Everybody is aboard the bus.
Allen County Community College’s Red Devil women have bought in and are on the bus with their head coach’s efforts to turn the program around.
“It may get old hearing this, but this team does not quit. I’ve told them all along if they continue to play hard for 40 minutes, the wins would come. This game is a payoff for that,” said Mark James, after the Red Devils turned a seven-point halftime deficit into a 64-58 victory at home over Kansas City, Kan., Community College.
“It was a huge win for us in terms of the region playoffs. Kansas City and Labette are now tied with us (3-5) in region (Region VI, Division I) games now. We’re still fighting for a home playoff game.”
Actually, the Red Devils were down as many as 16 points early in the second half. The Blue Devils were up 48-32 at the 14:23 mark. Allen County started its comeback, chipping away with a basket by Kayla Morton on a fastbreak.
Kansas City’s Cassey Sobaski seemed unstoppable as she poured in points for the Blue Devils. Sobaski scored a basket with 12:57 left in the game putting her team up 50-34. The Blue Devils would score only eight more points and six of them were by Sobaski on her way to a game-high 29 points.
Rackell Goldson, Allen County’s lone senior, put her team on a 20-point path with a field goal and a three-pointer with 12:20 on the clock. Morton added a free throw. Ebonie Jones and Brittney Redmond drained back-to-back threes.
“In the first half, we let our offense dictate our defense. In the second half, our players picked up the defensive intensity and that fueled our offense. We were getting the 50-50 balls (loose basketballs),” James said.
Miracle Davis made one of her four steals of the game and went the length of the court for a lay-up. Redmond put the Red Devils in front for the first time since late in the first half at 51-50 with a three-pointer.
Redmond ripped the cords for another trey, bumping the margin to four points at the 6:55 mark. Breaking a six-minute scoring lull, Sobaski connected for Kansas City.
Morton scored to put Allen County up 56-52. Sobaski sank two free throws and Alexandria Blaurock’s field goal tied the game with 4:55 on the clock. The Red Devil defense held off the Blue Devils, and Redmond hit one of two free throws.
Sobaski went to the free-throw line and downed two tosses putting Kansas City up 58-57 at the 2:21 mark. Allen County’s defense allowed no more points.
Hannah Blackwell’s basket with 1:50 on the clock handed Allen County the lead, 59-58. Davis came up with a defensive rebound and was fouled going to the basket by KCK’s Mikenna Greathouse, who fouled out of the game. Davis hit one free throw then swiped the basketball from the Blue Devils and went back to the line to sink both ends of a one-and-one.
Goldson and Davis each added another free throw apiece in the final 25 seconds to extend Allen County’s lead.
“Our players just decided they were a better team than how they played in the first half. Our defense turned the game around. Although we stress team here, tonight Rackell was determined we were not going to lose this game and the rest of our players fed off her,” James said.
