The Owensboro girls’ basketball team stayed perfect on the season by notching an important 9th District win, taking down Daviess County 53-79 Friday night.
The Lady Devils (6-0, 1-0) used a quick start to get an early lead on the Lady Panthers (0-3, 0-1), and head coach Jansen Locher said he was thrilled with his team’s execution on both ends of the floor in what he considers to be a momentum-building win for his program.
“It feels good to get the first win in our district campaign this year,” Locher said. “None of the girls on my team have ever beaten Daviess County in high school basketball. To come out and win on the road like this is a big step for our program in the direction we are headed. Mykael Winstead led the charge for us, and she was our catalyst tonight. She was really our offensive and defensive leader the whole game.”
Winstead led the way with 20 points, 18 of which came before halftime. Owensboro pushed their lead to 12 at breck and extended it to 22 points by the end of a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Lady Panthers 16-6 during that span.
For Owensboro, their only real adversity came in the first quarter. Trailing 8-7 with 3:20 left on the clock, Locher was forced to take a timeout on the heels of a 3-point jumper by Daviess County’s Emma Anderson. Winstead closed the quarter by scoring eight of her team’s 13 points and assisting Lyric Lawrence on another basket.
“We played together as a team and we probably played better tonight than we have so far this year,” Winstead said. “My teammates encouraged me to shoot the ball in the first half and our intensity as a team was really good tonight.”
Despite an unfavorable final score, Daviess County head coach John Kirkpatrick did not feel as if the game was a complete loss. After complimenting the job of the Owensboro coaching staff and players, he talked about the fight he witnessed from his girls.
“We’ve got some hard workers and some really good kids,” Kirkpatrick said. “I know they are going to be ready to get back in the gym to prepare for our next game Monday. We did some things well, but we will get better as the year goes on. Rebounding and taking care of the ball will be our focus in practice this weekend and I look forward to seeing how the girls respond against South Spencer in our next game.”
Leading the way for the Lady Panthers was freshman Ella Payne with 11 points. Daviess County remains a young team with plenty of upside, only rostering two seniors this year. As the lone seniors leading through experience, Claire Johnson and Kailey Bowers added five points and seven points, respectively.
Owensboro Stats:
Mykael Winstead, (20 points), Tayonna Greer, (12 points), Nia Gonzo, (11 points), Amaya Curry, (10 points), Lyric Lawrence, (6 points), Lamiya Greer, (4 points), Kaylyn Sowders, (4 points).
Daviess County Statistics:
Ella Payne, (11 points), Kailey Bowers, (7 points), Brooklyn Daugherty, (6 points), Shealynn Mason (6 points), Claire Johnson (5 points), Jersey Vanover (5 points), Millie Roberts, (3 points), Emma Anderson, (3 points), Katie Mewes, (2 points), Brianna Zoglmann, (1 point).
Looking Ahead:
Daviess County will host South Spencer in a border battle at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Owensboro hits the road Tuesday night, traveling to Christian County to face the Lady Colonels at 5:30 p.m.
