(by Don Meador, Allen County Schools, December 11, 2019)
Kayden Whitney’s power move for a score with 32.1 seconds left and an end-game defensive stop enabled the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots to defeat the Adair County Indians 46-44 in the opening round of the 2A Championships Sectional Tuesday at Patriot Gym.
The win capped a night in
which the Patriot offense struggled. Facing a ball-control, slower-paced team
in Adair County, AC-S fell behind 9-6 after the first eight minutes of action.
The outside shooting of AC-S senior Charlie Calvert along with strong defense helped
the Patriots outscore the Indians 16-6 in the second period to build a 22-15
halftime lead.
The Patriots sprinted to an
11-point lead, 31-20, by the 5:04 mark of the third period. Baskets by Jax
Cooper, Owen Stamper, Calvert, and Mason Shirley helped AC-S open the lead
before Adair County closed on an 8-2 run to pull within five. Three minutes
into the fourth quarter, the Indians tied the game at 35, capping a 15-4 run in
an eight-minute time frame.
Adair County (2-3) built a three point lead, 43-40, with 1:45 remaining. A pair of Cooper free throws cut the Indians’ lead to one. After Adair County’s Kai Burton hit one of two foul shots to give his team the 44-42 lead, Cooper was fouled on a drive to the basket at the 54 second mark. The junior sank both free throws to tie the game at 44. Following a turnover by the Indians, Whitney received a pass from Cooper, pivoted on the block, and powered his way to the basket for the lay-in. Following a pair of timeouts, Adair County’s Lucas Pooler missed a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Cooper finished with 13 points
on four-of-seven shooting from the floor and four-of-four at the line. Calvert
canned a trio of 3-pointers as part of his 12 point game. Shirley led the
Patriots with five rebounds. Stamper, Shirley, and Trace McIntyre led the team
with three steals.
AC-S shot 41.7% from the floor
(15-36), made four 3-point baskets, and went 12-16 at the foul line. Adair
County was 13-33 from the floor (39.4%) and 15-20 at the line (75%). The
Patriots outrebounded the Indians 30-16.
The win moves the Patriots into
the semifinal round of the 2A Section 2 tournament on January 6 against Warren Central
in Bowling Green. AC-S (1-2) will play Greenwood Thursday night at 7:30 at
Greenwood.