In what always seems to be a wild matchup, the Allen Red Devils took down their rivals from Neosho 97-86 on Saturday afternoon for Sophomore Night. The Allen Sophomores would combine to score 82 of the Red Devils 97 points for the game. In the early going it didn't look very good for the Red Devils. Neosho jumped out to a 17 point lead in the first half, but in the final few minutes of the first half the Red Devils went to a 2-3 zone and slowly chipped away at the Panther lead. Neosho held on to a 5 point halftime lead 43-48.
In the second half the Red Devils would come out strong and quickly took a lead. The two teams would go back and forth midway through the half, but Allen made a late push with 4 minutes remaining and extended their lead to double digits. Neosho wouldn't go away, as they scored twice to cut into the lead in the final minutes. Over the final few minutes things got chippy as several technical fouls were given out, and Jeremy Coombs the head coach for Neosho was ejected with under a minute to play. The Red Devils would convert on their free-throws late to earn the victory.
The Red Devils were once again lead by Perry Carroll as he scored 31 points, connecting on 19-21 free-throws throughout the game. Carroll also dished out 7 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Sophomore Darius Love also had a big game with 22 points on 10 of 17 shooting. Love also had 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Jamaal Clifton also reached double digits with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Sophomores Wesley Anderson Jr. scored 8, and Jacobia Platt scored 7.
This win guarantees a winning season for the Red Devils with an overall record of 16-14. The Red Devils will travel for the first round of the Region VI Tournament on Wednesday. Allen will either matchup with the Hutchinson Blue Dragons or the Barton Cougars depending on how they finish on Sunday.