A year ago, after finishing first in RPI in the region, Daviess County was knocked out in the 3rd region quarterfinals to Butler County. Fast forward to last night, and the Panthers have returned the favor, beating the Bears 67-57 behind Jonathan Moss’s team-high 20 points.
With the win behind them, the Panthers have their eyes set on loftier goals – a region title.
“Jobs not finished,” senior Jaxon Brown said after the game.
Panthers head coach Neil Hayden stated that his team has been reminded of last year’s loss often – driving them to avoid bowing out of the region tournament early.
“It feels good. I am happy for our guys and our three seniors,” Hayden said. “They wanted this game. They have been practicing and were ready to play.”
Daviess County took a 15-10 lead into the second quarter, thanks to Moss and Joe Varble combining for 11 points. Brown and Aydan Ayer both hit threes in the second quarter, allowing the team to stretch the court.
“I saw my openings, just attacked and made some shots,” Ayer said. “…When I stole the ball, that kind of got me hyped. Then I hit a three. Defense started it for me.”
The three seniors in Brown, Ayer, and Varble combined for 20 of the team’s 29 first half points. Averaging 28.4 points a game, Butler County star Ty Price was held to only seven first half points. The Panthers made sure to key in on the senior at all times and attempted to slow him down.
“You have to find him early, and we lost him some. When we did, he scored. We wanted to get our hands up and we felt like we have some guys with length who can bother him some. He is an outstanding player so you just have to find him as early as you can because he can get a shot off at weird angles and from far out.”
After being held in check for the majority of the first half, Price hit a deep three right before the first half buzzer. In the third quarter, he started to find his grove, adding seven points. But it wasn’t just Price who started knocking down shots for Butler County, with Curtis Murphy, Trevor Dewesse, and Briar Griffin combing for 15 of the team’s 22 third quarter points.
After being held scoreless in the first half, the Panthers’ DeAaron Watkins led the way in the third quarter, shooting 4-4 at the line and scoring nine of his 11 points. Double-covered near the hoop, the big man spun to his right and then split the double team for an easy layup. Finding his stride, he added an extra level to Daviess County’s offense.
“They were doubling him from the catch,” Hayden said. “I thought he did a good job of getting it out quickly. He found Joe early. Joe had eight at halftime, and he averages six. …I felt his move late in the game was great, and we want that more from him. He also led us in rebounding.”
After allowing 22 points in the third quarter, the Panthers defense tightened up down the stretch. Price scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the rest of his team combined for six points. Moss and Ayer took over in the fourth quarter, combining to shoot 10-11 at the line and scoring 16 of the team’s 18 points.
Price led all scorers with 24 points, while Moss led the Panthers with 20. Ayer (16), Watkins (11), Varble (10), and Brown (10) all finished in double figures for Daviess County.
Next up for the Panthers is Breckinridge County, who beat Muhlenberg County 65-57. Brown wants to see his team continue to move the ball and play together.
“I want to lessen turnovers,” Ayer said. “That will help our team a lot. We need to work on defensive rebounds. Butler County had 10 plus defensive rebounds in the first half. It was tough, and we need to rebound the ball so we can run in transition.”
