The mens and womens basketball teams at Allen Community College hit the hardwood at home in ACCs Red Devil Classic. It was the first opportunity of the season for the Red Devils to showcase their talents.
Here is how each team fared:
Men
ACC faced Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa in their first match on Friday. Each team had their moments in the first half, but the Red Devils jogged into the locker room with a one-point halftime advantage, 31-30. ACC controlled the early stages of the second half until midway through. Tonkawa hit back-to-back 3-pointers from Demaree King along with a floater from JD Ray to take hold of the game. Red-hot shooting propelled Tonkawa past ACC 78-64. Malik Hardmon led the Red Devils offensively with 21 points and 5 rebounds, and Tyus Jefferies along with Canaan Daniels chipped in 11 points each.
On Saturday, ACC faced Labette Community College. Both teams went on runs in the first half, and ACC once again headed into halftime with a six-point lead. Despite holding a 10-point lead in the second half with less than 10 minutes to play, Labette steamrolled back. Twenty-one ACC turnovers led to ACCs downfall in the tightly contested 77-73 loss. Hardmon posted a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
Women
The Lady Devils finished the Red Devil Classic with a 1-1 record. ACC earned a comfortable win in their first match on Friday against Calvary University, winning 91-70. Against Tonkawa, ACC held a one-point halftime lead, 39-38, but couldnt take control of the game in the second half. With both teams even after regular time, overtime was needed to settle the score. Tonkawa outscored ACC 21-13 in the overtime period to earn the 89-81 victory.
On Monday night, the Lady Devils traveled to Fort Scott for an exhibition matchup with Fort Scott Community College. A dominant third quarter saw ACC head into the final period with a 51-38 lead. ACC held strong in the fourth quarter for the 66-45 win. Zariah Sango led ACCs offense with 14 points in 17 minutes, and Courtney Crippen added 12 points along with a team-high six assists.
