The McLennan Highlander dropped an intense game with the Angelina Roadrunners 78-75 tonight at The Highlands.
McLennan began the scoring with a 3-point play the old-fashioned way as Evan Chatman was fouled on a shot in the lane and drained the following free throw. The Highlanders built five-point lead at 8-3 with 15:56 to play in the first half. Angelina then used a 6-0 run to take the lead at 9-8 two minutes later. The two teams traded the lead for the next seven minutes of play. Angelina led 25-22 with 5:42 remaining before the half. A 6-0 McLennan run put the Highlanders up 28-25 just a minute later. McLennan led by eight, 38-30 with 30 seconds to play but Angelina added a pair of free throws to trim the lead to six at intermission, 38-32.
Angelina rallied to take the 44-43 lead with 15:01 remaining in the game. The teams kept it close for the next three minutes before the Roadrunners began to create some distance. Angelina led by nine, 64-55 with just under seven minutes to go. That's when Rontavious Blackshear got hot from 3-point range. Blackshear drained four, helping the Highlanders pull within two, 69-67. McLennan continued to fight and pulled one on an Evan Chatman bucket with 31 seconds to play, 76-75. Angelina's Kanaan Holder and Christian Holder combined to go 2-4 from the free throw line to seal the game.
Rontavious Blackshear led the Highlanders with 27 points. Joseph Mayberry and Fred Rogers III added 15 points each.
Angelina: Ja'Vonte Thomas 1 1-2 3; Qasim Boyd 2 1-2 6; Kyle Morgan 4 1-1 10; Chris Carpenter 1 4-4 6; Milton Rice III 0 0-0 0; Kanaan Holder 6 7-9 21; Jordan Mathews 4 5-6 13; Morgan Baldwin 0 0-0 0; Daemon Ely 3 1-2 7; Christian Jones 4 2-4 12; Totals: 25 22-30 78.
McLennan: Tremayne Kilgore 0 0-0 0; Rontavious Blackshear 8 4-7 27; Joseph Mayberry 5 5-6 15; Kardae Turner 0 0-0 0; Amare Banks 2 2-4 7; Ari Gooch 0 2-2 2; Keegan Rowell 0 0-0 0; Evan Chatman 2 5-5 9; John McQueen 0 0-0 0; Frederick Rogers, III 6 3-6 15; John Ateny 0 0-0 0; Totals: 23 21-30 75.
Halftime score: McLennan 38, Angelina 32; 3-pointers: Angelina 6 (Holder 2, Jones 2, Morgan 1, Carpenter 1), McLennan 8 (Blackshear 7, Banks 1); Total fouls: Angelina 23, McLennan 18; Record: McLennan 9-3.
