Allen stops skid in overtime thriller

Now that’s a fun way to end a losing streak.
Bitter rivals separated by 20 miles of U.S. 169, Allen and Neosho community colleges filled the Allen gymnasium Wednesday with wild momentum swings, a few testy moments on the court and had raucous supporters of both schools on their feet for much of the game.
Allen let an 18-point lead slip away in a span of 7 minutes and a saw six-point lead evaporate over the final 2:34.
But the Red Devils never trailed in overtime, scoring the first five points of the extra session to claim a 91-84 victory.
The win snaps a four-game skid for Allen. More importantly, the victory puts the Red Devils in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division standings, along with Neosho and Cowley, and back in contention for a potential home playoff game.
“We still have some business to take care of, starting Saturday,” Allen head coach Andy Shaw noted. “We need this type of crowd again.”
Shaw hopes for a win Saturday, but wouldn’t mind if it lacks in the theatrics of Wednesday’s classic.
“I can feel the gray hairs spreading on my head as  we speak,” he joked.
He anticipated Neosho would rebound from Allen’s dominating first half, in which the Red Devils limited a team averaging 97 points per contest to just 24 before the break.
“We just knew they were going to make a run,” he said. “Obviously, it was a lot bigger than what we had hoped, but the guys stuck with it and kept making plays.”
Allen led 51-33 on Tyrone Jones’ nifty 3-point play at the 14:41 mark of the second half before Neosho came back with a vengeance.
Sparked by a pressurized, half-court trapping defense, the Panthers forced a series of Allen turnovers and missed shots. The malaise carried over to the other end of the court as Allen was whistled for 10 fouls in five minutes.
Neosho’s 7-foot freshman, Joseph Acuil’s, steal and layup capped the Panthers’ 25-6 run and gave Neosho a 59-58 lead with just over 8 minutes left.
Shaw surmised Neosho’s comeback happened so quickly, it allowed Allen to regain its footing. Raheem Tuner scored five straight points in one stretch for the Red Devils as the teams traded the lead six times over the next 3 minutes.
Ben Uno drilled a 3-pointer to trigger a 10-2 Allen run, which was finished by Josh Sweet’s free throws at the 3:02 mark, putting the Red Devils in front, 72-66.
Neosho’s Charles Cooper converted a 3-point play with 2:24 left in the game before an Allen turnover led to a pair of Acuil free throws with 1:51 remaining. Sweet went 1 of 2 from the line on Allen’s next possession for a 75-73 lead. Kyler Steadman tied the game again with a pair of charities with 1:31 left.
Allen’s subsequent possession ended with a shot clock violation — the Red Devils didn’t even attempt a shot until the buzzer sounded — but Neosho missed on a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left.
Allen set up a final shot, but Sweet’s 3-pointer missed its mark with 3 seconds on the clock.
Courtney Stockard started the overtime with a 3-pointer for Allen. He missed a trey on the Red Devils’ next possession, but Jones was there for the tip in and an 80-75 lead.
Cooper’s layup pulled Neosho to within 84-82, but Jones and Tray Fountain combined to hit 7 of 8 free throws over the final 1:11 to seal the win.
Raheem Tyner led the way for Allen with 24 points. Jones followed with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Sweet scored 13; Stockard and Uno both had 12. Cody Sluder had 11 rebounds, four on the offensive end, while frequently being matched up against the taller Acuil. Fountain had three steals, Jones blocked a pair of shots, and Uno and Sweet both had two assists.
“Raheem was strong again, and Ben Uno stepped up and hit a couple of big, big threes,” Shaw said. “Cody did a tremendous job inside for us.”
Cooper scored 31 to lead Neosho, followed by Acuil with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Shaw praised the boisterous crowd.
“This was as loud as I’ve heard this gym,” Shaw said. “The crowd was a huge reason why we won tonight. We really need them back here Saturday, because that game’s just as big.”
Tipoff against Labette is about 4 p.m. Saturday.
Neosho (24-51-9—84)
Allen (38-37-16—91)
Neosho (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Batish 0/1-0-2-3, Acuil 8-5-3-21, Buckley 1-0-2-2, Terrell 2/1-1-5-8, Frantz 0-0-3-0, Jenkins 2-3-4-7, Steadman 0-4-0-4, Garland 0/2-0-2-6, Hernandez 1-0-3-2, Cooper 11/9-3-31. TOTALS: 25/4-22-31-84.
Allen (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Uno 3/2-0-5-12, Fountain 1-4-1-6, Sluder 2-0-5-4, Stockard 2/1-5-4-12, Sweet 3-7-2-13, Keiswetter 0-0-3-0, Jones 7-5-2-19, Watson 0-0-2-0, Tyner 8-8-4-24. TOTALS: 26/3-30-28-91.