Highlanders win thriller over #15 Frank Phillips

Highlanders win thriller over #15 Frank Phillips
March 19, 2025

In a thriller, the McLennan Highlanders advanced to Saturday's regional championship game with a 61-59 win over the #15 Frank Phillips Plainsmen in the NJCAA Region V Tournament.
 
Both teams started slow offensively. A Joseph Mayberry jumper put the Highlanders on the board less than a minute into the game but it took the Plainsmen more than three minutes to tie the game with a jumper by LA Hayes. A dunk by Alex Kmedehouto briefly put Frank Phillips on top 4-2 but McLennan responded with an Amare Banks 3-point to go up 5-4 with 15:46 to play in the first half. An 8-0 Plainsmen run over the next two and a half minutes put them up 12-5. McLennan then used a 9-2 run capped by 3-pointer from Rontavious Blackshear at the top of the key to tie the game at 14 with 10:19 to play in the half. A pair of free throws from Evan Chatman followed by a bucket-and-one from Ari Gooch put the Highlanders up 19-14. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Frank Phillips' Alem Fejzic gave the Plainsmen the 20-19 lead. The two teams traded baskets with McLennan trailing 27-26 at the break.
 
The second half was tit-for-tat between the two squads with neither holding more than a four-point lead. The Highlanders led 56-55 at the final media timeout with 3:02 to go in the game. Hayes added a pair of free throws to but the Plainsmen on top with 2:35 to play, 57-56. Frederick Rogers III's dunk with 1:08 on the clock put McLennan up 58-57. Rogers added a free throw to make it a two-point Highlander lead with 24 seconds on the clock before a Hayes layup tied the game with a layup 17.16 seconds remaining. Two free throws from Blackshear sealed the win for the Highlanders.
 
Blackshear led McLennan with 23 points and Chatman added 14.
 
McLennan: Rontavious Blackshear  6 6-7 23; Joseph Mayberry 2 0-0 4; Kardae Turner 0 0-0 0; Amare Banks 4 0-1 9; Ari Gooch 1 1-4 3; Keegan Rowell 0 0-0 0; Evan Chatman 4 5-6 14; Frederick Rogers, III 2 2-4 6; Joe Burgess 1 0-0 2; Maximilian Blank 0 0-0 0; Totals: 20 14-22 61.
 
Frank Phillips: Papa Kounta 0 0-0 0; LA Hayes 8 7-12 23; Se'yphon Triplett0 0-0 0; Sherman Weatherspoon IV 2 0-0 5; Yesan Warren 3 1-1 7; Mackenzie Keighran 0 0-0 0; Mady Traore 2 0-0 4; Alex Kmedehouto 1 0-0 2; Moustapha Loum 3 0-0 6; Alem Fejzic 4 0-0 12; Gezim Bajrami 0 0-0 0; Totals: 23 8-13 59.
 
Halftime score: Frank Phillips 27, McLennan 26; 3-pointers: McLennan 7 (Blackshear 5, Chatman 1, Banks 1), Frank Phillips 5 (Fejzic 4, Weatherspoon 1); Total fouls: McLennan 19, Frank Phillips 18); Record: McLennan 27-5 (12-2).