AC-S will host Todd County Central on
Thursday in the final regular season games of the year. The Lady Patriots’ game
will tip at 6 p.m. with Senior Night activities following. The Patriots and Rebels
will tip around 7:40.
Allen County-Scottsville senior Lady Patriot
Sarah Sutton scored 28 points; sophomore Patriot Mason Shirley had 23 points to
help their teams post wins Tuesday night at Warren Central. The Lady Patriots
downed the Lady Dragons, 54-36 for their 19th win of the season. The Patriots
defeated the Dragons 66-59 to record their 21st win.
In the girls game, Warren Central sprinted
to a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Lady Patriots responded with
a strong run. Led by eight points from Sutton, AC-S embarked on a 14-0 run,
capped by Mason Towery’s 3-point jumper at the 1:35 mark. A late 3-ball from
Central’s Lay Lay Lewis pulled the Lady Dragons to within four, 14-10, after
the first quarter.
Free throws were a key to helping the Lady
Patriots overcome a rough shooting second period and maintain their lead. Sutton
and Towery combined to make six free throws in the quarter and, despite missing
seven of 10 shots, baskets from Towery, Sutton, and Kaylee Bullington helped
the Lady Patriots carry a 27-24 lead to halftime.
Hoops from Sutton, Taylor Carter, and Towery’s
third 3-pointer of the game sparked an 11-2 run to start the third quarter.
Late in the period, Towery and Sutton added buckets that lifted the Lady
Patriots to a 43-30 lead to start the final eight minutes. The Lady Dragons
pulled to within 11 with 5:13 left but any comeback hopes by Central was dashed
as Sutton and Towery sank key buckets to quickly push the AC-S lead to 16.
AC-S (19-6) was 21-47 from the floor (44.7%)
but struggled at the foul line (50%) making just eight of their 16 attempts.
Warren Central (2-26) went 14-48 from the floor (29.2%) and four of eight at
the line. AC-S out rebounded the Lady Dragons 36-31. In addition to Sutton’s 28
points and eight rebounds, Towery added 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and
handed out six assists. McReynolds and Bullington recorded five rebounds with
Bullington dishing out a career-best five assists.
In the nightcap, the Warren Central Dragons
looked to be in control early. Trailing 8-3 at the 4:20 mark of the first,
Central out scored AC-S 17-4 over the remainder of the first to grab a 20-12
lead. Just over a minute into the second, a Warren Central basket pushed their
lead to 11. With 5:28 left in the first half, a 3-point bucket lifted the
Dragons to a 30-19 lead.
Buckets from Owen Stamper and Brett Rippy pulled
AC-S to within seven with just under four minutes left in the half. After a
Chase Ward free throw, 3-point baskets from Shirley capped the 11-0 Patriot run
and tied the game at 30 with 1:21 remaining in the quarter. A jumper from Kobe
Brents gave the hosts a 32-30 lead at the break.
AC-S went ahead 34-32 on a pair of Bryce
Carter buckets to begin the third quarter. Shirley and Ross added hoops as AC-S
opened a 38-32 lead with 3:51 left in the quarter---to close a 19-2 run over a nine-and-a-half-minute
time span. Central took advantage of AC-S defense breakdowns and countered with
a trifecta of 3-point baskets. After two 3-pointers, Brents scored on a lay-in
to lift the Dragons to a 43-40 lead with 1:43 remaining in the third. Baskets
from Jax Cooper and Rippy closed the third allowing the Patriots to hold a
44-43 lead with a quarter remaining.
Shirley opened the scoring in the fourth
with a jumper and a 3-pointer to lift the Patriots to a 49-43 advantage with
just over seven minutes left. Central closed to within one but Shirley answered
with a 3-pointer. After Dragons misses and a series of key rebounds by the
Patriots, buckets from Rippy, Carter, and Shirley gave AC-S a 10-point lead, 58-48,
with 2:47 left. The Dragons took advantage of missed AC-S free throws to
gradually close to within five with 13 seconds left. Shirley’s two foul shots
at the nine second mark sealed the win.
The Patriots (21-7) finished the night 26-53
from the floor for a 49.1% mark. The Dragons (16-9) were 23-60 from the field
(38.3%) and five of 10 at the free throw line. AC-S went nine of 17 at the foul
line. On the glass, AC-S outrebounded Warren Central, 42-28. In addition to
Shirley’s 23 points and six assists, Rippy fished with 13 points and Bryce
Carter added 10. Stamper led AC-S with six rebounds.