(by Don Meador, January 5, 2026)
The tradition-rich Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriot basketball program added another achievement to their resume last Saturday. The Lady Patriots overcame a six-point first half deficit to down the Franklin-Simpson Lady Cats in the finals of the 2A Section 2 title game. AC-S’s 69-56 win qualifies the Lady Patriots to play in the 2A state tournament, January 16-18, in Owensboro.
“My girls played so well,” noted AC-S coach Garry DeWitt after the win. “The key to the win was free throws. Everyone stepped up and hit them. I’m just so proud of them.”
While free throws in the final eight minutes---a remarkable 12 of 13 from the line---enabled AC-S to outlast the Lady Cats, a 6-0 run at the end of the first half was also huge. In the first quarter, three lead changes and two ties reflected a back-and-forth battle, laying the foundation of what was to come. Franklin-Simpson owned an 11-8 lead to start the second and stayed ahead until the 4:30 mark. Lady Patriot Avery Morris buried a 3-pointer to lift her team to a 15-14 lead. The Lady Cats answered, outsourcing the Lady Patriots 9-2 over the next two minutes to build a 23-17 lead.
The final two points in the Franklin run were free throws by Lady Cat junior Pennington. The sensational shooter was fouled by Morris on a drive to the basket following an AC-S turnover. The foul was the third on Morris---forcing coach DeWitt to sit Morris for the remainder of the first half. What looked and felt like a turning point in the contest was indeed a turning point---but not as most imagined.
Rather than Franklin-Simpson building upon their lead, it was AC-S who flipped the script. The Lady Patriot defense stepped up along with the offense. Debora Patrick’s basket at the 2:08 mark trimmed the Lady Cat lead to four. Moments later, pressure defense forced Pennington into a turnover. After a Kensley Byrn miss, Addy Law grabbed an offensive board and fed Allison Ford. The senior drove, pulled up, and sank an eight-foot floater to bring the Lady Patriots to within two, 23-21. Following misses by both teams, Law attacked the rim on the offensive end, pulled the defense, and dumped the ball to Patrick on the block. Patrick’s bucket tied the game at 23 with about a minute left in the half. The AC-S defense---which forced four turnovers after Morris went out---held Franklin-Simpson resulting in a 23-23 tie at halftime.
“I was so proud of my teammates stepping up,” Morris said. “It was huge for us to get the tie going into the half. Then we came out strong in the third. I am also so grateful that my teammates played so great on defense.”
The momentum from the late AC-S run prompted DeWitt to challenge his team to keep it up to start the second half.
“I told the team at halftime that the first four minutes would make all the difference in the world,” DeWitt recalled. “We came out and played really well at the beginning of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter we took it over.”
AC-S capped their 10-0 run with lay-ups from Morris and Patrick in the first two minutes of the third. After a basket by Ford, a 3-pointer and a 3-point play by Morris, the Lady Patriots led 39-28 with 1:35 left in the third. The 11-point lead may have seemed safe for AC-S fans but Franklin-Simpson's Allye Pennington said, “hold the phone.”
Pennington poured in nine of her team’s final 12 points in the third to pull the Lady Cats to within four, 44-40, with a quarter left. In the fourth, Pennington entered a scoring zone. A 3-pointer----one of nine she would sink in the game---brought Franklin-Simpson to within a point, 44-43, with seven minutes left.
Again, AC-S stepped up. The AC-S defense forced two turnovers. Offensively, Morris, Patrick, and Law scored to increase the AC-S lead to seven, 50-43, with four minutes to go. The hot shooting Pennington enabled the Lady Cats to close to within four at 53-49. With just over two minutes left, Kyra Marr delivered what proved to be the knockout blow. Marr let fly a 3-point shot which swished the nets and lifted AC-S to a 58-51 lead. Twice, the Lady Cats cut the lead to six before free throws from Law, Patrick, and Ford carried the Lady Patriots to the thrilling win.
“I knew my team believed in me and I believed in myself,” Marr said when asked about her 3-pointer. “I’m glad I hit it because we really needed that.”
The win would not have been possible without the play of Patrick. The senior finished with career-highs in points (25) and rebounds (18). Patrick made eight of 13 shots from the floor and was nine of 12 at the foul line. She grabbed eight offense and 10 defensive rebounds. Had the game recognized a MVP, she would have been a lock.
“I just want to do what I can, when I can,” Patrick explained. “I just try to take care of my team.”
Morris added 24 points, seven steals, and three assists. However, the assist number is higher since the stat program does not factor in points coming at the free throw line after a shooter is fouled following a feed pass. Law scored eight points and dished four assists. Ford also scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. Marr finished with four points and four rebounds.
The Lady Patriots were 21 of 50 from the floor (42%) with the number including four three pointers. At the line, AC-S made 23 of 28 free throws (82.1%). Franklin-Simpson was 18-50 (36%) from the floor and nine of 11 at the line. The Lady Cats went 11 of 26 (42.3%) from 3-point range. Pennington led all scorers with 39 points.
The 2A Section 2 championship propels the Lady Patriots into uncharted waters---the 2A state tournament.
In 2018, athletic directors and administrators from schools with an enrollment from about 600 to 1,100 created the 2A Championships. Modeled after the All-A tournaments for smaller schools, the 2A crowns state champions in basketball, softball, baseball, golf, volleyball, and soccer. AC-S has participated in 2A championships at the sectional level and has sent golf teams and players to the 2A State Championship tournaments. However, Saturday’s title is the first time the girls basketball team has won the Sectional and moves into the state tournament.
AC-S (9-3) will play the winner of Section 8 at 6:30 on Friday, January 16, at the historic Owensboro Sportscenter. The quarterfinal match-up will be the seventh of eighth games played that day as the boys 2A quarterfinals will be underway as well. The 2A Section 8 semifinals and finals are yet to be played but the favorites are Johnson Central and Floyd Central.
The winner of the quarterfinal game January 16 moves to the semifinals on Saturday, January 17 with the 2A state championship game on Sunday, January 18. More information on the state tournament will be forthcoming.