ACC men’s basketball has to be feeling good. The Red Devils swept the weekend in Dallas. On Friday, Allen defeated Richland College 60-59 in a barnburner. On Saturday, Allen flexed its muscles a bit more in an 85-55 win over Brookhaven. Against Richland, Ed Wright was feeling in the zone and started the Red Devils off on a 6-0 run, draining two consecutive three-pointers. Richland came storming back to mount a five-point halftime lead. Richland continued its hot streak in the second half, leading Allen by as much as 11 points. Allen turned to redshirt freshman Trevian Sylvester off the bench to provide a spark and help lead a Red Devil rally. Sylvester did just that and got to the free-throw line, taking care of business there and from deep, hitting a clutch three to turn the momentum in favor of the Red Devils. The Red Devils rode that momentum for the next 11 minutes and change. Richland, however, mounted a strong comeback and took the lead with less than a minute left. The Red Devils once again looked to Wright to be the hero and he hit what would be the deciding jump shot late for Allen. Richland still had some fight left and tried a jump shot of its own but missed and was fouled setting up two shots from the free-throw line. Richland missed both shots and Allen held on for the win. Full stats were not available for the game. The win over Richland was the first win for Allen this season over a varsity squad. Saturday night provided a chance for Allen to pull away early against Brookhaven and get some reps for guys lower down the bench, unlike the back and forth nature of Friday’s game. Brookhaven came out in a 3-2 zone defensively to try to challenge Allen’s shooters but the Red Devils were able to figure it out. Allen did a great job of moving the basketball and setting up shots against a tough defensive scheme. The Red Devils capitalized on open looks and were able to show all the progress the team has been making shooting the ball. The 30-point win for Allen is the best they have looked against a varsity opponent so far this season and should give Allen a lot of confidence coming out of the weekend. Full stats were not available for this game. “We were able to sneak out a close win on Friday against a very scrappy Richland College team,” said Allen Community College head coach Andy Shaw. “Overall, I was pleased with the trip and was glad we could come back 2-0 on the weekend. We are continuing to see gradual improvement and hope to close the semester strong in these last few weeks.” Allen is now at 5-3 and looks to be rounding into mid-season form. Allen hosts Baker University’s junior varsity team on Tuesday. The game begins at 8 p.m. will be the last for the Red Devils until after the Thanksgiving break.
ACC men’s basketball has to be feeling good. The Red Devils swept the weekend in Dallas. On Friday, Allen defeated Richland College 60-59 in a barnburner. On Saturday, Allen flexed its muscles a bit more in an 85-55 win over Brookhaven.
