It had been 14 years since Daviess County had last won the 9th District Championship, and early on in the fourth quarter of last night’s title game, it seemed their drought would continue. Trailing by 16 to Owensboro Catholic with less than seven minutes, the Lady Panthers’ defense started to press – allowing their offense to take over.
After forcing multiple turnovers, they cut the lead to one – leading to Maddie Barron sinking a corner three for a 42-40 lead. The junior didn’t back down from the moment, hitting a pair of clutch threes throughout the night to cap off the Lady Panthers 48-42 win for their first 9th District championship title since 2012.
“I think the biggest thing for us going into this game is we knew they had basically won the toughness battle in the first two games,” Daviess County Head Coach Natalie Payne said. “That is half the battle with them because they are so physical and very good defensively. We discussed how we can’t get sped up, and we need to maintain our composure to make the right plays.”
Daviess County took an early 12-6 lead into the second quarter behind Jenna Stewart’s six points.
“She was huge in the beginning against that zone,” Payne said. “She stayed calm and composed and hit some big shots. She battled too when we were doubling screens at the beginning of the game.”
After Maddie Barron hit her first three of the night to push the lead to 15-6, the Lady Aces’ defense held Daviess County scoreless for the rest of the second quarter. From there, Taylor Mannahan started to take over the game, sinking a pair of threes, while Katie Hagan followed it up with a three-point play of her own – handing Owensboro Catholic a 22-15 halftime lead.
“At halftime I told them we were going to need to amp up our defense, take some chances, and take some risks,” Payne said. “We just needed to be a bit smarter with some decision making.”
In the third quarter, Kennedy Lane scored all nine of the Lady Panthers’ points, but Owensboro Catholic pushed the lead to 34-24 thanks to Hagan, Mannahan, and Riley combining for 12 points. Lane added five points during their fourth quarter comeback, but it was the surrounding cast that powered the way for Daviess County.
Molly Hancock scored eight of her 11 points, and Riley Hayden added three points, but when Daviess County needed a basket, it was Barron that appeared in the clutch – scoring eight points that included a pair of threes.
“Her threes were clutch,” Lane said. We were down by one, but that got us really going. That boosted our confidence, and then we just closed it out from there.”
Lane led all scorers with 17 points, Hancock and Barron both scored 11 points. and Stewart finished with six points.
Hagan and Mannahan both led the Lady Aces with 15 points, while Riley scored six points.
“We need to play a full game,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Michael Robertson said. “We can’t turn over the ball.”
Both teams have punched their ticket to the 3rd Region Tournament, with the draw set for later this weekend.
