The McLennan Highlanders dominated the Eastfield Harvesters from the opening tip of tonight's season opener at The Highlands, picking up the 91-31 victory.
The Highlanders opened the game on a 7-0 run including five points from Aaron Chapman. Eastfield got on the board with a put-back basket by Mussa Mzein with 16:32 to go in the first half. Another McLennan run, this one of the 8-0 variety highlighted by dunks from Evan Chapman, John McQueen and Ari Gooch, put the Highlanders up by 13, 15-2. McLennan continued to pull away, allowing just nine points by Eastfield in the first half to take the 29-point lead at intermission, 38-9.
Eastfield's Delkedric Holmes added a basket for the Harvesters with 18:47 to go in the game but it was all McLennan for the next eight plus minutes of play as the Highlanders put together a 23-0 run to put the game even further out of reach, 62-11. McLennan continued to roll down the stretch as the roster full of new faces found ways to shine with high-flying dunks and net-swishing 3-pointers.
Ari Gooch led the Highlanders with 14 points, and Aaron Chapman scored 12. Rontavious Blackshear and Joseph Mayberry added 1p points each.
Eastfield: Delkedric Holmes 5 0-0 11; Genrty Carr 0 0-0 0; Nate Jackson 0 0-0 0; Reggie McDonald 3 0-2 8; Vuk Vukadirovic 0 0-0 0; Mussa Mzein 3 2-4 8; London Greer 0 0-2 0; Devin Holmes 1 2-2 4; Totals: 12 4-10 31.
McLennan: Mafatime Ndiaye 1 0-0 3; Tremayne Kilgore 0 4-4 4; Rontavious Blackshear 4 0-0 10; Joseph Mayberry 4 1-2 10; Kardae Turner 1 2-2 5; Amare Banks 2 0-0 5; Ari Gooch 5 1-2 14; Aaron Chapman 4 2-2 12; Keegan Rowell 0 1-2 1; Evan Chatman 4 0-1 9; John McQueen 2 2-2 6; Frederick Rogers, III 1 0-0 2; Joe Burgess 1 0-0 2; John Ateny 0 0-0 0; Maximilian Blank 3 0-1 6; Totals: 33 13-20 91.
Halftime score: McLennan 38, Eastfield 9; 3-pointers: Eastfield 2 (Del. Holmes 1, McDonald 1), McLennan 12 (Gooch 3, Blackshear 2, Chapman 2, Ndiaye 1, Mayberry 1, Turner 1, Banks 1, Chatman 1); Total fouls: Eastfield 20, McLennan 19; Fouled out: Eastfield (Vukadirovic), McLennan (Blank); Record: McLennan 1-0.
