article Inside the 3rd Region(2/7)

Overall, it was a rough week for the 3rd Region. First, the sweet 16 draw did no favors, as the 3rd drew the 9th. Then it seemed like everyone took their lumps, some more than others. Although they still sport an impressive in region record, Apollo has started to slip against solid competition from outside the region. Owensboro and Daviess County appear to be fading. Just when it looked like Ohio County turned the corner, they suffer a lopsided defeat at home to Breck County. While the district seeding has become clear over the past week(listed below), the favorites are far from clear. Owensboro Catholic and coach Tim Riley are the team to watch this week. They have some big time opponents and could make a move toward the top spot with a solid week....

1.Apollo Eagles(18-5) – SAME – It was an up and down week for Apollo. They suffered their 1st home loss of the season and only their 2nd setback inside the 3rd region against Ohio County on Tuesday. Apollo struggled to match the energy level of the Hartford Eagles and did not shoot it very well in the loss. They still managed to have 2 good looks to tie in the final seconds that came up short. On Friday, Apollo bounced back with a nice win over Owensboro. It was the Eagles 3rd win over the Red Devils this season. Owensboro played much better than the first two meetings but was unable to overcome Zach Hopewell’s 28 point outing. On Saturday, Apollo fell short against Paducah Tilghman 67-61. They led in the early part of the 4th quarter before falling to the Tornado’s. Tilghman hit 9 3’s to shoot Apollo out of their zone and when they switched to man to man, they simply could not contain Paducah’s athleticism. Apollo’s tough schedule continues today at Henderson. They stay on the road against Hancock on Thursday, before returning home to take on John Hardin on Saturday.

2.Owensboro Catholic Aces(16-8) – UP 2 – Since losing to Apollo back on January 13th, the Aces are an impressive 6-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of eventual All-A state champion Paris. This week they scored two nice wins over Madisonville(68-49) & district rival Daviess County(54-45). Luke Hayden had 24 & 16 in both games. The Aces are getting it done with defense, as they rank in the top 10 in the state, which is impressive with the schedule they have played. They have a very tough stretch of games this week as they travel to Warren Central tonight, for the Tim Riley Bowl, Webster County on Friday and back to Bowling Green on Saturday to take on Doss.

3.Hancock County Hornets(19-3) – UP 2 – Since losing 2 games inside the 9th district last week, the Hornets bounced back with 2 straight wins against Cloverport and South Spencer, Indiana. While their schedule isn’t as impressive as the other teams inside the top 5, you cannot deny their record. Add to that they are 10-3 inside the region and it’s hard to argue that the Hornets don’t belong inside the top 5. Brendan Lewis still ranks among the region’s top scorers at 17ppg. This week the Hornets return home for 3 games, tonight vs Evansville Day, Thursday vs Apollo and Saturday vs Dugger Community School.

4.Daviess County Panthers(15-10) – DOWN 2 – The Panthers have hit a their worst stretch of the season, as they have lost 4 straight games. They opened the week battling a red hot Hoptown team to a competitive game late, before falling 69-54. On Friday, they lost to district rival Catholic 54-45, in a game where they struggled to score. They were limited to only 12 points at the half. Saturday, they made a trip down to take on Meade, who was coming off a loss to Cloverport the night before and lost a shocker, 60-58. The Panthers are going to have to dig deep and turn things around, as we head toward district play. They travel to Mclean County tonight, before returning home to take on Muhlenberg County on Friday.

5.Ohio County Eagles(12-12) – UP 1 – Ohio County extended its win streak to 5 games with a huge win at Apollo on Tuesday. They got solid contributions from everyone that stepped on the floor, placing 4 players in double figures(Sandefur 15, Tichenor 13/10, Newcom 13 & Decker 11). They were unable to overcome the loss of Conner Wilson on Friday, as they fell to a red hot Breckenridge County team, 66-53. Wilson was out of action with a concussion. Across the board, Ohio County can be as good as anyone in the region. They have great balance, depth and a fantastic coach in Tony Hopper. The Hartford Eagles host Trinity Tuesday before traveling to Edmonson on Thursday.

6.Owensboro Red Devils(12-12) – DOWN 3 – The Devils looked like they were starting to peak at the right time, reeling off 3 straight wins. One of those came against a very good Evansville Bosse team ranked #3 in 3A in Indiana. However, OHS was unable to maintain their momentum this week. On Tuesday, they traveled to Breck County failed to match the Tigers energy level, losing 65-58. Friday, in a matchup for the #1 seed in the 9th district, the Devils came out swinging and jumped all over Apollo in the first quarter. Jacoby Harris knocked down 5 3’s in the opening frame. Unfortunately for Owensboro, they were unable to maintain the advantage and eventually fell to the Eagles for the 3rd time this season, 71-66. The keyword for the Devils all season has been consistency. It just hasn’t been there and they are running out of time to find it. It doesn’t get any easier as they travel to Bowling Green tonight before playing host to Whitesville Trinity on Friday.

