(by Don Meador)
Junior Lady Patriot Riley Roy has been in the right place at the right time twice this season. In both cases, her reactive shooting helped her team record an upset. In January, a rebound put back shocked Westmoreland. Monday (February 26), her 20-foot, 3-pointer gave the Lady Patriots a 53-52 lead with 6.9 second to play, stunning Barren County. After Sarah Beth Wright buried a pair of free throws with just under five seconds and a sideline trap at the two-second mark forced a Barren County turnover, Allen County-Scottsville defeated Barren County, 55-52.
“This is an amazing feeling,” coach Greg Dunn noted. “We have been through a tough slump this year. To pull this win out against a very, very talented program, I’m so proud of these girls. Our seniors have led this team all year. It could have gotten to a point during that slump when we did not bounce back. But here we are, ready to play for a District championship.”
The win---the first District tournament victory for AC-S since February 22, 2016---ended eight years of frustrating, and in some cases heartbreaking, District losses for the tradition rich program. In 2019, during Coach Greg Dunn’s first season, a 3-pointer in overtime allowed Barren County to edge AC-S by one. Last season, Glasgow’s Abby Slagle swished a 15-foot jumper to stun the Lady Patriots, 53-51 in District play. However this year, the shoe was on the other foot this time as the Lady Patriot opponent was the ones left heartbroken.
Senior Jayleigh Steenbergen has experienced the heartbreak of the post season over the past five years. The breakthrough win Monday ended the drought and put AC-S into the regional tournament.
“I feel like we have been waiting for this since we have been here since seventh grade,” Steenbergen said. “It feels amazing to get to experience this our senior year with the family we have.
Senior Sarah Beth Wright added that earning the opportunity to play in the Region 4 tournament Diddle Arena is a dream come true---a dream birthed as a youngster in the stands almost a decade ago.
“I watched from the stands the last time a team from here played in Region (in 2016),” Wright recalled. “I have always wanted to be there in that spotlight, to go under the big lights on the big court. It’s an overwhelming feeling and I’m so thankful for this opportunity.”
Senior Claria Berry says the win is almost indescribable.
“There is not really words to explain the rush of emotions,” Berry said. “It was scary the whole game and I love that we get to go to Diddle. We love to beat Barren County as well.”
The game was a nip-and-tuck battle for 32 minutes. The Trojanettes grabbed an early five-point lead, 7-2 following a 3-point basket by Katie Murphy. A quick 3-pointer off the hands of Jayleigh Steenbergen and a Claria Berry jumper tied the game at seven with just over five minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Avery Morris added a 3-pointer at the 4:45 mark to cap an early 8-0 AC-S run. Barren senior Abby Varney countered with a 3-pointer for the game’s second tie score. A pair of Morris free throws and a jumper from Debora Patrick lifted AC-S to a 14-12 lead after the first quarter.
Eight points by Varney sparked the Trojanettes in the second. Her play and the contributions of teammates Kaitlyn Elmore and Katie Gerald led to a 14-8 frame, giving the Trojanettes a 26-22 lead at the break. For AC-S, their eight points came from Morris as the freshman carried her team in the period.
Barren County opened a six-point 30-26 lead---their biggest of the night---by the 5:41 point of the third period. However, free throws from Morris, a 3-point bucket by Steenbergen, and a Roy field goal pushed the Lady Patriots to a 31-30 lead. Elmore would then hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 31 with approximately three-and-a half-minutes left in the third.
At that point, a scary play threatened to mar the classic. While going after a loose ball, Morris—a first team Region 4 selection---and Varney---the KABC player of the year in Region 4---collided head-to-head near midcourt. Both players fell to the court with blood coming from Varney’s nose and Morris’ head. Trainers and support personal quickly attended to the key players. Both left the court, leaving fans not only concerned about their health but also wondering what would happen with the two stars sidelined.
