The Starr’s Mill Lady Panthers saw a little bit of history Friday night. Not just for them, but for all of Starr’s Mill basketball.

Junior Alice Anne Hudson came into the game against the Fayette County High School Tigers three points away from tying the school’s all-time scoring record. She ended up breaking it in the first quarter, becoming the new highest scorer in Starr’s Mill history. 

The team used her broken record as inspiration to close out against the Tigers, winning 47-44.

“I’m super proud of them for finishing,” head coach Emily Sweeney. “Had to tell them to slow down on offense, or we might’ve lost that game.”

Hudson hit two free throws at the halfway point in the first quarter to put her within one point of the record. With 10 seconds left in the quarter, Hudson got fouled and made the layup, setting a new mark. Hudson did not stop there, as she scored 16 points in the game to keep on increasing the record.

“I’m excited that all the hard work paid off,” Hudson said. “I couldn’t thank my teammates enough.”

Hudson surpasses 2014 graduate Katie Wilson, who had previously held the record with 1,062 points in her four-year career.

“Alice Anne has worked hard the three years she’s been here,” Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Shane Ratliff said. “If anybody’s gonna break her record, they’re gonna have to have a solid four years.”

The first quarter was slow for both teams, especially for Starr’s Mill as they turned the ball over and were forcing up too many shots. Fayette County started to score off easy layups in the paint, making the score 5-2 halfway through the first quarter.

The Lady Panthers started to get some baskets late in the quarter, decreasing the Fayette County lead to two to make the score 8-6 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the Lady Panthers increase their lead with aggressive play in the paint and lights out shooting from beyond the arc. The Tigers could not handle the Panther offense, and started to make the same mistakes that Starr’s Mill made in the first quarter.

Hudson and Hester continued to lead the team in scoring, while junior Ashtyn Lally played lockdown defense, and junior Ryanne King owned the glass. This continued for the rest of the quarter, giving the Panthers a 23-16 lead at halftime.

“I just kept telling them to protect the basketball,” Sweeney said. “That’s all we needed to do to close this game out.”

The Lady Panthers continued to play aggressively as the third quarter got underway. Junior Victoria Fuller came off the bench and hit two three pointers to increase the lead, and Lally continued playing stellar defense.

However, late in the quarter, the Tigers implemented a full court press that caught the Lady Panthers off guard. They started to revert back to their first quarter ways, committing sloppy passes that led to turnovers and easy baskets for Fayette County. This continued for the rest of the quarter, but the Panthers still led 33-25 at the end of three.

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“We were setting a lot of ball screens to try and stop the press,” Hudson said. “They were also face guarding some people, so we tried to get those players away from the ball.”

The fourth quarter saw the Tigers continue using the full court press, and the Lady Panthers continue to struggle because of it. It got so bad that the the Tigers went on an 8-3 run to reduce the score to three by the middle of the quarter.

The Tigers started fouling the Lady Panthers after that. King missed three straight one-and-one opportunities to give the Tigers a chance. However, the Tigers could not capitalize, leaving Starr’s Mill up one with a minute left. Hester made two free throws to put the team up three.

The Tigers heaved up a prayer at the buzzer to no avail as the Panthers survived 47-44 on Hudson’s special day.

“I’m proud of my team,” Hudson said. “They hustled the whole time and never gave up.”

The Tigers now boast an 8-15 (4-5) record. They close out their season on Jan. 29 when they travel to Whitewater to take on the Wildcats.

The Lady Panthers also played a non-region game on Jan. 26 against the Marietta High School Blue Devils, losing in a blowout 57-33. This gives the Lady Panthers a 16-7 (9-1) record. They play next in a varsity double-header on Jan. 29 against region opponent Riverdale Raiders at home.