SCOTTSVILLE – It was a productive 24 hours for the Allen County-Scottsville boys’ basketball team.

After the first win against District 15 rival Glasgow since 2021 on Friday night, Allen County-Scottsville was able to grind out another district win Saturday – using a fourth-quarter rally to slip past Barren County 56-50 at Allen County-Scottsville.

The Patriots scored the final seven points to earn the win and lock up the No. 2 seed in the District 15 Tournament and earn a fifth straight win. It’s a huge turnaround for Allen County-Scottsville (11-10 overall, 4-2 District 15), which has matched its win total from last season.

“One of the things we have focused on in the offseason was we were 0-7 in the district,” Allen County-Scottsville coach Jeremy Garrett said. “This year the guys really bought in that it wasn’t going to happen this year. One of our biggest goals was wins in the district and wins in the region. We are 7-5 in region and 4-2 in district, a complete (180). The guys wanted to change the culture and they want to make basketball fun again.”

The two teams entered play Saturday knowing the game was essentially a preview of the opening round of the district tournament. The game had a postseason feel, with 12 lead changes and seven ties.

Barren County (14-10, 3-3) got the biggest lead of the night at the end of the second quarter, closing with a 7-0 spurt that made the score 33-26. The Trojans were able to keep the lead throughout the third, with a putback by Jaxson Byrd making the score 45-40 in the final seconds of the quarter.

Allen County-Scottsville’s defense stepped up in the fourth, holding the Trojans to one free throw during a 9-1 surge that allowed the Patriots to slide in front 49-46 with 1:55 left.

Barren County got two buckets in a 34-second span to regain the edge 50-49 with 1:05 left, but two free throws by Kyler Pedigo with 50 seconds left gave the lead back to Allen County-Scottsville for good.

Barren County missed a chance to take the lead on a shot in the paint with 29 seconds left and the Patriots were able to seal it with five free throws in the final 22 seconds. Allen County-Scottsville outscored the Trojans 16-5 in the fourth quarter.

“The second-half adjustment was to man up and guard,” Garrett said. “Man up and guard and play defense. Rebounding was killing us, but we started getting some tough boards – cleaning that stuff up. These guys have really bought in and I think they see the potential in themselves.”

Pedigo led the Patriots with 29 points, while Aiden Grainger added 13 points and six rebounds.

“We’ve been preaching the past couple of days to keep stacking days,” Pedigo said. “Keep pushing and keep playing. Have our seniors step up and everyone just go to work.”

Weston Shelton led Barren County with 10 points. The Trojans shot 35.3% from the field, including 5-for-24 in the second half.

“I think this was the first game we’ve won in the 50s, so I am proud,” Garrett said. “That’s a big win. This was a big week.”

Allen County-Scottsville is scheduled to host Warren Central at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Barren County plays at Metcalfe County at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

BCHS 17 16 12 5 – 50

ACSHS 16 10 14 16 – 56

BC – Shelton 10, Pippen 8, Hardy 7, Byrd 7, Nunn 6, Fryar 6, Griggs 4, Browning 2.

ACS – Pedigo 29, A. Grainger 13, D. Grainger 5, Spears 5, Turner 4.

GIRLS

Barren County 75, Allen County-Scottsville 45

The Trojanettes dominated the glass with a 25-0 advantage in second-chance points to cruise to the win and wrap up a perfect regular season in district play.

“That was the difference, the offensive rebounding,” ACS coach Gary DeWitt said. “We talked about it at halftime. I tried to get them to block out and do better. We just gave up too many second-chance points. We gave up too many offensive rebounds.”

Allen County-Scottsville (15-7 overall, 4-2 District 15) was without leading scorer Avery Morris, who sat out as a precaution due to an ankle injury suffered in Tuesday’s game against Cumberland County. Morris played in Friday’s win against Glasgow, but the Lady Patriots opted to not play her on back-to-back nights.

“When you don’t have Avery Morris, that is like the Lakers playing without Shaq,” DeWitt said. “We are thinking long term. We are thinking next week and we also are really thinking about district tournament. We’ve gotta have her available in the first game of the district tournament. I feel good about this group I’ve got. I really do. I know that Barren County is the best team in the region and they are in our district it just so happens, but I really like my kids.”

Barren County (22-2, 6-0) was able to quickly take control, jumping ahead 11-3 in the first three minutes and pushing the margin to 34-20 by halftime. The Trojanettes continued to pull away, leading by as many as 31 points in the second half.

“We crashed the boards hard and we finished around the rim,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “I thought we pushed the ball in transition. I was very proud of us there. I don’t think we were as zoned in as we typically are, but they are a completely different team without (Avery Morris).”

Ann Ashley Atkinson lead Barren County with 17 points and six rebounds. Shelby Byrd added 16 points, while Adalynn Slagle finished with 13 points.

The win completed a week in which Barren County picked up victories against three of the teams – Cumberland County, Franklin-Simpson and ACS – in the mix with the Trojanettes as the top contenders in the Fourth Region.

“I thought they were really good wins and three different teams,” Lindsey said. “Cumberland County is mostly guards and then of course you turn around and got good guards and a good big on Tuesday (against Franklin). Tonight was completely different. I just think it is great our kids are making the adjustment and understanding how to guard each team differently. I’m proud of them for really fighting and playing all week.”

Debora Patrick led Allen County-Scottsville with 17 points, while Addy Law added 11 points.

BCHS 21 13 30 11 – 75

ACSHS 9 11 16 9 – 45

BC – Atkinson 17, Byrd 16, Slagle 13, Burton 9, McFall 8, Cannon 3, Kaumanns 3, Bragg 2, Harris 2, Hagan 2.

ACS – Patrick 17, Law 11, Ford 7, Boler 4, Marr 3, Carter 3.