LIBERAL — Down by 20 points at halftime, Allen Community College’s Red Devils got caught in a shower of threes in the second half of their opening-round game of the NJCAA Region VI, Division I playoffs.
Seward County Community College’s Lady Saints made it rain threes, washing away the Red Devil women’s hopes of pulling an upset Wednesday. The Lady Saints scorched the nets for 19 threes — going 12 of 25 in the second half on their way to a 100-38 victory.
Red Devil head coach Mark James noted the unusual circumstances surrounding the matchup. Tie-breakers in the standings meant Seward tied for second in Region VI play, but settled for the fourth seed, while ACC tied for fourth, but received the fifth seed.
“Unfortunately for us, they played that two seed, and we did not play like a four,” James said. “Seward County put on a shooting display tonight that I’m not sure I have seen in my coaching career. I’m not sure there is a team in the country that would have beaten them tonight.”
The Lady Saints broke their 34 field goal made down to 15 two-pointers and 19 threes, shooting 45 percent (34 of 76). The Red Devils shot just 21 percent, 14 of 68, from the field and hit five threes.
Allen was held its own early in the contest. A three-pointer by Ebonie Jones made it 3-3, then Seward County rattled off 10 unanswered points. The Red Devils’ sophomore Rackell Goldson scored and Kayla Morton made it 12-7 at the 11:28 mark.
Allen was still within striking distance with about 7:30 left in the first half. Back-to-back baskets by Jamie Peel and Jones made it 18-11. Seward County began to pull away on a 22-9 surge to end the first half started on a 13-0 run.
The Lady Saints still had the hot hand when they came back from the break. The points began piling up as the three-pointers fell for the Lady Saints. It was 48-20 when Morton scored Allen’s first basket of the second half at the 17:17 mark.
Midway through the final 20 minutes of play, Seward County commanded a 75-27 lead. Goldson hit one of her three treys in her final game for ACC at the 9:52 mark.
Goldson finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Devils. Jones had the other two threes for Allen and ended with 12 points and seven rebounds. Miracle Davis pulled down eight rebounds and had seven assists.
Allen turned the ball over 21 times. The Red Devils were five of 10 at the free-throw line. The Red Devils finished the season at 11-20.
“While we certainly didn’t play as well as we thought we would we will in no way allow this game to define our season,” James said. “We did some positive things this year and all of our players made significant improvement throughout the season. This team has a lot to be proud of and has laid a foundation for success in the very near future. With a multitude of quality returners, and what is developing into a solid recruiting class, we are optimistic heading into the offseason and beginning preparation toward next season. “
Seward County had seven players hit three-pointers. Anete Kirsteine had four on her way to 16 points and Kelsey Blair hit four threes in her 13 point total. Ashlynn Knoll led all scorers with 20 points and Payton Fleming had 19 and both players hit three threes.
The Lady Saints had 31 assists and 10 turnovers. They had a 58 to 45 edge in rebounding. They downed 13 of 19 free throw attempts.
Allen (20-18—38) (FG/3-pt): Davis 1-0-3-2, Blackwell 0-2-1-2, Jones 3/2-0-2-12, Morton 2-0-0-4, Goldson 2/3-2-3-15, Stithem 0-1-1-1, Flanigan 0-0-3-0, Redmond 0-0-1-0, Peel 1-0-1-2. TOTALS 9/5-5-15-38.
