give them a 24-22 lead with 1:20 left in the quarter.
Junior Brian Griffith immediately responded with a three to put Owensboro Catholic back in charge and they went halftime holding onto that 25-24 lead.
The atmosphere at Daviess County High School was electric when both teams came out of the locker room, as the Panthers and the Aces traded buckets back and forth. Owensboro Catholic grabbed the first four points of the third, but Daviess County came roaring back.
After clawing their way back to a one-possession game, junior Jack Payne drilled a three to give the Panthers a 31-29 lead with 4:30 left in the third. But Griffith immediately responded with a three to give the Aces the lead again and they held on and went into the fourth up 38-33.
The Panthers were able to grab the first bucket of the fourth, but a crucial turnover and foul—in which senior Devonte McCampbell had a costly goaltend—helped Owensboro Catholic start a solid run.
Four straight turnovers to open the fourth quarter contributed to a 12-0 run that was capped off by two threes from Griffth, giving the Aces a 50-35 lead with 4:06 left to play. Owensboro Catholic’s run was extended to 17-0—getting a plethora of steals from sophomore Tutt Carrico—helping slowly close the door on a 57-40 win.
“One big stat that we talked about, is Tutt had six steals in the second half,” Head Coach Tim Riley said. “Those are huge. Those are big time plays. A couple of them we got baskets off of and I mean it was just disruptive to them.”
Hitting four threes in the second half, Griffith led all scorers with 23 points on the night, while junior Ji Webb chipped in 15. Trying to find his way to the charity stripe in the first half, Griffith had struggled.
However, he let the game come to him in the second half and a 12-point fourth quarter to help lead the Aces to a spot in the 9th District Championship.
Riley said that in his 25 years of coaching he’s never seen a kid put so much work in using the gun and getting up shots and that it paid off tonight.
“He tries too much to draw fouls really to make baskets,” Riley said. “So he goes in there and he wants to draw a foul rather than make a basket. But ultimately, he made his [25 points] from shooting jumpshots… Those shots he was shooting, those were his gun shots.”
Having extended its postseason run with the win over Daviess County, the Aces are thrilled to be recognized amongst the best in the 3rd Region and ready to compete with Owensboro for the district championship at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“The big key at this place is just representing,” Riley said. “Getting to the tournament, you know probably the best team is going to be the opposite of you. So, let’s just see what happens.”
Meanwhile, Phelps led the Panthers as the only player who registered double figures, finishing the night with 18 points. McCampbell struggled and was limited to seven points, which affected their floor spacing and ability to create an inside-out offense in the second half.
“We knew they were going to sit down on Devonte and be really physical, so we needed some perimeter scoring and Gage can do that,” Hayden said. “We just needed more production from Devonte.”
Daviess County faced adversity with losing their leading scorer and rebounder in Cole Burch and McCampbell stepped up in a big way to help them finish out the season. Along with seniors Isaiah Tomes and Max Dees, Hayden couldn’t be more proud of his upperclassmen.
“Devonte has been here one year and from where he started to where he is now is night and day,” Hayden said. “Isaiah and Max have been here for four years and Isaiah I’ve known since the day he was born. Just couldn’t be more proud of two guys who love this school.”
Despite leaving the postseason earlier than they would’ve liked and ending the season with an 11-17 record, with talent like eighth grader Jonathan Moss, Phelps and more, Hayden is excited for the future.
“I love our guys,” Hayden said. “I’m sad for the three guys we’re losing. I like the direction of our program all the way down to the feeder teams at our elementary level… I like who we are and what we’ve got coming.”
