PARSONS — The Allen Red Devils are on a win streak after defeating Labette Community College 81-67 Wednesday night.
Looking to get even with Fort Scott Saturday, who currently sits in second in the Jayhawk Conference standings, the Red Devils may benefit from the momentum generated by Wednesday’s win.
“Our defensive energy and team defense overall was very good,” Allen coach Patrick Nee said. “Labette played well, but we were sharing the ball and got turnovers that opened up things.”
Coming into the contest winless in conference play, the Larks seemed to have something to prove as they went head-to-head with Allen.
A 3-pointer by freshman guard Logan Shockley followed by a dunk from Sheen Saunders, and a pair of free throws by freshman guard Clyde Davis Jr., helped give the Red Devils a 36-32 lead at halftime.
As Labette’s foul trouble became more apparent, the Red Devils went on the attack in the second half as Saunders silenced the home crowd with a series of dunks. Shockley, Davis and freshman guard Moses Stephenson were strong on perimeter shooting but did not hesitate to drive to the basket when they saw an opening.
Shockley’s four 3-pointers put him over the top as the leading scorer with 17 points.
Saunders and Davis Jr. tied for second with 13 points each. Saunders was Allen’s leading rebounder with six boards, followed by Davis and freshman guard William Jordan II coming off the bench with five boards each.
Although typically Allen’s leading scorer, Davis Jr.’s 10-point production was not an off night. He tied sophomore forward Jayson Demcher for third in scoring. Davis. Jr. also had a team-leading three steals, seven assists and Coach Nee said a few other intangibles.
“Clyde understands he is getting doubled and is really starting to be a high assist guy,” Coach Nee said. “Sometimes it’s not seen because it becomes a double assist, but this isn’t hockey so doesn’t show up on a stat sheet.”
With the win, Allen improved to 14-9 overall and 5-3 in conference play. Labette falls to 9-16 and 0-9 in conference play. A win over Fort Scott (14-10, 5-2) would slot Allen in second place in the conference standings behind undefeated, top-ranked Johnson County Community College (25-0, 7-0).
“We’re very excited about Saturday,” Nee said. “We let that one slip away. It’s the Hall of Fame game, so hopefully some greatness rubs off on us. We will be ready to go. We don’t get swept. There is too much pride over here.”
Tip-off for Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m.
