The two Players of the Year on the Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriot roster----Avery Morris and Debora Patrick---combined for 43 points while senior forward Allison Ford added 13 to help AC-S to a resounding 79-48 win over Warren East in the opening round of the District 15 tournament on February 23.
Ford’s play in the first 16 minutes jumpstarted AC-S in the first half. The Lady Raiders matched the Lady Patriots almost point-for-point for the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Kyra Marr helped her team take a 13-10 lead after the first period. The Lady Patriots’ small lead was short-lived. Early in the second, Warren East tied the contest at 16.
AC-S’s answer was a Ford bucket on the AC-S end of the court. The Lady Raiders bounced back and would open a 24-20 lead only to see the Lady Patriots gradually take control. Free throws from Patrick and Morris brought the lead back to AC-S. With AC-S clinging to a 31-26 lead with 1:40 remaining before half, Ford scored on a putback, sank a 3-pointer, and took a Morris pass to the hoop and scored. Her seven points in a 60-second time frame gave AC-S a 38-28 lead. The senior wasn’t done. With 1.2 seconds left in the half, Ford threw a perfect inbounds pass to Morris who sank a buzzer-beating basket to cap the Lady Patriots 20-4 run and give AC-S the 40-28 lead at halftime.
The Lady Patriots put the game away in the third. Sinking 10 of their 17 shots in the period, AC-S gradually built their lead, taking a 28-point advantage to the final period. Buckets from Morris, Kyra Marr, Patrick, Payton Marr, and Ford spearheaded the scoring run. The final quarter would see a show down in the action as AC-S cruised to the 31-point lead.
Morris---the Region 4 coaches’ selection as region Player of the Year---finished with 28 points and five assists. Patrick---selected by the Kentucky Association of Basketball coaches as the senior Player of the Year in the region ---added 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Ford not only matched her career-high with 13 points but also recorded six steals. Kyra Marr added eight points and five rebounds.
AC-S shot 48.3% from the floor, making 29 of 60 shots. The total included six 3-point buckets. At the line, the Lady Patriots were 15 of 22. Warren East (11-16) was 20 of 53 from the field and two of two at the foul line. The Lady Raiders turned the ball over 22 times compared to 14 for AC-S.
The Lady Patriots (21-7) will face Barren County (28-2) in the District 15 championship game on Thursday, February 26 at 6 p.m. at Glasgow High School. The Trojanettes have a pair of wins over AC-S this year---62-41 and 75-45. AC-S is seeking their 19th District tournament title while Barren County seeks their 21st since 1975. The Trojanettes have won eight of the last nine District 15 tournament titles. .
Both teams will advance to the Region 4 tournament which starts Sunday, March 1, at Western Kentucky University. For AC-S, the regional appearance is the second one for the program since 2016 and the 28th trip to regional play in the 52-year history of the program.