The Allen Community College Red Devils remain undefeated after routing the Tabor College Reserves 46-22 Tuesday night.
Despite more than doubling the offensive production of Tabor College, Allen coach Leslie Crane was less than impressed with her team, which entered the contest ranked ninth in the nation according to the latest NJCAA poll.
Crane credited Allen’s strong play on defense to the Red Devils’ success.
“Our defense is what saved us tonight because we could not make a shot to save our lives,” Crane said. “We were not focusing. We were not putting the ball in the hole. We weren’t focusing to get our feet set to shoot the ball. We were running our offense way too fast.”
Allen sophomore forward Tawhirikura Doyle had three steals but the biggest difference- maker was underneath Tabor’s basket as freshman forward Joniya Lewis pulled down six defensive rebounds — 11
total — while sophomore center Yolaine Luthi grabbed nine.
“When we slowed down, and executed, our offense looked good,” Crane said. “The only problem is we’re young and we don’t have a lot of patience. The more they missed, the tighter they got. With young teams, immature teams, that happens. They have to learn to stay relaxed. It’s the next shot, the next play and they’re thinking of the last shot.”
Offense is where Allen struggled. The Red Devils had a 25.4 field goal percentage and netted only 11.8 percent of their 3-pointers.
Sophomore guard Juana Rojas netted both of Allen’s shots behind the arch. Rojas ended the evening with a team-leading 13 points, followed by sophomore guard Nikki Gear, who came off the bench for 8 points while Lewis and Weakley picked up 6 points each.
“There is still a lot of teaching I have to do and have more patience on my part,” Crane said. “They have to have patience and maturity. They have to do better at finishing around the bucket, finishing their shots. It was also ungodly hot in our gym. That’s not an excuse but it was hot in there.”
With the win, the Red Devils improved to 2-0 but that record may not stand for long with Allen receiving their first test of the season this weekend at the Reiver Classic in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They open the tournament pool play Friday against Ellsworth Community College, then face Iowa Western Community College Saturday at 3 p.m. From there, the Red Devils have the next six days off until they host Haskell College next Friday.
“With this club, I just don’t know. There are a lot of unknowns right now,” Crane said. “We have injuries and we’re getting two kids back from injuries. That will help.”
