Owens scores 35 against Sayre to break Bryan Station’s all-time scoring record
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- Amari Owens scored 35 to eclipse Bryan Station’s career mark, reaching 2,417 points.
- Owens hit record 3-pointer with 5:40 left; team paused game for plaque and photos.
- Owens averages needs 101 points to pass LCA’s Kyle Rode for the city’s No. 2 spot
Bryan Station’s Amari Owens knew the number he needed going into Sunday afternoon’s game against 42nd District rival Sayre.
The 6-foot-1 senior and Eastern Kentucky commit stood on the verge of history with 1989 Defenders alum Mike Allen’s school record of 2,408 career points a mere 26 points away from Owens’ total as a four-year varsity starter on the Northside.
A roof leak in Bryan Station’s gym on Friday delayed Owens’ inevitable milestone for a bit. He torched Moore for 34 points at Lafayette’s Jock Sutherland Classic on Saturday to set the stage for him to try to break the record at home for the postponed tilt against the Spartans.
He approached Sunday’s game like any other — by not worrying about the points at all.
“I feel like I got it faster by letting it just come, and putting it in the back of my mind,” Owens said after scoring 35 points in Bryan Station’s 65-42 win over Sayre. “You know, just going out there and hoop. ... If I got to get it next game or the game after, it’s all right.”
Owens notched 18 points in the first half and scored his 26th point with 2:05 left in the third quarter. He looked like he might break the record on the last play of the period, but stopped short on a drive into the line and kicked a pass to the left wing for a wide-open 3-pointer by Torrence Sanford.
“His growth in terms of leadership from his freshman to his senior year has just been tremendous,” Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon said. “He’s our team leader. When we need rebounds, he gets rebounds. When we need steals, he gets steals. When we need a bucket, he gets a bucket. He really just does a great job.”
Owens finally ended the suspense by nailing a 3-pointer with 5:40 left in the game to put Bryan Station up 52-35. The Defenders paused the action to mark the moment with a plaque and photos with coach Champ Ligon and Owens’ parents Antonio Owens and Amber Calhoun.
“It means a lot, because I’ve worked for this since I started playing basketball,” said Owens, who credited his dad for helping him as a trainer and off-court coach. “He’s my trainer, he’s basically my everything.”
Owens now stands atop the Bryan Station record book with 2,417 points and counting and ranks as the fourth leading scorer in Lexington boys high school basketball history behind old Dunbar High School’s Julius Berry (3,000 points), Lexington Christian’s Kyle Rode (2,517) and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Taveion Hollingsworth (2,495).
Owens needs 101 points to pass Rode’s mark with at least seven games to play this season. He averages better than 25 points per game.
“Well, first of all, taking the basketball out of the picture. Amari’s a great kid,” Ligon said. “He’s softspoken, works hard, well-mannered — just a great kid. And then on the basketball court, Amari is a special talent. I mean, from one end to the other with the basketball he’s about as fast as I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. He kind of reminds me, in terms of getting up and down the floor, of Dicky Beall at Covington Holmes back in the day. That kind of dates me, because that’s been quite a while.”
Along the way, Owens has passed several Lexington high school greats who’d won Mr. Basketball in their careers, the highest individual award for a senior bestowed annually. Those include Lexington Catholic’s Ben Johnson, Henry Clay’s Steve Miller and Bryan Station’s own Jack Givens.
Allen continued his playing career at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he earned placement into its hall of fame and later became a head coach of both Bryan Station’s girls and boys teams in addition to stints at Frankfort and Tates Creek. He’s still involved in the game as a coach at Jessie Clark Middle School.
“I’m very happy. Records are made to be broken,” Allen told the Herald-Leader in a phone interview on Sunday. “The milestone we accomplished — it’s not just me. There’s just so many people that wore that jersey over there that were great players. … So, I’m very happy for the young man, and, hopefully, they can get to the state this year. It’s been a long time since Bryan Station has been to state.”
Allen would know. His 1989 Bryan Station team was the last to win the 11th Region title and is one of only five Defenders squads to reach the Boys’ Sweet 16.
Owens’ team is the defending 42nd District champs and was ranked No. 15 in last week’s Kentucky Media Elite 16 poll. The win over Sayre improved its record to 16-6 and 3-2 in the district with district games against Scott County, Sayre, again, and Henry Clay scheduled this week, all on the road.
This story was originally published February 8, 2026 at 8:37 PM.
