SCOTTSVILLE — High school basketball was back in full swing on Tuesday evening as Allen County-Scottsville and South Warren split a boys/girls’ doubleheader in Scottsville.
South Warren took control early and won the girls’ contest, 52-42, to give new head coach Lane Embry his first win at the helm of the Lady Spartans’ program. ACS held up to win the boys’ match-up, 71-61, to give Brad Bonds his first win as the boys’ head coach after stepping down from ACS’s girls’ program over the offseason, a position which he held for 11 years.
Girls: South Warren 52, Allen County-Scottsville 42
The Lady Spartans (1-0) came out on fire in the first game of the night, opening up the contest with a 16-2 lead over ACS after the first quarter.
The Lady Patriots, though, found their rhythm in the second quarter and outscored the Lady Spartans 12-7 to cut the deficit to 23-14 going into the half. At the half, South Warren’s Natalie Pierce had outscored the Lady Patriots as she racked up 15 points over the opening 16 minutes.
The third and fourth quarters saw an evenly matched battle between the two teams. The Lady Spartans outscored ACS (0-1) 15-14 in the third quarter and the teams both scored 14 in the fourth quarter, preserving a 10-point win for South Warren.
In her fourth year as a starter, Pierce made a huge statement in her opening game of her senior season, finishing with 28 points and six rebounds while Hallie Parrish added eight for the Lady Spartans.
Murray State commit Sarah Sutton lead ACS with 20 points and also pulled down six rebounds. Mason Towery added 12 points for the Lady Patriots, grabbing seven boards.
The win – again – is the first for the Lady Spartans under new head coach Lane Embry, whose father – Blane – stepped aside from the girls’ program to take over the boys’ program in June.
South Warren opens up their home schedule against Barren County on Friday evening at 6:00 pm CT. ACS will hit the road on Saturday to face Warren Central in the State Farm 14th vs. 15th District Challenge at noon CT at Bowling Green.
Boys: Allen County-Scottsville 71, South Warren 61
After leading 19-14 at the end of the first quarter, the Patriots (1-0) used a 12-4 run to open up a 31-18 advantage at the 3:37 mark of the second quarter.
However, the Spartans (0-1) fought back to pull within 33-26 with 1:52 to go in the half and trailed 35-27 at halftime.
South Warren fought even harder out of the halftime break, cutting the deficit to 45-41 at the 2:30 mark of the third quarter before the Patriots went on a run to make the score 51-43 at the end of the third quarter.
The Spartans pulled back within six, 65-59, with 2:40 to play, but the Patriots scored six straight points to seal the season-opening win.
Brett Rippy finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in the win. Mason Shirley added 16 points for the Patriots while Owen Stamper and Jax Cooper notched 11 points each.
With the win, Bonds picks up his first at the helm of the ACS boys’ program after 11 years at the reigns of the girls’ program.
The Patriots will remain at home to take on Russellville on Friday evening while South Warren hosts Barren County on Friday evening in another boys/girls’ doubleheader.
