Lady Cougars Pounce on Lady Patriots Early; Barren County Uses 17-0 First Half Run to Key District Win

By Don Meador,
Sports Writer

The Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriots surrounded seven three-point baskets, committed 17 turnovers, and could not recover from a slow start at Logan County on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The result was a third-consecutive loss after Logan County prevailed 59-48.

As was the case a week earlier at Westmoreland, the Lady Patriots started sluggish. The Lady Cougars used a barrage of three-point baskets–four in the first frame alone–against the AC-S 2-3 zone to build a 20-9 lead eight minutes into the contest. However, the bright point followed for the Lady Patriots.

Three baskets from wing Allison Ford, two buckets by post Debora Patrick, and a lay-in from guard Avery Morris keyed a 9-0 run by the Lady Patriots. Logan County answered with their fifth three-pointer of the game to retake a 23-21 lead–a lead they would not relinquish. At the half, Logan County owned a 30-26 after closing the first 16 minutes with six three-point baskets.

Early in the third period, hoops from Patrick and Morris enabled the Lady Patriots to stay within five points, 37-32. Logan County then responded with an 8-0 run to build a 45-32 lead. AC-S cut the deficit to nine, 45-36, by quarter’s end. In the fourth, the teams essentially traded baskets with the final margin being 11, 59-48.

Morris led the way for the Lady Patriots. The sophomore finished with 16 points, four rebounds and five assists. Senior Riley Roy added 11 points and graded 10 rebounds–registering her second career double-double. Ford closed with nine points–all coming in the first half. Patrick had eight points and eight rebounds.

AC-S was 19-45 from the floor (42.2 percent) and eight of 11 (72.7 percent) at the line. Logan County shot 23-47 overall from the field (48.9 percent) and finished seven of 15 (46.7 percent) from three-point range. The Lady Cougars were six of nine at the foul line. AC-S turned the ball over 17 times, had 10 assists and recorded nine steals.

AC-S vs. Barren County

The Allen County-Scottsville dropped a fourth consecutive game on Friday, Jan. 17 with a 69-51 setback at Barren County.

The Lady Patriot looked like the team many expected this season in the first seven minutes of the game. Baskets from Riley Roy, Avery Morris, and Debora Patrick staked AC-S to a 6-3 lead. A Morris three-pointer and a back to back hoops from Patrick and, suddenly, AC-S led 13-7 with 2:14 left in the first. Things went downhill the rest of the way.

Barren County–the second-ranked team in the region based on the Daily News Media Poll–closed the final 12 points of the first period. Coach Piper Lindsey’s team turned up the defensive pressure, holding AC-S without a basket while forcing four turnovers. The result was a 19-13 Barren lead after the first frame.

The Trojanettes’ 12-0 run to close the first quarter was extended to a 17-0 as Barren County scored the first five points of the second. To the credit of the AC-S players, the Lady Patriots looked to battle back. A three-ball by Morris, a lay-up by the sophomore and a lay-in by Aubrie Naiser cut into Barren County’s lead. Down 24-20 with 5:27 left in the second, the Lady Patriots stayed within striking distance the rest of the first half. Morris scored on a drive, sank another three-pointer, and Naiser scored again on a drive to make it a three point game with 47 seconds remaining. The Trojanettes capped the half with a basket to carry a 33-27 lead to the locker room.

Many basketball coaches adhere to the philosophy that the first four minutes are a key to winning. Coach Lindsey must be one. The Trojanettes outscored the Lady Patriots 10-1 by the 4:03 mark to build a 14-point lead, 42-28. Over the final half of the third frame, Barren County all but locked up the win with a 14-8 charge thus building a 56-36 lead with a quarter left. AC-S won the fourth period 15-13 but a tired defense–due in part to Coach Dunn using just seven players until the final minutes–could not mount a stand to give AC-S a chance to claw back into the game on the offensive end of the court.

Morris and Patrick keyed the Lady Patriot offense. Morris finished with 21 points with Patrick adding 15. Morris also dished out six assists while Patrick collected nine rebounds. Roy led AC-S with 10 rebounds but was a non-factor offensively, finishing with one basket. Naiser and reserve Addy Law added five points. Kyra Marr added a bucket as did seventh-grader Leighton Boler–her first career points.

Overall, the Lady Patriots were 21-54 from the floor (38.9 percent) and five of 10 at the foul line. Barren County sank 27-60 shots (45 percent) and went seven of eight at the free throw line. The Lady Patriots turned the ball over 18 times, which resulted in 23 Trojanette points.

AC-S (7-9, 1-3) travels to Butler County on January 20 and is scheduled to welcome the Macon County Tigerettes (10-8) Friday night at 6 p.m. at Patriot Gym. The Macon match-up is the first time the tradition-rich programs separated by 20 miles have met on the court.