The last time a swarm of birds wreaked this much havoc, it may have been part of a Hitchcock film.
The Labette Cardinals — the nation’s top-ranked NJCAA-II women’s team — made life miserable for Allen Community College’s women Wednesday, blasting their way to a 46-16 halftime lead and not looking back in an 86-38 victory.
Wednesday’s tilt was the season-opener for both teams, after the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic pushed back the start from early November.
As ACC head coach Rachel Janzen noted, each journey begins with a first step, even if it’s a painful one.
The freshman-laden Red Devil squad had troubles doing much of anything against the tall, fast and devastatingly athletic Cardinals.
Allen shot an ice-cold 24% from the floor and was out-rebounded 26 to 12, while committing a good chunk of its 31 turnovers before the break.
“Our number-one key to the game was rebounding,” Janzen lamented.
Nevertheless, contests like this are valuable for developing squads, she said. “It’s a big eye-opening experience, but that’s the best way to learn, too.”
A Hallie Reed 3-pointer put the Red Devils on top 3-0 to start the game, but Labette responded with eight straight points. A bucket by Allen’s Adji Mbaye ended the run, but the Cardinals were just getting warmed up.
They took advantage of multiple offensive rebounds, Red Devil turnovers, and a healthy helping of layups as part of a 36-6 run to take full control.
Allen’s level of play improved considerably in the second half.
“That’s what I told them,” Janzen said. “Erase your memory and make second-half adjustments, and that’s what they did. They kind of got settled in, and did a lot better in transition.”
Reed hit three more treys, while Mbaye finished with a double-double. Each scored 12, while Mbaye pulled down 10 rebounds. Both also had a pair of steals. Melody Wilfong dished out four assists and had two steals.
Labette’s Ishuana Hunter was 10 of 13 from the floor en route to a game-high 22 points with eight rebounds. Tamiah Robinson added 17 and Nia Jordan 13.
Allen is back in action at 2 p.m. Saturday when the Red Devils host Fort Scott Community College.
“We’re so glad the season is finally here, and are looking to build with this young team,” Janzen said. (With only two sophomores on the roster — both injured — the immediate future will rely on the development of a lineup consisting entirely of first-year freshmen.)
