Highlanders clip Thunderducks

The McLennan Highlanders 69-55 clipped the Dallas Richland Thunderducks 69-55 tonight in the opener of the Joe White Classic on the campus of Hill College in Hillsboro.

The game was close throughout the first half. Richland led 5-2 early but McLennan used back-to-back buckets from Ari Gooch and Evan Chatman to take the 6-5 lead with 17:42 to go in the first half. A basket from Cjay Ingram briefly put the Thunderducks back on top before Gooch and Chatman once again teamed up for another Highlander run to go up 11-7. Richland bounced back with a 5-0 run, leading 12-11 with 13:36 to play before the half. McLennan rallied with an 8-1 run including six points from John McQueen to go up by six, 19-13. That would prove to be the Highlanders' largest lead of the half. The Thunderducks rallied down the stretch, tying the game at 21 with just over five minutes on the clock. The Highlanders led by four late in the half but Richland ended with a 5-0 run to lead 31-30 at the break.

The teams traded baskets for the first three minutes of the second half. Richland led by one, 36-35, with 16:23 on the clock. McLennan took the lead on a shot by Fred Rogers that started a 13-2 run giving the Highlanders the first double-digit lead at 48-38. McLennan continued to push down the stretch, leading by as many as 18.

Ari Gooch led the way for the Highlanders with 25 points, and Evan Chatman added 10.

McLennan: Mafatime Ndiaye 0 0-0 0; Tremayne Kilgore 1 1-2 1; Rontavious Blackshear  1 1-1 3; Joseph Mayberry 2 0-0 4; Kardae Turner 1 0-0 2; Amare Banks 1 3-3 5; Ari Gooch 12 0-1 25; Keegan Rowell 1 0-0 2; Evan Chatman 4 1-1 10; John McQueen 4 0-0 8; Frederick Rogers, III 1 5-6 7; Joe Burgess 0 0-0 0; John Ateny 0 0-0 0; Maximilian Blank 1 0-0 2; Totals: 28 11-14 69.

Richland: Mannie Odo 1 1-2 3; Barack Holland 4 3-3 11; Elijah Brown 2 0-0 6;Trey Wright 1 0-0 2; Lance Rawls 2 4-6 9; Cjay Ingram 3 1-2 9; Andrew Huntley 0 0-0 0; Cedric Dent 0 0-0 0; Trevionne Carter 0 0-0 0; Nehemiah Jones 4 0-0 8; Jackson Hodge 2 0-0 4; DJ Willis 1 0-0 3; Totals: 20 9-13 55.

Halftime score: Richland 31, McLennan 30; 3-pointers: McLennan 2 (Gooch 1, Chatman 1), Richland 6 (Ingram 2, Brown 2, Rawls 1, Willis 1); Total fouls: McLennan 13, Richland 14; Record: McLennan 4-1.

Next up: Strength 'N Motion, 2 p.m. Saturday in Hillsboro