Trailing 21-14 entering the second quarter, Apollo found themselves victims to Bowling Greens sharpshooting and aggressive defense – falling at home 77-55. The Purples hit 12 threes, three of them coming from Luke Idlett – who coming into tonight was shooting 60.2% from deep.
“Idlett is the number one three-pointer shooter in the state percentage wise,” Apollo coach Keith Johnson said. “We had to make sure where he was, and we lost him a couple different times.”
Idlett finished with 15 points, but was quiet in the third quarter and only scored two points in the fourth before he and the rest of the Bowling Green starters were subbed out.
In the second quarter, Bowling Green broke the game open thanks to their quick hands on the defensive end – leading to multiple transition layups.
“They are a super athletic team, so we tried to spread them out,” Johnson said. “But they are really strong and really athletic, so hats off to them.”
Apollo’s offensive gameplan was to play through center Landon Henning in the paint, but Bowling Green countered with multiple defenders in his vicinity. The big man still finished with 10 points and a plethora of boards.
Trailing 28-14 early in the second quarter, Apollo went on a 6-0 run thanks to Kobe Kelly and Henning. After a timeout, Bowling Green responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead to 35-20 – capped off by a fast break dunk.
Senior Kobe Kelly found his offensive rhythm in the third quarter, scoring eight of his team-high 15 points, including a pair of threes.
“He’s been through the fire at Apollo for four years,” Johnson said. “He’s seen the lows and highs, and we are super proud of him. He is just a fine young man who works really hard.”
Recently returning after being sidelined for almost a month, Eli Williams provided a spark in the third quarter – scoring all five of his points. Still trying to find his legs, Williams allows Apollo to move from a six-man rotation to a seven-man rotation, an element that will help the Eagles come playoffs.
Bowling Green’s Joseph Hurt led all scorers with 19 points, while JaCaurie Woodard added 16 points. Tate Powers was second on the Eagles in scoring with 14 points, while Kayden Green added seven points.
Apollo will have a few days to learn from this loss before traveling to Dawson Springs on Tuesday. The Eagles only have two games left before the start of the district tournament.
“We want to make sure that we shore up rebounding,” Johnson said. “We have Landon and two strong physical forwards. So, Landon’s size and their strength. So, we will work on rebounding and we want to take care of the basketball. We really have to limit our turnovers.”
Owensboro cruises past Ohio County
In other action, Owensboro left Ohio County with a dominant 79-53 win. Keaton Hughes scored 10 of his team-high 22 points in the second quarter, while Cade Arnold and Will Hume both hit three threes. Keylin Payton was second on the team in scoring with 13 points and Michael Acton was right behind him with 12 points.
The Red Devils have a day off before hosting Evansville Harrison (Evansville), IN Saturday at 5:30 pm.
