Aces roll at Dust Bowl

The Owensboro Catholic Aces bounced back from a setback earlier in the week to capture a 53-31 win over Dugan Best in the 7th-8th grade division of the 53rd Annual Dust Bowl Basketball Tournament on a picturesque Thursday evening at Kendall-Perkins Park.

>After suffering a loss Monday night, the Aces quickly regrouped to get back on the right track.

>“It’s been interesting, because we lost to a very good team,” said Aces coach Drew Cooper, also the Kentucky Wesleyan College men’s basketball head coach. “I thought it was rising seventh- and eighth-graders, but it’s actually rising eighth- and ninth-graders. So we were able to add some age and some size with some 2030 guys.

>“We’ve had a good night these last three nights. We’ll play a very good team tomorrow, and we’ll see if we can get to the championship game.”

>Owen Cooper powered the Aces with a game-high 17 points, Kellan Atwell added 12 points, and Cal Murphy chipped in 11 points.

>Amarien Theas scored 16 points for Dugan Best.

>With sons Owen and Grant on the team, Drew Cooper has enjoyed the summer so far.

>“I’ve coached them for the last two months,” he said. “We went to Cincinnati for a pretty big event; we went to Louisville for a pretty big event. I’m having fun being around my sons and their friends. It’s a really good group of kids, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

>And, he added, it’s far less pressure than coaching at the college level.

>“My definition of fun might be a little bit different than someone else’s definition of fun,” Cooper said, with a laugh. “Seeing them respond to some of the situations we’ve been in and doing well is really fun to me. I hope that the kids would agree they’re having fun, too.”

>Above all else, he wants them to enjoy the experience of playing in the Dust Bowl.

>“It’s a lot like Kentucky Wesleyan basketball — everybody in the community knows about its history,” Cooper said of the annual summer event. “Everybody fully respects what it has done for our city and in terms of bringing people together and getting people out here.

>“This is summer basketball. I’m going back 25 years, but as a player, this is the type of event that I miss the most. Coming out and playing, being competitive, being outside — it’s great for everybody. I have full respect for the job that the volunteers do for this event.”

>Owensboro Catholic (53) — O. Cooper 17, Atwell 12, Murphy 11, Settles 7, Howard 4, G. Cooper 2.

>Dugan Best (31) — Theas 16, Wells 7, Siddons 6, Carter 2.