The Allen Men's Basketball team defeated their rival Neosho Panthers 81-70 on Saturday afternoon in Iola. The Red Devils would get out to a quick start through the first 10 minutes, but early foul trouble would cause the offense to slow down. Neosho also switched to a zone defense that temporarily gave Allen some fits. After leading for much the of the early going, the Panthers made a run and took a lead by as much as 7 points in the first half. Joel Boyce would be the spark to get the Red Devils offense going again, as he knocked down back to back 3 pointers to close the gap. Allen's offense finished the first half strong, and the Red Devils came back and grabbed a 3 point lead at the halftime break (37-34).
In the second half the Red Devils and Panthers would go back and forth, as Allen held a small lead for the majority of the half. Neosho would stay within striking distance as they connected on several perimeter jump shots. The Panthers would tie the contest at 53-53 midway through the half, but from there the Red Devils made their push and kept the lead for the remainder of the contest. Allen dominated the paint and converted at the free-throw line late in the game to seal the win. Allen owned the rebounding battle, which was huge because the Red Devils struggled shooting from the perimeter for much of the game.
The Red Devils finished the game with 2 players recording double-doubles. Joel Boyce led the Red Devils in scoring with 23 point and also grabbed 16 rebounds. Jalen Sasser continued his solid play as he finished with 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Malik Hardmon finished the game with 18 points, and Shaikim Jenks also reached double digits with 12 points on a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line.
This win pushes Allen to 14-9 overall on the season, and 9-5 in KJCCC play. Next, the Red Devils will host Oklahoma Wesleyan on Monday night for their final non-conference matchup at 7:00 PM. Allen will return to conference play at home Saturday vs Butler who they lost to in overtime in El Dorado a few weeks ago.