By MIKE MARSEE

Contributing writer

It was the kind of win the Boyle County boys needed. Just like the one before it.

The Rebels followed their most important victory of the season with another win of considerable significance Tuesday night, a 61-53 victory over Danville that could be an indication of an upward trend.

Boyle shook off its arch rival for the second time this season to build on its win over district and regional leader Lincoln County four days earlier exactly as coach Dennie Webb hoped it would.

“I think we needed to follow that up with a good win,” Webb said. “It wasn’t as pretty tonight, but we’re still learning and we’re still building, and we’ll take it. One way or the other, we’ll take it.”

Boyle was three games under .500 and its season was trending downward before it knocked off Lincoln on Friday. Now the Rebels are looking to gather some momentum as they postseason comes up fast.

They got some Friday when they got their second victory over Danville this season and their fifth in a row overall in the crosstown series.

Visiting Boyle (11-12, 5-2 45th District) controlled the second half as it dominated the boards, solved Danville’s pressure defense and defended the Admirals into a subpar shooting night.

The Rebels had two double-digit rebounders as they held a 44-27 edge on the glass. Jakei Tarter had 21 boards to increase his region-best rebound average to 13.2, and 5-8 Montice Quisenberry, who was averaging 3.6 rebounds, had 12 boards to go with a game-high 18 points.

And Boyle held Danville to nine offensive rebounds, including just four in the second half.

“That was something that we were emphasizing a lot, keeping them off the offensive glass,” Webb said.

Danville scored 14 points off 10 Boyle turnovers in the first half, but the Rebels gave the ball up only four times in the second half.

Finally, the Admirals shot just 35 percent from the field — they’re at 45 percent on the season — and went just 2 for 22 from 3-point range and 11 for 20 from the free-throw line.

“It’s still a shooting game,” Danville coach Ed McKinney said. “I’ll go back and look, but I didn’t think we forced a whole lot until right at the end of the game. But you can’t be 2 for 22 from 3, we can’t because we don’t have somebody to throw it to on the block. Everybody we’ve got is basically a perimeter player.”

It was another in a series of close district losses for Danville (16-10, 1-6), which finds itself at the bottom of a balanced district race. Five of the Admirals’ six defeats in district games have been by 10 points or less.

“It is frustrating, very frustrating. Every game comes down to three or four possessions, and it seems like we’re not winning any of those,” McKinney said. “It’s just tough, and these games are all going to be close.”

Danville led 30-25 in the first minute of the second half after getting 18 points in the first half from Jalen Dunn, who attacked the basket seemingly at will.

Dunn had only five field-goal attempts in the second half, and he finished with 24 points and eight rebounds.

Boyle never trailed again after scoring eight straight points to go up 33-30. Danville tied the game at 38-all and was still within 53-49 with 2:42 to play, but the Rebels, who struggled at the foul line for much of the night, hit eight of 11 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Tarter scored 13 points, Kason Myers had 12 and Guy Turner added 10 for Boyle, which shot 45 percent from the field despite going 3 for 16 from 3-point range.

Jarius Bryant scored 12 points for Danville, and Owen Barnes had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Boyle is mathematically alive for the top seed in the 45th District Tournament and can secure the No. 2 seed with a win at Danville Christian in its final district game Tuesday.

Danville is locked into the No. 5 seed, meaning the Admirals will have to win two district tournament games to reach the regional.

Girls

Danville 74, Boyle County 36

The stars are still doing the heavy lifting for Danville, but the supporting cast is carrying some of the load, as well.

Both were in evidence in the Lady Admirals’ latest win over Boyle, and coach Judie Mason said both will be necessary in the postseason.

Danville (22-2, 7-0) got 54 points from seniors Love Mays, Desiree Tandy and Samantha Bottom and another 20 from sophomores Jazelynn Doneghy, Nemaeh Jackson, Alayah Quisenberry and Myla Turner to beat Boyle for the second time this season and the 12th consecutive time overall.

Mays scored 25 points, Tandy had 17 and Bottom added 12 to lead the Lady Admirals, who outscored the Lady Rebels 34-12 over the second and third quarters after a first period in which the teams were tied four times.

“I expect (them) to be there every night, but we’ve got to have scoring from that sophomore class, and I think they’re finally starting to mature a little bit and playing the way I want them to play,” Mason said. “If my sophomores play well, we’re a pretty good team.”

The four sophomores have scored 90 of the 222 points Danville has put up in three games since its trip to the All “A” Classic.

Boyle (13-12, 4-3) got a big game from its leading scorer, Ella Coffey, who scored 27 of her team’s 36 points to raise her average from 13.0 to 13.6 and had a team-high seven rebounds.

Mays had nine rebounds and Tandy had eight for Danville, which had previously clinched the No. 1 seed for the district tournament.