The Allen Community College Red Devils will not play for a national title. The National Junior College Athletic Association did not pick them up as an at-large bid during Tuesday’s selection announcement.
Following last Saturday’s 53-42 loss to Highland in the Region 6 championship game, the Red Devils hoped a little luck would bounce their way via an at-large bid.
“People have got to realize on a national level that Region 6 is the toughest in the nation,” said Crane, following the game.
Allen finished the season 21-5 and ranked 10th in the nation heading into the regional tournament.
They finished second in the Jayhawk Conference to Johnson County (30-1), who went undefeated until falling to Highland (27-4) in Friday’s regional semifinal. Highland earned an automatic bid as regional champion. Before Saturday, Allen defeated Highland twice in the regional championship and did not shy away from giving the Scotties credit earning a place in the big tournament.
“They were the better team today. Turning the ball over 21 times and getting out-rebounded is not a good combination,” Allen coach Leslie Crane said. “That’s on us. We didn’t shoot as well as we usually do and they had a good game plan that they executed well.”
Allen Community College freshman guard Tawhirikura Doyle drives to the basket in the second half of Saturday’s Region 6 final against Highland
With the loss, Johnson County may have leapfrogged Allen for the at-large bid. The Cavaliers previously defeated Allen in a pair of regular season victories and were ranked near the top of national polls heading into the regional tournament.
Highland will face Messa, (24-8), one of the teams receiving the at-large bid, in the first round. The other two at-large bids include Cataloochee Valley 21-6 and Lake Land (26-7).
“You have three teams (in Region 6) that are in the top 10 throughout the season,” Crane said. “That says something about who needs to be in the national tournament. They look at the records. We lost five games, all to ranked opponents.”
