ACC picks up first conference win

Andy Shaw wasn’t about to relax for a minute.
Even with a 30-point lead, Allen Community College’s basketball coach was certain visiting Fort Scott was going to make a run.
Sure enough, the Greyhounds deployed a full-court trap to trigger an 18-5 run to slice a 57-27 deficit to 62-45 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game.
But the Red Devils soon relocated their magic touch.
“Once we started to relax a bit, we were able to beat their pressure, then score off of it,” Shaw said after the Red Devils kept Fort Scott at bay down the stretch in an 86-66 win.
The victory snaps a maddening 12-game losing streak for the Red Devils, giving them their first Jayhawk Conference victory of the season.
“I think I’m most proud of the the guys for the way they finished the game,” Shaw said. “I told them at halftime that Fort Scott was going to make a run. They always make a run. We’d been in this position before — maybe not with a 30-point lead, but with a double-digit lead — and seen the other team come back. Tonight, we kept making the plays we needed.”
Breaking the press led to several layups inside or free throw attempts for Allen.
Leading the charge was Allen sophomore Cameron Blue with 21 points, 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.
Blue accentuated his offensive fireworks with his defense against Fort Scott’s frontline players, who frequently pushed up hurried shots inside.
“These were the kinds of numbers Cameron was giving us early this season,” Shaw noted, until he suffered a nagging foot injury that hurt his effectiveness. “That was a complete game. If he continues playing like that, he makes us tough to beat.”
Blue was hardly the only stalwart Saturday.
Seth Walden came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers, including two during a 19-2 run in the first half to put the Red Devils up 24-8.
A Chekeil Wright 3-pointer, followed shortly thereafter by a Prince Samuels bucket pulled Fort Scott to within 31-21, before Walden hit his third trey of the game. Tray Fountain added a jumper from the lane, and Ben Uno’s 3-pointer late in the period gave Allen a 39-24 halftime advantage.
The fun continued after intermission. Allen limited the Greyhounds to a single field goal over the first seven minutes of the second half. Blue’s 3-pointer with 12:40 remaining capped an 18-3 run to give the Red Devils a 30-point lead.
Fort Scott’s press kept the ending somewhat tenuous down the stretch, but the Red Devils never let the lead dip below 16 by hitting 10 of 14 charities.
Walden wound up with 13 points, as did Ricky Roberts, on 5 of 5 shooting from the field, while DeAndrae Barnette scored 12 and Andrew Rountree had 10.
The Red Devils were a scorching 73 percent (19 of 26) from inside the 3-point arc, while hitting 21 of 32 free throws.
James Flemming and Samuels keyed the Greyhound attack with 19 and 17 points, respectively.
“We’ve been pretty close to getting conference wins this year,” Shaw said. “Hopefully, tonight will give us some confidence from here.”
Allen hosts Neosho County Wednesday.
Fort Scott (24-42—66)
Allen (39-47—86)
Fort Scott (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Floyd 1-0-1-2, Flemming 5/3-0-3-19, Samuels 7-3-4-17, Wright 2-3-3-7, Adams 0/1-0-4-3, Danner 2-2-1-6, Chase 2-2-3-6, Hall 3-0-3-6. TOTALS: 22/4-10-24-66.
Allen (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Rountree 3-4-4-10, Burnes 0-1-1-1, Roberts 5-3-3-13, Schippers 1-3-2-5, Uno 0/1-0-0-3, Keiswetter 1-0-2-2, Barnette 2/2-2-1-12, Blue 5/2-5-0-21, Walden 0/4-1-2-13. TOTALS: 19/9-21-17-86.