7.Grayson County Cougars(12-13) – UP 2 – The Cougars have won 4 of 5 and are once again moving in the right direction down the stretch. They won their two games this past week, 61-47 vs Mclean and a nice 12th district win over Edmonson 53-46. Spencer Sharp has started to emerge for the Cougars, as he went for 16 in the game against Edmonson. Grayson will look to keep the momentum alive tonight at Meade County, before returning home on Friday to take on district rival Butler County.

8.Muhlenberg County Mustangs(11-14) – SAME – Although they have only one 1 game since January 12th, you get the sense that the Mustangs can still be a dangerous team come tournament time. They have one of the best scorers in the region in Noah McElwain(had 39 in the loss to Poplar Bluff, MO Saturday) and field one of the deepest most talented rosters in the region. The problem for the Stangs this year has been injuries. They have struggled to put a consistent lineup on the floor all season. If they are able to get to full strength by the tournament, they will be a tough out. They travel to Daviess County on Friday.

9.Breckenridge County Tigers(8-14) – UP 3 – The Tigers are the hottest team in the region, reeling off 5 straight wins against very good 3rd region competition. They scored wins over Owensboro(65-58), Ohio County(66-53) & Edmsonson(54-53) this week. That’s 3 wins against teams previously all ranked in the top 7. Kobe Poole leads the team with 15ppg, while Tanner Whitworth knocked down 8 3’s in the win against Ohio County. The Tigers are definitely a team to keep your eye on as we move toward tournament time. They look to stay hot tonight vs Butler County. On Thursday they head to Mclean County.

10.Edmonson County Wildcats(14-9) – DOWN 3 – Edmonson is a hard team to get a read on, as their 5 game winning streak ended at the hands of district rival Grayson County on Friday. The momentum slide continued last night with a 1 point loss to red hot Breck County. The Wildcats will look to get back on track at home on Thursday against Ohio County. On Saturday, they head to Hancock County to take on Bethlehem.

11.Meade County Greenwaves(9-15) – DOWN 1 – The Waves finally stopped the bleeding of their 14 game losing streak with a huge win over Daviess County at home on Saturday. Dakota Clayton and Aiden Matthews led the way with 14 points each. It was a nice bounce back after Meade dropped a district shocker to Cloverport, 56-53. It was the first time in a LONG time(maybe ever), that Cloverport defeated Meade County. The Waves will come and go as James Baker does. They have 3 home games this week against Grayson County tonight, North Oldham on Friday and Oldham County on Saturday.

12.Butler County Bears(9-12) DOWN 1 – The Bears won back to back games this past week vs Hart County(69-59) & Trinity(68-49). Butler places 3 players in double figures scoring(Bailey Anderson 14ppg & Rex Henderson/Will Moore 13ppg). They are back in action tonight at Breck County and on the road again Friday at Grayson County.

13.Cloverport Aces(10-16) – SAME – The Aces have won 3 of their last 4 games. On Friday, they picked up their biggest win in quite some time as they knocked off district rival Meade County 56-53. They put 4 guys in double figures in the win(Harness 13, Fetch 12, Dubree & Jennings 11). They got another big win over Trinity 50-43 last night. They host Tell City, Indiana tonight before traveling to Portland Christian on Thursday.

14.Trinity Raiders(6-18) – SAME – Trinity has dropped 7 straight games and 12 of their last 13. It doesn’t get any easier as they travel to Ohio County tonight & Owensboro on Friday. They return home on Saturday to host Mclean County.

15.Mclean County(2-21) – SAME – The Cougars rough season continued on Saturday as they came up just short against Union County in overtime. The loss pushed their losing streak to 12 games. Freshman Logan Patterson has started to be a bright spot, as hes pushed his season average to 8ppg, scoring 16 against Union County. They host Daviess County tonight, Breck County on Friday and travel to Trinity on Saturday.

Tonight - OHS at Bowling Green // Apollo at Henderson // Catholic at Warren Central

Thursday - Ohio Co at Edmsonson Co // Apollo at Hancock

Friday - Catholic at Webster Co // Muhlenberg Co at Daviess Co

Saturday - John Hardin at Apollo // Catholic vs Doss in BG

9th - at DC - #1 Apollo v #4 Daviess Co // #3 Owensboro Catholic v #2 Owensboro

10th - at Mclean - BYE Ohio Co // #2 Muhlenberg Co v #3 McLean Co

11th - at Hancock - #1 Hancock v #4 Cloverport // #2 Meade v #3 Breck

12th - at Butler - #1 Edmonson v #4 Trinity // Grayson v Butler