3rd Region Boys Basketball Week 1 Review

[ApolloFan98]

Several teams inside the region have had their season delayed further by Covid.  In an already shortened season, it appears most teams will be playing a very limited schedule in 2021.  Even with the limited play, there is already a chance at the top.  With Gavin Wimsatt opting to focus on football, combined with Owensboro Catholic’s impressive 3-0 start to the season, the Aces take the top spot.

1. Owensboro Catholic Aces (3-0)

Tim Riley has the Aces off to a quick start.  They scored impressive wins over Evangelical Christian, University Heights and Madisonville this week.  Ji Webb looks to have picked up right where he left off last season.  Webb is a kid who could draw some recruiting interest if he continues to improve.  He scored 27 points against UHA, going 13 for 13 from the field.  Gray Weaver has also shown the ability to lead the Aces, as he put up 25 in the season opener against Evangelical Christian.  Luke Scales and Sam McFarland have slid into starting roles nicely, getting the tough rebounds and executing Riley’s 1-3-1 defense well.  The Aces play in the All-A Regional Championship tonight against Mclean and a big matchup with Lyon County later this week.

 

2. Owensboro Red Devils (1-0)

Quarantine hit the Devils after a season opening win against Butler County.  OHS got off to a bit of a slow start against the Bears but woke up in the second half to get a 84-55 win.  Rod Drake played every kid on the bench in the win.  While Gavin Wimsatt stepping away from basketball will no doubt impact the team, Owensboro is plenty deep enough to make up for his loss.  6-5 Senior Devonte McCampbell is a kid who just came out for basketball this year and opened with a 12 point, 8 rebound performance against the Bears.  As usual, depth for Owensboro will be a major strength.  Expect to see several different lineups over the next few weeks as Coach Drake tries to see which units work best together.  The Devils return from quarantine this Friday, as they host Daviess County.

 

3. Muhlenberg County Mustangs (0-0)

The Mustangs have yet to open the season due to quarantine.  Their first games are scheduled this week at Crittenden and Ohio County.

 

4. Ohio County Eagles (2-0)

The Eagles are off to a quick start, with 2 3^rd region wins to open the season.  They opened the season with a 23 point win against Grayson County and followed that up with a nice 10 point road win at Daviess County.  Q Jennings is off to a great start, scoring 15 against Grayson and 17 against Daviess County.  Coach Hopper is getting good balance in the lineup with Grant Tichenor, Josh Manning and Elijah Decker.  The Eagles have home games against Barren County and Muhlenberg County this week.

 

5. Meade County Greenwave (0-0)

Meade has had their season delayed due to quarantine.  They are scheduled to open at home against Daviess County and Hancock County.

 

6. Daviess County Panthers (2-1)

The Panthers opened their season with blowout wins over Grayson County and Cloverport.  On Friday, DC came up a little short against Ohio County, losing 55-45. Camron Johnson and Cole Burch are off to nice starts for Coach Hayden, as both guys are averaging double figures through the first 3 games.  The Panthers have road games this week against Meade County, Owensboro and Henderson County.

 

7. Mclean County Cougars (3-0)

No matter the team or the roster, all Coach Darren Lynam does is win.  The Cougars are off to an impressive start despite losing 7 of the top 8 scorers from their regional semifinal team a year ago.  They scored wins over Trigg County, Hancock County and Heart for Christ last week.  Brady Dame has been dominating, putting up 22 points per game and grabbing 13 boards per game to open the season.  The Cougars will play Owensboro Catholic for the All-A Championship tonight, before closing the week with a road game at Webster.

 

8. Grayson County Cougars (2-1)

Grayson County bounced back after a season opening loss to Ohio County to win their next 2 games.  They defeated Breckenridge County and Metcalfe County to close the week.  Junior Chandler McCrady has led the way thus far, putting up 14 points per game.  The Cougars open district play this week, traveling to Butler County.

 

9. Hancock County Hornets (1-2)

Since opening the season with a blowout win against Cloverport, the Hornets dropped their next 2 games to Mclean County and Trigg County.  Consistent scoring hasn’t been an issue for Hancock, getting double figure efforts from Kaleb Keown, Ryan Ogle, Evan Ferry and Devyn Powers thru the first 3 games.  The Hornets look to bounce back this week, with road games against Tell City Indiana and Meade County.

 

10.Butler County Bears (0-1)

The Bears opened the season with a very impressive first half against Owensboro.  They knocked down 7 first half 3 pointers before cooling off in the 2^nd half.  Jagger Henderson and Brody Hunt played well in defeat.  It will be interesting to see how the Bears do against a team with equal athletic ability.  They are scheduled to come out of quarantine this week, as they host Grayson County.

 

11. Edmonson County Wildcats (0-0)

The Cats have yet to open their season due to quarantine. They are set to open the season tonight at Cloverport.

 

12. Apollo Eagles (0-2)

Apollo opened the season with a heartbreaking loss at Union County in overtime.  They followed that up with a double digit defeat at home against Murray.  The Eagles just look like a team who needs to learn how to win.  They will look for their first win on the road this week, at Breckenridge County and Webster County.

 

13. Breckenridge County Tigers (0-2)

The Tigers have the most production to replace in the region and it showed in the first week of the season.  They dropped games to Grayson County and Daviess County this week.   Kason Morris averaged 13 per game in the 2 defeats.  Breck will look for their first win against Apollo and Nelson County this week.

 

14. Whitesville Trinity Raiders (0-0)

The Raiders have yet to open their season due to quarantine. They are set to open the season this week against Edmonson County.

 

15. Cloverport Aces (0-2)

The Aces opened their season with 2 3^rd region losses to Daviess County and Hancock County.  They have games against Edmonson County, Cannelton Indiana and Trigg County this week.