Allen Community College coach Andy Shaw knew he had an explosive team to work with this season, but Saturday night gave the fans a glimpse of why the coaching staff is so excited about this group.
The Red Devils (2-1) got running early and just kept going in a 114-73 thrashing of Ottawa University’s junior varsity squad on Friday evening in Iola.
“We want to play fast, but never hurry,” Shaw said. “It was all about energy and being able to bounce back from a tough loss against Penn Valley. It was all about energy especially on the defensive end.”
It was the first game of the season that Allen was able to use its full lineup with guards DaaRon Mims, Jah-Kobe Womack and Cordy Winston getting their first action of the season. The Red Devils got everyone involved too with all 13 players who suited up scoring.
“It feels like we are complete now,” Allen sophomore Shon Sanders said. “We got our confidence back and played like we are supposed to. We got back moving.”
Sophomore point guard E.J. Garnes was able to make sure that everyone got a feel for the ball early in the game with seven first-half assists.
“I was extremely comfortable,” Garnes said. “We knew they were going to come out in a zone so I knew that a lot of driving and passing lanes would be open and my teammates knocked down shots.”
Garnes finished the game with 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting. He had eight assists and no turnovers in just 16 minutes on the floor.
“It is fun to play with these guys,” Garnes said. “It makes the game easier for me and opens up the driving lanes for me.”
Sanders — who led the Red Devils in scoring with 18 points — said after the game that playing with a dynamic point guard, like Garnes, makes his job as a shooter much easier, because he knows Garnes is going to draw the defense and find him in rhythm.
“I love playing with E.J.,” Sanders said. “He sees the floor like no other point guard and he is fast like no other point guard.”
Allen’s offense got rolling quickly with Sanders scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points and a Womack three extend the lead to 20-6 minutes later.
Womack finished the game with 17 points.
“We have several guards that I am not going to be surprising if any of them lead us in scoring at the end of any particular game,” Shaw said. “To this point, we aren’t reliant on just one or two guys like we have been in the past. This year, it is about a team philosophy and getting everyone involved. It is nice because we have a bunch of different guys who can lead us in scoring on any given night and get us a victory.”
Ottawa went on a huge run to answer back and took the lead at 23-22, but Shaw kept his calm and didn’t even use a timeout.
The team responded to its leader’s coolness and sophomore Ithello Cross executed a three-point play on a dunk to give the Red Devils back the lead.
“That was definitely a momentum shift,” Sanders said. “We needed it and it was a big play.”
They built that lead by finishing the half on a 27-5 run to take a 49-28 lead at the break.
“I was glad that we responded quickly,” Shaw said. “They came back with a little run, but from there on, we pretty much ended it.”
The Red Devils continued to build the lead in the second half and cruised to a 114-73 win by playing their deep bench and getting plenty of dunks and three-pointers to keep the home crowd entertained.
“It is a great feeling,” Sanders said. “Our continuity is crazy. When we all get going it is a scary sight. We are good, we are really good.”
UP NEXT
Allen’s next game will be Tuesday at home against Labette County Community College at 8 p.m.
