STEENBERGEN’S CLUTCH 3 SENDS AC-S GIRLS TO 43-39 TRIUMPH
SCOTTSVILLE — Edmonson County boys basketball coach Brad Johnson has a deep bench, some rugged defenders and several threats from the perimeter.
The Wildcats won’t dazzle you with their athleticism, but they’re plenty tough and certainly had the winning formula Tuesday night at Allen County-Scottsville High School.
First-year AC-S coach Casey Napier, meanwhile, is just looking for a victory.
It wasn’t going to happen this time, as Edmonson County used a 10-for-22 shooting night from 3-point range to drub the Patriots 73-48.
The Wildcats put some distance between themselves and AC-S in the second quarter and took control after halftime, earning their fourth victory of the season against two defeats.
Twelve Edmonson County players scored and the Wildcats were efficient at the defensive end of the floor, finishing with 13 steals and limiting AC-S to 39 percent shooting.
Allen County-Scottsville is now winless in seven games. The Patriots get another shot for a breakthrough win on the road Friday night against Barren County.
“We kind of run a Bellarmine offense,” Johnson said. “We reverse the ball a lot and stress ball movement. We have some good shooters.
“We’re shooting about 40 percent from the 3-point line for the season, and it’s like Rick Pitino says, ‘Shooting 40 percent from 3 is like shooting 50 percent from 2.'”
The Wildcats needed some time to find their rhythm but clearly had the upper hand throughout. Edmonson County had an effective half-court press, too, which extinguished whatever comeback hopes the Patriots had in mind.
Edmonson County graduated seven seniors from last season’s 6-13 team, in a season compressed by COVID-19 safeguards, but Johnson liked his team’s approach when the Wildcats returned to the practice floor in November.
“Most of these guys really just had to wait their turn,” Johnson said. “They work hard in practice. We feel like we’re a pretty deep team, and we’ll try to pick up the tempo when we can.”
That’s exactly what happened in the third quarter, when the Wildcats outscored AC-S by a 25-13 margin. Edmonson County teammates Braden Wall and Trace Taylor each finished with 12 points, leading the Wildcats, while Evan Stice added 10. Edmonson County finished the game with 50 percent shooting while hitting nine of 12 free throws.
Allen County-Scottsville’s Jackson Morris led the Patriots with 12 points, while teammates Jordan Turner and Wyatt Coffee added 8 and 7, respectively. AC-S hit just 3 of 13 shots from 3-point range, and Preston Wimpee led the Patriots with six rebounds.
The Wildcats are on the road Friday to tangle with Todd County Central, and they’ll turn around three days later and play the Rebels again in the Rafferty’s Caveland Classic in Brownsville.
Next week, AC-S will make the short trip to play in the Portland Christmas Tournament in Portland, Tennessee.
AC-S GIRLS 43, EDMONSON COUNTY 39 — Allen County-Scottsville sophomore Jayleigh Steenbergen hit a baseline 3-pointer with about 1:10 left, sending the Lady Patriots to victory.
Allen County-Scottsville won for the third time in four games, and Coach Greg Dunn’s Lady Patriots are 3-5 on the season.
Edmonson County is 2-3 on the year, and the Lady Wildcats will travel to play Todd County Central on Friday.
Edmonson County led for much of the second half, but AC-S kept it close until stealing the momentum on Steenbergen’s clutch shot from the corner.
Sisters Jayleigh Steenbergen and Raileigh Steenbergen each had 10 points for the Lady Patriots, while teammate Aubrey Naiser finished with 9. Allen County travels to play Barren County on Friday night.
Edmonson County’s Lily Jane Vincent led all scorers with 18 points, and teammates Cariann Williams and Paige Wolfe each finished with 8 points.