Since winning the 3rd Region Championship 16 days ago, Daviess County has been busy preparing for their first-round match with Great Crossing in the KHSAA boys’ basketball state tournament. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET.
The high school tournament was pushed back a week due to Lexington hosting games in the NCAA tournament, giving an unusually long layover following the region tournament.
“You’re used to game prepping for someone in one, maybe two, at most three days, and we have had nearly two weeks,” Daviess County head coach Neil Hayden said. “They played the same night we did, so we knew right after we won who we were playing. There have been some logistics we have had to think through to get ready for a really good Great Crossing team.”
Fortunately for the Panthers, Hayden went through a similar situation in 2012 as an assistant coach with Apollo. He has implemented practicing at multiple venues and has given his team the opportunity to play at college arenas. They also went to Rupp Arena to watch the Lady Panthers compete two weeks ago.
The Panthers will have their hands full with Great Crossing’s star center Malachi Moreno, who is committed to play at the University of Kentucky. Recently named Kentucky Mr. Basketball for this season, Moreno is averaging 21.5 points and 14.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 71.7% from the floor.
“We have to make sure he is moving and be mindful of the type of shots you shoot around him because he is such a great shot blocker,” Hayden said. “There will be some things where we will need him to defend certain actions, and we can’t just let him camp out in the lane and clog the paint. If he does, it’s hard to shoot over a guy that tall.”
Joining Moreno is Morehead State University commit Vince Dawson, who is averaging 18.1 points and shooting just under 37% from deep. Sophomore LJ Holman is averaging 11.3 points and has already received some college offers. As a team, the Warhawks are shooting 55.2% from the field and 35.7% from deep and average 34.6 rebounds a game.
“The high-low game between Moreno and Dawson will be the best we have seen all year,” Hayden said. “It will be a challenge to keep them out of the middle of the floor.”
Squaring off against such a dangerous force in the paint, it will be up to DeAaron Watkins and Joe Varble to limit Moreno and use their length to frustrate Great Crossing’s shooters. The Panthers’ X-factor all season long, Watkins is averaging 16.2 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Daviess County will be looking to get downhill, run in transition, and knock down threes. On the season, they are 23rd in the state in three-point percentage (38.2%) and have two players shooting over 40% from deep on at least 88 attempts in Jaxon Brown (41.8%) and Aydan Ayer (45.5%).
Point guard Jonathan Moss excels at getting to the line and enters the tournament as the best free-throw shooter amongst teams in attendance on at least three attempts per game (86.9%). The driving force behind the Panthers, he is averaging 19.9 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Moss is the only one on the roster who has played in the state tournament before, having done so early in his career with Owensboro High School.
Hayden said that there will surely be nerves for the Panthers, but he’s confident they’ll maintain their focus.
“You’re crazy not to be nervous. Every kid and coach are lying if there aren’t some jitters there, but they are ready to play,” Hayden said. “I think we need to get settled in the first couple of minutes of the game and then after that first timeout, I believe they will be fully ready to go, if not even before then.”
We changed
multiple arenas and venues. Change up schedule to keep guys interest.
