Highlassies run past Ranger

The McLennan Highlassies avenged their conference-opening loss to Ranger on Jan. 14 with a 69-52 victory over the Lady Rangers Wednesday night at The Highlands.

The teams were slow to start offensively. A Noortje Joosten jumper put Ranger on the board with 8:35 to play in the first quarter. Ashley Moore began the scoring for McLennan with a turn-around jumper with 7:36 on the clock. The Highlassies took the lead on a Nadia Hayes free throw less than a minute later and extended the lead to six at the end of the first, 14-8.  McLennan fired up from three-point land in the second quarter. Velma Mitchell and Colandria Haynes hit two back-to-back to open the quarter to double the Highlassies' lead, 20-8.  Ranger cut the lead to 12 before McLennan used a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 21, 32-11, midway through the second quarter. The Highlassies led by 15, 33-18, with 50 seconds remaining in the half. A Ranger foul at the buzzer put Dariel Johnson at the free throw line for three free shots. Johnson drained all three to give McLennan the 36-18 at the half. 

The Highlassies continued to pull away in the third, opening on a 17-2 run to put the game away. McLennan cruised through the fourth quarter to their seventh consecutive conference win.

Freshman Jaylonn Walker led the Highlassies with 19 points including four 3-pointers and Mitchell scored 11. Hayes recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

McLennan: Patrickia Daily 3 0-0 9; Colandria Haynes 2 0-0 5; Dariel Johnson 2 3-4 7; Jordan Mullins 0 0-0 0; Velma Mitchell 3 3-5 11; Jaylonn Walker 6 3-4 19; Chelsi Woodard 0 0-0 0; Nadia Hayes 4 2-4 10; Ashley Moore 4 0-0 8; Totals: 24 11-19 69.

3-pointers: Ranger 2 (Maledon 1, Fellows 1), McLennan 10 (Walker 4, Daily 3, Mitchell 2, Haynes 1); Total fouls: Ranger 13, McLennan 16; Halftime score: McLennan 36, Ranger 18; Record: McLennan 14-9 (7-1).