Allen playing his role perfectly as he sparks Lancaster to a 46-34 win over Mifflin
LANCASTER – Hayden Allen is still finding his way after not playing basketball for the last two years.
As a first-year Lancaster varsity player, Allen, a junior, just seems to have that It-Factor. He is competitive and is willing to do whatever his team needs him to do to help them succeed.
Even though he comes off the bench, Allen has made his impact felt in a huge way, and Thursday night against visiting Mifflin, Allen once again played a major role in helping the Golden Gales to a 46-34 non-conference win at Jack Greathouse Court.
With the win, the Gales improved to 6-3 overall.
Lancaster coach Kent Riggs was pleased when he found out Allen was coming back out to play basketball this season and he knew he would contribute but has been pleasantly surprised.
“When he came back in the fall, we thought he could help us, but to think he was going to score and rebound like he has, has just been huge for us,” Riggs said. “He is getting better every time he gets on the court. He has been a big plus for us, there is no question. I like his intensity and enthusiasm, he is not afraid to mix it up and he is learning a lot. We have won six games and he has played a big part in all six of our wins.”
Allen came off the bench and had a double-double as he scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds. He scored 10 points in the second half to help the Gales steadily pull away.
The competitive side of Allen would like to be a starter, but he understands his role is to come off the bench and bring energy.
“It’s my role for now, and I’m just doing what the team needs me to do, and that’s coming off the bench and bringing energy,” Allen said. “Whatever is best for the team, then that’s what I will keep doing.”
Allen said when it comes to rebounding, it’s a choice.
“First of all, I just love to compete, and that’s kind of why I came back out because I want to compete,” Allen said. “When it comes to rebounding, you have to battle and every shot that goes up, I’m going to try and find my way into the paint and try to get the rebound. It’s a choice and it’s about hustle. You either want to do it or not.”
Like they have in most of their games, the Gales got off to a slow start and trailed 8-7 at the end of the first quarter. However, Lancaster’s two-three zone defense was keeping the Punchers in check. The Gales held them scoreless for the first five minutes of the second quarter, which allowed the Gales to take a 17-12 halftime lead.
Lancaster limited Mifflin to just 5 of 20 shooting from the field in the first half, and for the game, the Punchers made only 12 of 43 shots. Another huge factor was rebounding and Lancaster outrebounded Mifflin 36-28.
“Our zone seemed to hurt them, and it kept them from driving the ball,” Riggs said. “I thought we did a good job, defensively, the entire game and that was the difference in the game, and we did a nice job rebounding. We have been talking to our guards about getting more involved in rebounding and I thought they did that, which was huge. This was just a good, gutty win for us.”
The Gales showed a lot of poise in the second half, which enabled them to finish out the game strong.
The Punchers cut the Gales’ lead to 22-19 midway through the third quarter, but Lancaster finished the quarter strong by going on an 8-3 run to take a 30-24 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Gales’ defense held tough in the fourth quarter by limiting the Punchers to just 2 of 10 shooting. It enabled the Gales to push their lead to 38-31 with three minutes remaining.
Lancaster led 42-31 when Mifflin hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight with two minutes left. Lancaster would then proceed to run 1:28 off the clock before the Punchers fouled.
Canon Ailes and Colton Bruny connected on four consecutive free throws in the final 32 seconds.
“Against their pressure to be able to hold the ball like we did and then we stepped up and made some free throws, that was nice to see,” Riggs said. “Against a team like that, they can score quickly. It was good to see us handle the ball so well in the last couple of minutes.”
Bruny finished with nine points, five assists and four rebounds, Tre Williams had nine points, five rebounds and two assists and Tyler Carpenter chipped in six points. Ailes added four points and five rebounds and J.D. Thomas scored two points and finished with six rebounds.
“We have a lot of new guys, but they have some confidence for a young group,” Riggs said. “We have been behind in every game we have won, but they keep fighting and battling and that’s a trait you either have or you don’t. It’s hard to instill, so it’s good to see they have it.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Allen playing his role perfectly as he sparks Lancaster to a 46-34 win over Mifflin
