On a cold night at ACC, the action inside was hot as the Lady Red Devils returned home for the first time in two weeks on Tuesday for a rematch with Seminole State out of Seminole, Okla. Allen lost in a valiant effort 65-57. Both teams felt each other out like boxers for the first few minutes. Allen got to the free-throw line early, but could not capitalize. Allen showed a lot of heart rebounding the ball as the Lady Red Devils attacked the boards throughout the first half. Every time Seminole State began to pull away, excellent three-point shooting by ACC brought the game back. Seminole State clung to a 30-24 lead at the half. Allen opened the second half sloppy, allowing Seminole State to pull away quickly while Allen waited for its shooters to warm up. Allen trailed by as much as 15 points in the third quarter but a spark seemed to be lit for Allen after the ejection of one of Seminole State’s top scorers after a technical foul. Allen proceeded to drain both free throws after the foul and came within 10 points as the fourth quarter began. The deficit swung back and forth for much of the fourth quarter. With a minute and change left, Allen looked to have a chance, trailing by only six points. The Lady Red Devils fouled Seminole State in hopes of saving some time off the clock and getting rebounds, but Seminole State was not having it, making both free throws on the line with a little over 30 seconds left in the game. Allen drove back down the court, but with only seconds left and now an eight-point lead, Seminole State was able to hang on for the win. “We are getting better as a team,” said Allen Community College head coach Leslie Crane. “We out-rebounded them tonight and did some good things, but what it comes down to is being able to make free throws and hanging onto the ball, those were the two things we didn’t do consistently tonight.” Naomi Smith led the Lady Red Devils with 14 points. Smith also had five rebounds. Hallie Reed scored 11 points and had three assists. The loss is an improvement from the last time these two teams met, just 15 days ago. That was a 72-59 loss at Seminole State. “We defended inside a bit better and rebounded better this time around,” Crane said. “We pressured them more, but they are an awfully good shooting team and have a lot of weapons.” After a long road trip, a home game before Thanksgiving was a welcome sight. “It wasn’t the homecoming we wanted,” Crane said. “The girls were glad to get back to Allen and it reflected in how hard they played.” Allen is 2-6 and off for a week before a trip to Trenton, Mo. to face North Central Missouri College. “They have to make a decision themselves, I can’t pass the ball and I can’t shoot free throws,” Crane remarked. “Those kids have to decide that this is what they are going to do. Sometimes it’s easier to lose, I’m not saying that’s the case, but it’s hard to win and these kids need to learn how to do that.”
On a cold night at ACC, the action inside was hot as the Lady Red Devils returned home for the first time in two weeks on Tuesday for a rematch with Seminole State out of Seminole, Okla. Allen lost in a valiant effort 65-57.
