Allen's Red Devils used a suffocating defense and Sarang West's offensive fireworks to smash visiting Labette, 60-39, Monday to open the Region VI playoffs. Allen returns to the court Friday against KCK in the tournament semifinals in Overland Park.

The ingredients were there for a potential upset, most prominently a flu bug that has run rampant through the Allen Community College women?s locker room this week.

?We have people just getting over being sick, and we?ve got a couple who may be getting sick,? Red Devil head coach Leslie Crane said.

One Allen starter, Noa Muranaka, didn?t even suit up for ACC?s Region VI Tournament opener vs. Labette Monday.

So, yeah, Crane was a bit concerned Allen would be in danger of seeing its most successful regular season in history come to an abrupt halt in the playoffs.

But sophomore guard Sarang West, and a stifling Red Devil defense, had other things in mind.

Allen held visiting Labette to a single field goal over an 18-minute stretch of game time, forcing up a cacophony of hurried shots, bad passes and fumbled drives.

And while the Red Devil offense was hardly a model of efficiency, it mattered little in a 60-39 victory.

The win lifts Allen (22-5) into the Region VI semifinal round, where they?ll travel to the Johnson County Community College campus Friday to take on Kansas City Kansas, an 84-60 winner over Hesston. Tipoff will be at 5:30 p.m.

The winner advances to play either top-seeded Johnson County or Highland in Saturday?s championship game, with a berth in the NJCAA-Division II National Tournament on the line.

?It?s all about rebounding with them,? Crane said of KCK. ?We need to keep them off the boards, and keep their scorers down.?

But before she could focus on her team?s upcoming challenge, Crane looked back at Monday?s win.

Allen started off slowly, going scoreless through the game?s first three minutes, and trailing 11-6 midway through the first quarter.

But the Red Devils emerged from a media timeout with a defensive vigor for the ages.

Every pass was contested. If a Cardinal player dared pick up the ball, an Allen defender was on her in a flash.

?That?s the way it should have been the last two times we played them,? Crane said. ?We wanted to make a statement. We pressured them, and that?s what we needed to do to win.?

West?s putback triggered a 9-1 run to end the first quarter, part of a larger 27-5 spurt, as Allen pulled ahead 33-16 on her baseline drive late in the half.

Kinley Lankey?s off-balance banked shot from the lane with about 6½ minutes left in the second quarter marked Labette?s last field goal until Makayla Washington hit a 3-pointer with under 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

By then, Allen had pushed ahead 40-27.

It was not a flawless performance, Crane acknowledged.

?There was a lot of bobbling, and bad ball handling,? she said. ?They?re not a bad team. They did get into some foul trouble with what we were doing, and their frustration with our defense led to some frustration all around. And it was hot. The ball was getting slick.?

West poured in 27 points, followed by Mafla Chambel with nine.