ACC head coach Andy Shaw dared to smile while his Red Devils dictated the pace of Wednesdays game against Dodge City. At one point Allen Community College led by 30 in the third, and finished the job by earning a 93-81 win over the Conqs.
The win keeps the Red Devils nine-game winning streak alive, and most importantly, a perfect 5-0 start in the Jayhawk Conference.
Joel Boyce provided a major boost off the bench in the first half. Boyce scored 12 of his 16 points in the half, including three straight to put ACC at 23-16 near the halfway mark. Sophomore Canaan Daniels followed Boyces 6-0 run with back-to-back treys to put ACC up 13. Moments later, Daniels connected once more from beyond the arc to give ACC a 36-23 lead.
Trez Hankins was also firing for the Red Devils in the first half. Hankins scored 11 points in the first half, along with a gorgeous feed off the glass to Jalen Sasser for the slam. The Red Devils closed the the first half on 13-3 run as they headed into the locker room leading 53-30.
In the third quarter, Hankins got involved on the defensive end, taking charge on a back-to-back defensive series to keep the momentum in ACCs favor.
He is a good player and can really shoot the basketball, Shaw said. And he has always been really good at taking charges, which dates back to last year. He is willing to sacrifice body and take some charges, and a couple of them were against some big boys.
Shaw emptied his bench in the fourth quarter, giving every Red Devil a role in the 93-81 victory.
It felt good to get the win heading into the break along with being 5-0 in the conference, Shaw said. I lectured them in the locker room that they need to make sure they are disciplined over Christmas break, and are working hard on their game and conditioning.
Keeping the momentum will be its own challenge.
Our baseball coach, Clint Stoy, said no one gets to go home over break. They have to stay here. I told him I wish I could do that, but that would make our food bill pretty expensive, Shaw said. It really is going to be a tale of two seasons, which is how it always is. The junior college break can be great, or be a curse, but thats part of it.
The Red Devils will play Jan. 4 in Hutchinson.
