The Owensboro boys’ basketball team held off a late surge by Daviess County on the road, prevailing 69-62 in the opening game of 9th District play Friday night.
Entering the fourth quarter with a tie score, the Red Devils (2-2, 1-0) wasn’t able to lock up the victory over the Panthers (1-2, 0-1) until the final minute.
With 24 seconds to go, Daviess County’s Mason Payne had a 3-point attempt go down and come back out, a shot that would have tied the contest at 64. Owensboro sealed it with a series of free throws and a 3-point play on a Darrion Wimsatt layup. Owensboro head coach Rod Drake was pleased with the victory and was happy to see his team rebound from back-to-back losses.
“Winning that ballgame the way we did is a sign of a young team coming together,” Drake said. “Daviess County is a very talented team and it was a good ballgame. Darrion Wimsatt took it upon himself to play some hard defense tonight on Walden and he nailed some big shots as well. He is our leader and our kids look up to him.”
Wimsatt led the way for the Devils, scoring 25 points in 26 minutes of action after arly foul trouble limited his second quarter playing time. Wimsatt committed a foul on Mason Payne’s 3-pointer, and the ensuing free throw cut the Red Devil’s lead to 26-23.
The score remained close leading up to the final possession of the half, but a buzzer-beating jumper by Owensboro’s Amari Robinson-Wales gave his team 35-29 advantage.
Following a Wimsatt 3-pointer with just over four minutes to go in the third, Panther’s head coach Neil Hayden was forced to call a timeout.
“Our team listens well and we needed to reset our focus in that third quarter,” Hayden said. “I called a timeout and just reminded the guys of our game plan and they responded well. Owensboro speeds you up so much with their defense if you let them.”
Coming out of the timeout, Daviess County evened the score at 46-46 heading into the fourth quarter.
Dakota Walden led the way with 25 points of his own for the Panthers, with 19 coming in the second half.
Owensboro Stats:
Dakota Walden (25 points, 3 steals), Gavan Ray (12 points, 10 rebounds), Mason Payne (11 points, 3 steals), Chase Luckett (6 points), Logan Hillard (4 points), Ryan Thompson (2 points), Blake Baker (2 points).
Daviess County Stats:
Darrion Wimsatt (25 points, 4 three-point field goals), Jaiden Greathouse (14 points, 5 offensive rebounds), Isaac Humphrey (11 points, 9 rebounds), Amari Robinson-Wales (6 points), Gavin Wimsatt (5 points, 3-4 free throws made), Aireon Phillips (5 points), Imonte Owsley (3 points).
Looking Ahead:
Daviess County hits the road in Monday night to face Trinity at 7:30 p.m.
Owensboro travels Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. game against Christian County.
