In the atmosphere of a Colonel Gym with a packed-out student section, the Henderson County Colonels (4-2) traded blows with the No. 6-ranked Daviess County Panthers (5-2) in a showdown Wednesday night.
What unfolded was a game of wild momentum swings: early dominance by Henderson, pressure and comebacks from Daviess, and a nail-biting tie heading into the fourth quarter. The Panthers surged ahead for a 68-57 victory, outscoring the Colonels 20-9 in the final frame.
The Colonels entered at 4-1 with a rebuilt roster. Embracing head coach Tyler Smithhart’s new up-tempo style, they struck first and fiercely. Henderson forced turnovers through aggressive traps and jumps to build an 18-11 lead after the first quarter.
Senior forward Braden Williams set the tone early. Showcasing his interior presence and 6’8 frame, he secured offensive rebounds and poured in several of the Colonels’ early points.
He and junior guard Amare Stewart led the Colonels with five points each in the opening period. That quarter ended with a buzzer-beating putback by the night’s key contributor, junior Malaikye Taylor.
Daviess was a stacked squad fresh off last season’s 25-7 run to Rupp Arena. They returned their star players, Chattanooga commit Jonathan Moss and McKendree commit DeAaron Watkins. They were bolstered by transfers like Michael Acton from Owensboro, Davyn Randolph from Owensboro Catholic, and Lamontae Ratcliff from Madisonville-North Hopkins.
The Panthers flipped the script in the second, riding Moss through the quarter. The point guard forced turnovers and got a dunk and a deep three to give Daviess a 32-29 halftime edge. The Cols’ Williams picked up his second foul early and sat for most of the quarter, an absence Henderson felt as Watkins poured in 14 first-half points.
The third quarter was pure chaos with ties and lead changes, eventually leaving it deadlocked at 48-48. Stewart, the 6’4 guard whose near-40% three-point shooting stretched the floor, drained clutch threes to reclaim leads twice. He finished with a team-high 15 points.
“They’re a top team in the state, and we walked in with nothing to lose,” Stewart said. “I thought we fought hard, but we just need to clean up some of our turnovers.”
Daviess dominated the close with senior forward DeAaron Watkins unleashing a double-double of 27 points (on 9-10 shooting) and 13 rebounds.
His performance included a game-sealing dunk and a couple of threes. Moss added 22 points and two rebounds, while Acton chipped in 15 points and three boards. Ratcliff scored 4, rounding out the only four players who scored for the Panthers.
Amid the intensity, HCHS sophomore Taylor emerged as Henderson’s X-factor. He injected high-energy hustle off the bench with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, building on his breakout 16 points and 8 rebounds in an earlier win over Paducah Tilghman.
Just a year ago, the 6’2 wing didn’t even start on junior varsity. A dedicated offseason and growth spurt transformed him into a varsity staple. He has delivered big minutes throughout the early part of the season.
His impact was immediately felt throughout the gym: subbing in during the first, he scored, locked onto Moss to draw a push-off offensive foul, and nailed the quarter-ending putback.
In the second, he absorbed a charge from the 6’8, 215-pound Watkins. In the fourth, he handled some point duties and scored a timely layup. Whenever Taylor hit the floor, the crowd got a little louder.
“We came out aggressive and fearless. We weren’t scared of anybody,” Taylor said. “It was a priority to play hard defense on Moss. I came in fearless and ready to do what Coach needed me to do.”
Henderson had much more balanced scoring than Daviess, with seven guys all getting on the board.
Xavion Johnson, the 6’2 junior point guard and lone returning starter from last year’s Region 2 championship team, added 10 points and 7 rebounds. His composure helped storm a rapid Panther press.
The man in the middle, Williams, flirted with a double-double, finishing with 9 points and 8 rebounds. 6’1 senior guard Travis Little scored 8, scoring most of those in the grit of the third quarter.
6’2 junior Zayden Martin and sophomore Mikey Woolfork both brought relentless defense, and each added 2 points to the scoreboard.
“I’m really proud of our guys and the growth that we’ve shown from the first game to where we’re at now,” Smithhart said. “I see the cohesion and the guys coming together.”
Battling with a contender for the state championship, Henderson County looked like a serious basketball team, just like years past. Smithhart is optimistic about the young team’s trajectory.
“We took a step in the right direction, and hopefully we can get the outcome flipped for the next time we play a top-ranked team,” the coach said. “We had a few opportunities to get right back, but they just didn’t go.”
The Colonels tip off early Saturday at 7 a.m. CT against 6th-region Louisville Western (2-1) in the Generals Christmas Classic at Thomas Nelson High School in Bardstown.
“We’re going to get back to work to put ourselves over the hump,” Smithhart said.
Other recent games:
Colonels dominate Paducah Tilghman on the road, 65-47 (Dec. 9)
Sophomore MaLaikye Taylor erupted for a career-high 16 points while grabbing a team-high 8 rebounds, leading Henderson County to a convincing 65-47 road victory over Paducah Tilghman.
Junior Xavion Johnson added 15 points as the Colonels built a commanding 40-16 halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way.
Colonels surge past Allen County-Scottsville, 68-50 (Dec. 13)
Junior Amare Stewart poured in a career-high 27 points, powering Henderson County to a 68-50 home win over Allen County-Scottsville.
Xavion Johnson chipped in 14 points, and Jarren Byrum added 12 in a balanced attack that saw the Colonels pull away with strong second-half runs.
Colonels overwhelm University Heights, 76-53 (Dec. 15)
Junior Amare Stewart led with 15 points, while Xavion Johnson contributed 14 points and a team-high 7 rebounds as Henderson County rolled to a 76-53 home victory over University Heights Academy.
Senior Braden Williams added 9 points and helped lead the rebounding effort in a dominant performance that featured 13 players scoring.
