Twice in the second half, Apollo led by double digits just to witness their lead evaporate to Breckinridge County. Having been in this position before, the Eagles hung on for a 67-63 win thanks to Kobe Kellys game-high 27 points.
Holding on to a three-point lead with a minute left, the coaching staff reminded the Eagles of the pain from letting past games slip away.
“This wasn’t the first game we kind of almost let slip away from us,” assistant coach Tyler Brown said. “We have been in games where we have lost the lead and then eventually lost the game due to turnovers. We kept reminding them of those games early in the season and in the middle of the season. I know that has left a lasting taste in their mouth so I knew they wouldn’t want to feel that again.”
The Eagles dominated the first half thanks to a suffocating defensive performance that held the Fighting Tigers to 20 points in the first half. Apollo threw multiple different looks at them and refused to allow Breckinridge County to dictate the game.
Taking a 33-20 lead into the second half, Apollo went on a quick 6-3 run to push their lead to 16. They would only score four points for the rest of the quarter, due to Breckinridge County raising their physicality.
“They started pressing us and we couldn’t get by them as easily in the first half,” assistant coach Brady Austin said. “They just made the game more physical.”
Entering the fourth quarter leading 43-38, Apollo went on an 11-0 run, forcing the Fighting Tigers to call a timeout. The Eagles ran into trouble down the stretch after their center Landon Henning fouled out.
“When our big man does foul out, our rebounding does decline a little bit,” Brown said. “That is a part of finishing games and the next step up for us is next man up. Kayden Green and Max Johnson did a great job in that regard. We just have to be prepared for those moments and not foul and when we do get sent to the line, to hit those free throws.”
Apollo struggled at the line in the fourth quarter, shooting 11-24, which the Fighting Tigers Capitalized on. Cutting the lead to three with under a minute left, Apollo made their free throws when it mattered most to ice the game.
Kelly scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 6-8 at the line. Luke Jarboe was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, while Henning added 12 points.
Moving forward the coaching staff wants to see their team work on handling pressure better and improve their defense in crunch time. Apollo will be back in action Friday when they travel to Daviess County for 7 pm tip-off.
