A nail-biting end to the district championship saw Owensboro Catholic beat Daviess County by a single point at 61-60 to lift the title. Luke Beickman had a big 33-point performance with multiple crunch time shots to lift the Aces over the Panthers. Both teams also had players named to the All-District Team. Beickman along with Daviess County’s Jonathan Moss were named Co-Players of the Year. The All-District Team included:
- DeAaron Watkins (DCHS)
- Tutt Carrico (OCHS)
- Dayshaun Sanders (OHS)
- Keaton Hughes (OHS)
- Gage Phelps (DCHS)
The score going into the fourth was 44-42 with the Panthers before Vince Carrico tied it up with the first bucket of the quarter. After Watkins scored in the post to take the lead for DC, Beickman dribbled to the free throw line before backing into his defender and shooting a turnaround jumper to tie it up. This was the first of Beickman’s crucial shots in the fourth quarter. He scored 16 of Catholic’s 19 points in the quarter.
Bieckman scored on a cut to the basket after OCHS got a stop on the following play. Jonathan Moss made 2 free throws to take the lead at 50-48, and Gage Phelps euro-stepped through the lane for a layup following a stop on the next possession. The 4-point cushion didn’t last long as Waryn Ebelhar’s free throws brought it back to a one point lead. Watkins scored in the post, but Beickman hit a big three pointer to tie the game at 54-54 with just a minute and a half left in the game.
Free throws played a big role in the next minute of play as both teams were in the bonus, and their defenses did not allow any easy buckets. After Ayden Ayer, Watkins and Moss all made 2 free throws each the Panthers lead was at 60-56 with about 25 seconds left. Beickman came in clutch once again by hitting a heavily contested three pointer to make it a one point game with 18 seconds remaining. Dre’mail Carothers got a crucial steal immediately on Daviess County’s inbound pass, and the Aces called a timeout just in the nick of time as Carothers was almost called for traveling. The ball ended up in Beickman’s hands again and he went to work trying to create space. He pulled up from mid range with just 4 seconds left and sunk the contested shot that went on to be the game winner.
Beickman’s instinct on knowing when to drive and when to shoot is a trait of his that greatly contributed to Catholic’s district tournament performances. He attributes this to being able to read defenses and adjust accordingly in order to find open shots, he said. Beickman said the team fought hard on defense as well because Moss and Watkins both were problems for the Aces with 31 combined points.
“Defensively we had to have help on J. Moss when he would drive, and we had to have help when DeAaron got the ball in the paint,” he said. “I thought we contained them pretty well. Offensively we had to take care of the ball and only take good shots.”
Free throws played a big part in Owensboro Catholic staying in the game early on as they had 14 points at the line across the second and third quarters. Beickman made 11 out his 14 free throws and 4 threes to go along with his 33 points, and Ebelhar made 7 out of his 9 free throws and a three as part of his 16 points. Moss scored 23 points, shot 5 of 6 on free throws and had 2 threes to lead the Panthers in scoring. Brown and Phelps both made one three pointer and scored 11 points each.
Bieckman’s performance to carry the Aces to the district title received high praise from OCHS head coach Tim Riley. He regarded Beickman’s performance as one the best he’s seen in the district championship.
“Let me tell you, there can’t be too many better performances in a district tournament,” he said. “That has to go as one of the best district tournament performances. He has the ability to jump up over people. Like I said the other day, he’s got a different gear than a lot of guys don’t have. He was able on that last shot, because of his athleticism, to create some space and go up over the guy.”
Both Owensboro Catholic and Daviess County will move on to the regional tournament with the draw taking place at 9 a.m. at the Sportscenter. Panthers head coach Neil Hayden said the team will use the district championship to stay motivated and remind them not to take things for granted.
“I think it is what you make of it,” he said of the regional tournament. “It’s a single elimination tournament now, so we’ve got to be focused on the attention to details of what we’re doing on both ends of the floor. We use this to stay motivated and know that we can’t take anything for granted.”
