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Light at the end of the tunnel: Eagles close to full strength as district play nears
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
In the midst of an up-and-down non-district campaign, the Allen boys basketball team needed a stretch like last week.
Entering Friday's matchup against Lake Highlands riding a three-game losing streak and with just three wins on the season, the Eagles strung together consecutive wins for just the second time after dispatching of the Wildcats (81-73) and Rockwall-Heath (70-49).
"We're definitely playing a bit better right now," said Jeff McCullough, Allen head coach. "We're starting to click offensively and get into a groove with what we're trying to get done."
The Eagles responded with two of their three highest point totals of the year.
"It goes back to the schedule we played early on," McCullough said. "We played some tough teams and had to really work hard and do the little things better. I think the kids got a little confidence now and have been able to have a little success."
Granted, the 81 points posted against Lake Highlands came under different circumstances with Allen taking a double-overtime decision for its fourth win of the year.
Knotted at 65-65 after the first overtime, the Eagles exploded for 16 points over the final four minutes to fend off the Wildcats. Sophomore Olin Carter and senior Cameron Epps led the charge by combining for 60 percent of Allen's total output with 28 and 21 points, respectively.
"That was our third overtime game this season," McCullough said. "We learned something from those first two and did enough on offense to put it away. It's great experience to pull out a close game like that, which wasn't the case earlier in the year."
No war of attrition would be waged Friday night against Heath, with Allen cruising to a 70-49 victory for its most lopsided win of the season.
"We did some good things that night," McCullough said. "A lot of our posts played well, which was big because it's been a bit of a roller coaster for our post spots this year."
The Allen bigs totaled 23 points in the win, led by 10 from junior Jamuni McNease. Carter led the overall scoring ledger with 17 points while junior Myron Fisher chipped in 12 as Allen raced out to a 35-24 advantage by halftime. The Eagles also bolstered their frontcourt with the addition of senior Joe Miller, who played varsity ball for the team last season. Making his debut last week, Miller totaled 13 points in the two wins.
"[Miller] gives us some strong rebounding and good defense," McCullough said. "He also gives us some more depth down low."
Following Saturday's Class 5A Division I State Championship Football Game, Allen will enjoy the return of junior Tay Evans, who led the Eagles in rebounding last season with 5.4 boards despite coming off the bench.
"It's very exciting," McCullough said. "When we asked our kids earlier who the most complete player on the team was, almost every one of them said Tay Evans. We've been missing that versatile inside-out player who can cause some matchup problems."
Nearly at full strength, Allen returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday at North Mesquite before venturing south for the Leander ISD Cedar Park Invitational from Dec. 28-29.
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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