Fifteen straight losses and no head coach on the bench didn’t deter Allen County Community College’s Red Devil women from playing strong basketball at home Saturday.
Fourth-ranked Independence Community College’s Lady Pirates came to town after losing their first game of the season on Wednesday. The Red Devils held the Lady Pirates to 35 points in the first half and trailed by just 13 points at intermission.
The Lady Pirates reeled off 11 points to start the second half and never looked back. Independence was in control of the game from the start and landed a 75-45 win in Jayhawk Eastern Division play.
Allen County dropped to 2-17 overall and 0-8 in conference play. The Red Devils are home Wednesday against Jayhawk East-leading Cowley County (8-0, 15-5) for a 6 p.m. game.
ACCC assistant coach Sacha Santimano guided the Red Devils Saturday and will again Wednesday. According to NJCAA rules, a head coach receiving two technicals and is ejected from a game has to miss the next game and if it happens twice in a season, the coach sits out two games.
Marcus Hicks, first-year ACCC head coach, received two technical fouls and was ejected from Wednesday’s game at Fort Scott. That was Hicks’ second ejection of the season, according to ACCC athletic director Randy Weber. Hicks did not coach ACCC against Pratt in November.
Aeriss McNeese scored for Allen County at the 13:26 mark of the second half to stop the Independence run. At the midway mark of the half, the Lady Pirates were up 55-27.
Allen County had 15 turnovers and Independence produced 22 points off those miscues. The Lady Pirates also had 17 second-chance points off rebounds.
Jazmynn Johnson led the Red Devils with 12 points and four rebounds. Queona Walker had eight assists.
Allen County had 26 rebounds with Nicole Swick had five rebounds. The Red Devils shot 37.5 percent from the field, 18 of 48, and dropped in 7 of 12 free throw attempts.
Kamri Anderson and Abbey Frazier each tossed in 17 points for the Lady Pirates. Independence was 29 of 69, 42 percent, from the field and sank 11 of 15 free throws. Elaine Tastove added 11 points.
Allen County (22-23—45) (FG/3-pt): Walker 2-1-1-5, Wolf 1-0-2-2, Swick 3-2-1-8, Best 1/2-1-3-9, McNeese 2-0-4-4, Johnson 5-2-0-12, Nisbett 2-1-1-5. TOTALS: 16/2-7-12-45.
Independence (35-40—75) (FG/3-pt): Carey 2/1-0-3-7, Tastove 1/3-0-0-11, Graves 0/1-0-2-3, Liepa 2-2-4-6, Filippovica 1-3-1-5, Moyer 0-0-1-0, Anderson 7/1-0-1-17, Floyd 3-3-4-9, Frazier 7-3-1-17. TOTALS: 23/6-11-17-75.
Lady Pirates power past ACCC women
