The first week of conference play confirmed what Allen Community College head coach Patrick Nee has predicted all along: Jayhawk Conference basketball fans are in for a wild ride.
For the second game in a row, the Red Devils battled down to the final possession against a conference foe, this time visiting Hesston.
The Red Devils held a tenuous 63-61 lead with under 5 seconds left as Hesston’s John Probey barreled into the lane for a final shot.
Probey, guarded closely by Allen’s Tyler Pinder, stumbled forward and tossed up an off-balance layup attempt as ACC’s Henri Ray-Young swiped at him from the side.
The ball bounced twice tantalizingly on the rim, before falling to the side, into the waiting arms of Allen’s Malachi Schilreff as the buzzer sounded.
Probey howled in protest as he staggered back to his feet, hoping for a foul call that never came as the jubilant Red Devil players exited the court.
“We shot really poorly from 3 and the free throw line but found a way to win,” Nee said. “Most of our conference games will be dog fights like that.”
Allen (1-1 in conference play and 6-9 overall) travels to Neosho County Saturday.
WEDNESDAY’S conclusion capped a memorable night that saw the Red Devils struggle mightily from the 3-point line (3 of 18) and nearly as much from the free throw line (6 of 13).
“We showed poise and composure to not let that rattle us,” Nee said. “Our defense and rebounding were really good.”
Allen held a 45-38 lead with about 12 minutes left in the game before Hesston rattled off six straight points to slice the margin to two.
The Larks’ Jammial Hicks drained a 3-pointer at the 7:30 mark to give Hesston a 50-48 lead.
Allen responded in kind. Mike Smith scored on a turnaround jumper to knot the score before Hesston’s Terryon Stebbins hit another 3-pointer to make it 53-50 in favor of the Larks.
Pinder connected from downtown on ACC’s next possession, his only successful trey of the game, to knot the score once again.
Javontae Costner’s bucket for the Red Devils broke a 55-55 deadlock with 2:50 left.
