Over the last few years, Danville and Tri-West have played a number of great games. There is no love lost between the teams. Tri-West handed Danville its first loss of the season on January 6 in the Hendricks County Tournament. Danville entered Friday’s game the loser of four of its last six games.

There was no feeling out period as both teams were really crisp on the offensive end especially in terms of shooting right from the tip. 2018 guard Tyler Watson was locked in from the start. He scored 16 points in the first half.

The Peyton Hendershot-Alec Burton match-up was entertaining. They have similar size, strength and skill. They were willing to battle in the paint as well as facilitate their respective offenses with their passing. Hendershot had four assists in the opening half.

Austin Cowart was the main scoring threat for Danville in the opening 16 minutes. He tallied 10 points as he slashed to the lane on a consistent basis.

It was a close game throughout the first half. The largest lead of the opening half was five points. It was a one possession game for all but four seconds in the half.

Peyton Hendershot was good in the first but great in the second. He completely dominated the glass. His driving dunk from the free throw line midway through the third quarter set the tone for the rest of the game. He scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in the period.

Watson continued to make plays on the offensive end. He had an unlikely five offensive rebounds. He was steady in the second half. He knocked down a dagger three-pointer in the fourth.

Overall, Tri-West crushed Danville on the boards. The Bruins were able to get 51% of their missed shots. That helped Tri-West pull away in the second half and win going away 68-55.

Tyler Watson finished with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers. Peyton Hendershot tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Alec Burton led Danville with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Austin Cowart finished with 13 points.