KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Ending the year with their third loss to their rivals, the Neosho County Panthers men fell to the Allen Red Devils, 83-77, in the semifinals of the NJCAA Region VI Tournament on Friday night.
“It was the same story the other two times we played them,” Neosho County head coach Taylor Shaffer said. “You’ve got to give credit to them. They forced us into a ton of turnovers. Down the stretch, they made big shots and we missed big shots. I thought we got a little panicked and just didn’t execute very well.”
Ball security proved fatal for the Panthers, who committed 21 turnovers in the loss. Jayce Cooper was responsible for seven while point guard Raziel Taylor was charged with five.
Taylor did contribute a game-high 10 assists and added seven boards.
“They tried to force, especially early on, in possessions,” Shaffer said. “I should’ve done a better job of relaying the message and preparing them better. I thought we were ready to attack on both sides of the ball and we weren’t.”
Champ Powaukee led all scorers on the night with 29 points for Neosho County. The sophomore converted 10-of-16 shots from the floor, including 6-of-10 threes.
“He played really well and hit a bunch of big shots to keep us in the game,” Shaffer said. “We kept going back to him. He kept answering. There just wasn’t enough help.”
Clyde Davis Jr. led Allen with 23 points.
Neosho County’s 16-16 overall record to end the 2025-26 campaign is a six-win improvement from a year ago.
“Anytime you don’t finish your season on a win, you’re not going to be happy about it,” Shaffer said. “We have a good corps coming back. But tonight was who we were all year — a lot of turnovers. We’ve got to get better at taking care of the ball. And we need a better inside presence defensively. This group did some good things. But we’ve still got to get better.”
Powaukee, Taylor, Adyn Prophete and Eriq Caraballo are the marquee departures for the Panthers this offseason.
“The biggest thing with this spring is getting the guys coming back ready,” Shaffer said. “Some of them need to hit the weight room. Some of them need to get in better shape. We’ve got some big shoes to fill. Raz was one of the best point guards in the league. Champ was our best player. We’re losing some energy and athleticism.”
