The Allen Red Devils continue climbing the Jayhawk Conference standings following Saturday’s 79-71 victory over Kansas City Kansas Community College Saturday.
Clutch shooting at the free-throw line and beyond the arc allowed the Allen Red Devils to pull away late after slugging it out with the Jayhawk Conference rival KCKCC Blue Devils for a majority of the contest.
“We are treating every game the rest of the way like playoff games and it showed with our toughness down the stretch,” Allen coach Patrick Nee said.
Throughout the first half, freshman guard Clyde Davis Jr. showed potential signs of exploding with 10 of his team-leading 27 points before halftime. Down 38-36 after the break, Davis Jr. detonated with a jumper, then a 4-point play after drawing a foul while draining a three to give Allen a 46-45 lead.
Despite a strong protest from KCKCC, Allen continued adding to his lead on shots and free throws from freshman guard Moses Stephenson, sophomore forward Jayson Demcher and freshman center Sheen Saunders. A 3-point play the hard way after a contested shot at the rim by Saunders made it a two-score ball game in the final minutes. A Stephenson jumper then several free-throws from Demcher and Saunders kept Allen out of KCKCC’s reach.
With the win, the Red Devils improved to 13-9 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Along with finishing the contest as Allen’s leading scorer, Davis also second in rebounds with five boards and first in assists with four productive passes. However, with a 66 percent field goal percentage and 50 percent from the 3-point line, Davis Jr.’s efficiency is hard to defend.
“Clyde is a big time player and he was amazing vs KCKCC. Just look at his numbers and how efficient he was,” Coach Nee said.
Demcher was second in scoring with 17 points and third in assists and rebounds with four each. Saunder finished first in rebounds with 12.
Allen will stay in the conference for the remainder of the regular season with contests against Labette County scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, then Fort Scott comes to town Saturday for a Valentine’s Day showdown. After narrowly falling to Fort Scott last month, a win Saturday gives Allen second in the Jayhawk Conference standings, which will pay off when NJCAA officials determine the regional tournament seeding.
“I was very happy with the way we finished the game,” Coach Nee said. “This is a big stretch of game with only five to play and we’re trying to get that No. 2 seed.”
