The girls 9th District Tournament opens up play tonight, starting with the Lady Devils and E-gals at 6 p.m. and the Lady Aces and the Lady Panthers at 7:45 p.m. Here’s what you need to know about these four teams and their matchup heading into tonight.
Owensboro vs Apollo
By defeating Owensboro Catholic on Feb. 10, Owensboro split the season series with the Lady Aces and earned a tie that helped the Lady Devils claim the No. 1 seed in the 9th District sitting at 18-9 and 5-1. Apollo on the other hand sits at 8-21 and 0-6 in district play coming into the first round matchup.
When the two met in the regular season, the E-gals couldn’t sustain offensive success in either matchup as Owensboro won them both 63-51 and 54-47.
The Lady Devils have hung their hat on the defensive side of things all season with lots of intensity, while being led offensively by junior Alyrica Hughes (14.5 ppg) and freshman Unique Carter-Swanagan. Apollo on the other hand has been led by standout freshman Kennedy Lane (19.2 ppg), alongside junior Jennifer Lee’s presence in the paint (7.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
Having gone 1-6 in their last seven games, the E-gals will look to carry momentum from the 49-47 win over Warren Central to close out the regular season into the first round of the 9th District Tournament. Going 3-3 in the month of February and most recently suffering a 48-34 loss in the regular season finale against South Warren, the Lady Devils are looking to return to form to open up postseason play.
Owensboro Catholic vs Daviess County
Owensboro Catholic serves as the No. 2 seed in the 9th District at 20-9 overall and 5-1, while they will see a three-seeded Lady Panthers team that is 14-16 and 2-4 heading into the postseason.
The Lady Aces swept the regular season series with Daviess County, winning 55-30 on Dec. 16 and 52-38 on Feb. 3. The latter is one win of a 3-3 record Owensboro Catholic has had this month, facing grueling opponents such as Meade County, Bowling Green and more.
Owensboro Catholic relies on its fullcourt pressure and three-point shooting to put them at their best, while being led by junior Hailee Johnson (12.9 ppg), sophomore Karmin Riley (11.0 ppg) and sophomore Aubrey Randolph (9.9 ppg). The Lady Panthers have had a similar February with a 4-3 record but will look to pull off the upset with senior Adylan Ayer leading the way at 19.4 ppg, while sophomore Zoey Beehn (10.3) and freshman Briley Henry (6.7 ppg) will look to take some pressure off of their leading guard.
