Fresh off a weekend sweep in Dallas, Allen returned home for one final game before the Thanksgiving break against Baker University’s junior varsity team out of Baldwin.
Allen led from the tip-off; its size and speed too much for Baker to handle. Early on, Allen drained shots with ease. Midway in the half, however, both teams experienced a lull. Neither team’s shots were going in.
Fortunately, Allen raced out to a 47-25 halftime advantage. Allen kept Baker away from the free-throw line for much of the game, but when the Wildcats got to the line, they were able to convert, something Allen struggled with all night.
One big key throughout the night for the Red Devils was how aggressively they rebounded the ball. It seemed like each missed shot was followed by three Red Devils clamoring for the ball around the net. The rebounds made it easier for Allen to follow up on second-chance shots on both sides of the floor as Allen dominated on the defensive side. The Red Devils held Baker to six rebounds, suffocating them under the rim.
Of the 18 players on Allen’s roster, 16 saw the court Monday.
“We set the tone early and jumped on them 11-0,” said Allen Community College head coach Andy Shaw. “We never looked back from there. We got everybody quality minutes all the way through the lineup. We tried to play as even minutes as possible once we built that big lead.”
Scottie Turner and Xavier Evans both missed the game, but are expected to be back on the court soon.
Malachi Martin went down during the game with what looked to be a knee injury. Shaw did not know the extent of the injury immediately after the game.
Allen was very efficient, limiting mistakes and looking the best they have so far this season.
“We are getting better,” Shaw said. “It’s not a finished product and we have a long way to go but we are making strides forward as a team. Tonight we were unselfish and shared the basketball. We had 23 assists and only 11 turnovers. We moved the ball well.”
