Second half dooms ACC women

Leslie Crane’s return to Iola was a triumphant one Monday.
Crane’s return to the sidelines as coach of the visiting Independence Community College brought her to the Allen Community College gymnasium, where the Pirates took control with a dominating second half.
The Pirates outscored Allen, 46-15, after intermission to roll to a 77-42 victory.
The loss is Allen’s ninth in a row. The Red Devils stand at 0-6 in Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division play and 7-15 overall.
“We played pretty well in the first half,” Red Devil head coach Katie Mahoney said. “But for whatever reason, we just didn’t compete after halftime. We let up with intensity, we didn’t shoot the ball well, and we turned the ball over way too many times.”
“When you’re ready to play defense and rebound, that’s what happens,” Crane said. “Our defensive rebounding was a key. We did a much better job inside in the second half.”
After Allen held a 23 to 13 advantage on the boards in the first half, Independence out-rebounded the Red Devils, 29 to 16, in the second.
The early goings featured four ties and four lead changes. Reagan McClellan’s bucket with 7:22 left in the half gave Allen an 18-17 lead before Independence rattled off 11 straight points to lead by 10.
Rebecca Fisher drained a 3-pointer to trigger a 9-3 Allen run to end the half. Kailey Cleaver’s traditional 3-point play with 34 seconds left in the period pulled Allen to within 31-27.
The Pirates pushed back out to a 10-point lead on Sabrina Berry’s inside bucket with 15 1/2 minutes left, 42-32. Allen, meanwhile, went cold on offense. The Red Devils hit only six field goals and two free throws after intermission.
Fisher led the way for Allen with 12 points, followed by O’ceonna Weston with 11 and Cleaver with nine. Kylie Molisee had 10 rebounds.
“Rebecca is doing a better job on offense,” Mahoney said. “Earlier this year, she depended almost entirely on the 3-point shot, but she’s really driving to the hoop and creating her own shots now.”
Berry scored 19 to lead the Pirates.

MONDAY’S AFFAIR marked the second straight year in which former IHS standout Kelsey Larson was unable to play in front of her hometown fans.
Larson, a 5-9 redshirt sophomore, tore her right ACL in practice last month, prematurely ending her season. Up to then, she was Independence’s third-leading scorer at 10 points per game. She is a 2012 Iola High graduate.
A torn ACL in Larson’s other knee forced her to miss all of the 2012-13 campaign as well with a medical redshirt.
“Kelsey was a big part of our team in the first semester,” Crane said. “She’s a wonderful kid, a great student and a great athlete. There wasn’t anybody who felt sicker than I did when she got hurt. On the plus side, she’s going to come out of this with two stronger knees.”
A large contingent of Iolans were at the gym to visit with Larson and Crane, including Crane’s father, Neil, a longtime ACC coach in the 1970s and 1980s.
“It’s always good to come back and see familiar faces,” Crane said. “To get to see people like Larry Manes and Nelda Cuppy on the sidelines is always special.”
Allen returns to action Wednesday at Cowley before returning home Saturday to host Butler. Independence (12-8 overall, 2-4 in Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division) hosts Labette Wednesday.
Independence (31-46—77)
Allen (27-15—42)
Independence (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Barlow 2-2-0-6, Brooks 1/2-0-2-8, Smith 0/2-0-0-6, Martindale 3-0-0-6, Berry 8-3-3-19, O’Brien 1-0-2-2, Duran 2-0-3-4, Nakas 2-0-3-4, Robinson 4-1-2-9, Cetin 1-3-0-5, Lambrecht 3-2-2-8. TOTALS: 27/4-11-15-77.
Allen (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Salazar 0-4-4-4, Fisher 3/2-0-2-12, Molisee 2-0-2-4, Shelton 0-0-4-0, Weston 4-3-1-11, McClellan 1-0-2-2, Cleaver 4-1-1-9. TOTALS: 14/2-8-16-42.