After only leading by four entering halftime, Owensboro Catholic rode an impressive third-quarter performance – holding the Hornets to seven points – to beat Hancock County 76-49 to win the 3rd Region All-A. The Aces outscored the Hornets 41-19 in the second half.
“We just physically wore them down,” Owensboro Catholic head coach Tim Riley said. “Shots they were making in the first half weren’t falling in the second half. We forced more turnovers down the stretch, and we were able to get to the ball to the rim more often.”
A major tipping point in the game came during halftime when the Aces decided to switch to man defense. Hancock County’s Keegan Wilson exploded for 18 points in the first half, but was held to only two points for the remainder of the game. As Wilson was keyed in on, no one else from Hancock County was able to consistently make shots to help ease the pressure.
“We worked a lot on the 1-3-1 formation and worked on the press and we knew they were going to guard Keegan,” Hancock County head coach Josh Roberts said. “…We just have to have other players step up.”
The Hornets ran a box and one defense to limit Luke Beickman – holding him to only 12 points – but Waryn Ebelhar exploded for a game-high 24 points including four threes. Davyn Randolph was also a threat from deep, hitting four threes to go along with his 14 points, while Solly Smith was third on the team in scoring with 13 points.
“I thought coming into the game we had plenty of guys who can make shots,” Riley said. “So, when they chased Luke the way they did, it helped us a ton when it came to forcing them what to do.”
Seth Hunt and Dylan Morris were second on Hancock County in points with eight each, while Alex Madden (6), Dec Lewko (4), and Abe Simpson (4) rounded out the teams scoring.
The Aces return to action tomorrow evening when they host Lyon County at 7:30, while the Hornets travel to Tell City on Tuesday.
In the girls’ All-A finals, the Lady Aces completed the clean sweep – cruising to a dominant 72-25 win over Hancock County. Owensboro Catholic opened the game with a statement, jumping out to a commanding 23-3 lead, and never looked back.
“We got down and locked them up, Owensboro Catholic head coach Michael Robertson said. “We sped them up and made them play faster than they wanted. That was the key and was part of our game plan. We wanted to make sure we got up and down the court, find easy buckets, and make them play faster than they wanted.”
Karmin Riley hit two threes in the opening quarter, finishing the night with a game-high15 points. It was also a milestone night for the senior who scored her 2,000th career point in the fourth quarter. Aubrey Randolph started slow, scoring three points in the opening frame, before adding eight points in the second quarter. She finished the night with 14, while Taylor Mannahan (11) and Allie Marston (10) were also double-digit scorers.
The Lady Aces continued to control the pace in the second quarter, entering halftime with a 46-13 lead.
“I thought our man-to-man defense was strong in the second quarter,” Robertson said. “We really locked them down and I thought we did a good job doing that. Offensively, we were inconsistent. We missed some layups and didn’t hit all of our free throws.”
Owensboro Catholic finished the game with 20 steals, 11 of which came from Randolph and Mannahan. Randolph also led the team in rebounding and blocks with eight and two.
All of the Lady Hornets points stemmed from their starting lineup of Carolina Jones (8), Ansley House (7), Jordyn Waltrip (6), Madyson Higdon (2), and Izzy Ross (2).
“We didn’t have the night we thought we were capable of having,” Hancock County head coach Kevin Husk said. “But I absolutely love this group, and I am glad I get to be a part of this journey with them. I’m confident we’ll continue to keep working to get better.”
Tomorrow night the Lady Aces host Madisonville-North Hopkins, while Hancock County travels to Tell City. Both games tip of at 7:30 pm/
