The McLennan Highlanders picked up their first road win of the season as they squeaked by the Angelina Roadrunners 70-64 in Lufkin.
Angelina came out fired up in front of a large opening night crowd and built an early 8-2 lead. McLennan's Lorenzo Anderson scored eight of the team's first 10 points, keeping the Highlanders in the game as the squad tried to find its offense rhythm. McLennan continued to trail by six, 19-13 with 12:47 to go in the half. A drive in the lane by Cameron Copeland cut the lead to four. Anderson followed that with a steal, a layup and a foul shot to put the Highlanders within two. Another drive in the lane by Copeland gave McLennan its first lead of the game, 20-19 midway through the half. The game was tied at 30 with four minutes to play before intermission. The Roadrunners ended the half on a 10-2 run to take an eight-point lead into the break, 40-32.
McLennan emerged from the locker room as a team on a mission. The Highlanders opened the half on a 9-0 run, including four points from Anderson, to take the 41-40 lead with 18:16 remaining in the game. A 3-pointer by Christyon Eugene from the left elbow put the Roadrunners back on top. Angelina led 45-42 with 15 minutes to play. The offense for both teams went dark for the next three plus minutes with neither team able to score. The Roadrunners' Riley Dewitz added a 3-pointer from the corner to extend the lead back to six. McLennan responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 48. The teams kept it tight for the next five minutes, with Angelina leading 57-54. Once again Anderson served as the spark plug for the Highlanders. With help from Akili Vining and Chris Pryor, Anderson and McLennan put together a 10-0 run to take the 64-57 lead with five minutes to play. The Roadrunners pulled within three less than two minutes later but that would be as close as they could get.
Anderson led the Highlanders with 25 points and Vining added 15.
McLennan returns to action Friday at the Joe White Classic hosted by Hill College in Hillsboro. The Highlanders will face Sunrise Christian Academy at 5 p.m.
McLennan: Mike Fournier 0 0-0 0; Akili Vining 5 3-4 15; Lorenzo Anderson 7 11-16 25; Rodrique Massenat 0 0-0 0; Cameron Copeland 2 1-4 5; Chris Pryor 0 0-0 0; Rayquan Brown 3 0-0 6; Tre Thomas 3 3-3 9; Claven Wilson 3 0-0 6; Asare Otchere 1 0-0 2; Isaiah Wyatt 0 0-0 0; Tyrese Taylor 0 2-2 4; Scott Ator 0 0-0 0; Totals: 24 20-29 70.
Angelina: Dralyn Brown 2 1-1 5; Travis Henson 3 2-2 9; Ovidio Perez 0 2-2 2; G'Warren Douglas9 4-5 23; Riley Dewitz 1 1-2 4; Chance Brown 0 1-3 1; Samad Starling 0 0-0 0; Kyron Gibson 0 0-0 0; Cameron Hart1 0-0 2; Christyon Eugene 4 1-2 11; Darius Smith 1 0- 2; Dwight Simon 0 0-2 0; Braxton Foreman 2 0-0 5; Totals: 23 12-19 64.
3-pointers: McLennan (Vining 2), Angelina 6 (Eugene 2, Henson 1, Douglas 1, Dewitz 1, Foreman 1); Total fouls: McLennan 18, Angelina 19; Halftime score: Angelina 40, McLennan 32; Record: McLennan 2-1.
