The McLennan Highlander led from start to finish, defeating the Lee Navigators 65-53 to close out the 2024 McLennan Classic.
Rontavious Blackshear sank three free throws less than 15 seconds into the game to give the Highlanders the early lead, and Max Blank added a bucket to make it a 5-0 McLennan advantage with just one minute off the clock. Lee got on the board with a Shamiere Green 3-pointer from the corner just 30 seconds later. The Highlander led 10-8 with 15:49 to play in the half and created a little distance with a 7-0 run, including five points from Ari Gooch, 17-8. McLennan led by nine before a 5-0 run from Lee pulled the Navigators within four, 23-19 with 7:42 to go. Evan Chatman added a 3-pointer from the top of the key for the Highlanders to push the lead back to seven. The teams exchanged baskets, and McLennan led 31-24 at intermission.
Lee hung around in the second half and trailed the Highlanders 42-37 with 12:45 remaining in the game. An 8-0 McLennan run with a dunk by Chatman as the exclamation point pushed the Highlanders' lead to 13 just a minute and a half later, 50-37. The Navigators made a small rally, cutting the lead to eight at 52-40 before a tip in by Blank gave McLennan the largest lead of the night at 54-40 with 9:49 to play. Lee pulled within eight several times the stretch including trailing by eight at 61-53 with 2:11 on the clock. Another Blank basket and a pair of Gooch free throws rounded out the scoring to give McLennan the 12-point cushion at the final buzzer.
Evan Chatman led the way with 17 points. Ari Gooch and Rontavious Blackshear scored 15 and 10, respectively.
Lee: Jacari Westbrook 3 0-0 7; Bryce Smith 0 0-0 0; Shamiere Green 7 2-5 18; Takoreyn Lawson 2 3-6 7; Josh Smith 3 2-7 8; Hunter Kelleher 1 0-0 2; Jayden Thomas 3 2-2 8; Mamadou Kane 1 0-0 2; Totals: 20 10-22 53.
McLennan: Tremayne Kilgore 0 0-4 0; Rontavious Blackshear 2 5-5 10; Joseph Mayberry 1 0-0 2; Kardae Turner 0 0-3 0; Amare Banks 0 0-0 0; Ari Gooch 6 1-2 15; Aaron Chapman 2 2-3 7; Keegan Rowell 0 0-0 0; Evan Chatman 6 2-3 17; John McQueen 1 0-1 2; Frederick Rogers, III 2 0-0 4; Joe Burgess 0 0-0 0; Maximilian Blank 4 0-0 8; Totals: 24 10-21 65.
Halftime score: McLennan 31, Lee 24; 3-pointers: Lee (Green 2, Westbrook 1), McLennan 7 (Chatman 3, Gooch 2, Blackshear 1, Chapman 1); Total fouls: Lee 19, McLennan 21; Record: McLennan 2-0.