The answer was step up play from their teammates. The Trojanettes raced to a 36-31 lead after a 3-pointer by Shelby Byrd and a jumper from Ashley Atkinson. Not to be out done, Lady Patriot Aubrie Naiser took a Steenbergen pass and swished a 3-pointer. Less than a minute later, Nasser’s second 3-pointer pushed AC-S to a 37-36 lead. Barren County answered with a 3-pointer and basket. Roy would close the third with her own 3-pointer to pull AC-S to within one, 41-40.
Morris---with a bandaged head---would be back in the line-up to start the fourth. Varney---with a potentially broken nose filled with gauze --would also return early in the fourth. Varney’s bucket at the 4:38 mark knotted the game at 45. After almost two minutes of balance, a Naiser steal, run out, and layup gave AC-S a 47-45 lead. Following a Barren miss, Naiser would sink her third 3-pointer to give the hosts a 50-45 lead with 2:31 remaining.
Barren answered with a Varney 3-point play at the 2:16 mark. After an AC-S turnover on an offensive foul, the Trojanettes tied the game at 50 on an Elmore drive. A miss by Morris gave the ball back to the Trojanettes. Varney would draw a foul on their next possession and go to the line where she made her first free throw. On the second, the ball bounced off into Murphy’s hands---Barren County’s 115th offensive rebound of the game. Varney would get the ball and fouled by Steenbergen with 22 seconds remaining. Varney missed the first but made her second to give the Trojanettes a 52-50 lead.
AC-S called timeout near midcourt at the 15-second mark. After drawing up a play designed to get the ball into the hands of Morris or Steenbergen, Roy found herself with the ball and an open look.
“To be completely honest, I wasn’t really thinking about the shot,” Roy explained. “(In the timeout) I asked coach Dunn is I could take a shot if I was open and he said yes. All I saw was a split-second opportunity. So I took it. I did not know if I made it. I’m grateful that I have that opportunity.”
Following a timeout, a Barren County play designed to put the ball into Murphy’s hands went bad. Sarah Beth Wright pounced onto the ball and was quickly fouled. The senior calmly sank two free throws to give AC-S a three-point cushion with four seconds to play. The Trojanettes last-ditch effort ended in a Lady Patriot defensive trap near mid court. The Barren ball handler threw the ball into the trap and Wright secured the round ball as the horn sounded.
Morris finished with a team-high 20 points with Naiser added 13 points, nine coming on clutch 3-pointers. Riley added eight points with reserve Deborah Patrick leading AC-S with seven rebounds. Varney led the Trojanettes with 20 points.
The statists from the game was very similar with a few notable exceptions. The Lady Patriots were 17-43 (39.5%) from the floor and 12-16 (75%) from the foul line. Barren County went 22-54 (40.7%) from the field. However, Barren County made just four of 12 free throws. Another key difference, AC-S sank nine 3-point baskets compared to four for the Trojanettes. Barren County grabbed 32 rebounds while AC-S had 29.
Barren County coach Piper Lindsey admitted in her post-game interview that the game and the loss was something she didn’t see coming.
“They (ACS) are well coached,” Lindsey said. “Coach Dunn does a heck of a job. Avery Morris is tough. She is tough to stop. I was not prepared for this scenario to be honest.”
Lindsey also noted how this year seemed to be a “flip of the script” from five years ago. At that time, Barren County ended the AC-S careers of Sarah Sutton and Mason Towery. This time, the AC-S win closed the careers of Trojanettes Murphy and Varney. Yet, she praised her team for their efforts.
“My girls followed our game plan,” Coach Lindsey explained. “We wanted to take the shots we took and we wanted to camp in the lane and take charges. This game will not define our season. Life is so much bigger. Our seniors have battled back. Katie Murphy came back from an ACL injury to play. Abby Varney may have gotten a nose broke and comes back.”
While the Lady Patriots (12-16) are in the Region 4 tournament for the first time in eight year, Barren County (23-8) will miss the event for the first time in eight years.