The No. 4 McLennan women's basketball squad battled back to but fell to No. 17 Odessa 86-77 in overtime to close out the Wrangler Classic this afternoon.
It was a close battle through the first four minutes of play with the game tied at seven with 6:08 to go in the first quarter. Put-back baskets by Peyton Hearvey and Saneea Bevley made it a four-point McLennan midway through the first quarter, 11-7. Odessa took control from that point with a 19-0 that spanned four minutes of play, and the Wranglers led 33-14 going into the second period.
Odessa extended the lead to 22 early in the second, but McLennan wasn't going to let the deficit overwhelm their play. The squad began a rally with a 7-0 run including four points from Peyton Hearvey, to cut the lead to 15 at 36-21. Odessa added a bucket by Ivana Krajina to lead 38-21 with 6:29 to play before the half. McLennan continued its rally with a 10-0 run and battled back to only trail by three at the break, 45-42.
McLennan continued to keep the game close in the third quarter. Odessa led by seven, 55-48 with 4:22 remaining in the third. McLennan closed the quarter on a 17-0 run to lead by 10 going into the final period, 65-55.
The Odessa shooters found a rhythm in the fourth quarter, battling to take a two-point lea at 71-69 with 43 seconds remaining in the game. Mersadez Nephew added a pair of free throws with 29 seconds to go and force the overtime period. Odessa outscored McLennan 15-6 in the extra five minutes to secure the win.
Saneea Bevley and Mersadez Nephew scored 14 points each. Jalayah Ingram scored 11 points. Peyton Hearvey and Aniya Williams had 10 points each.
McLennan: Aysia Ward 2 0-0 4; Saneea Bevley 5 0-0 14; Alaina Payne 2 2-2 6; Mersadez Nephew 4 5-6 14; Jalayah Ingram 2 6-9 11; Peyton Hearvey 4 2-2 10; Niyah Johnson 2 4-9 8; Aniya Williams 4 2-4 10; Totals: 25 21-32 77.
Odessa: Silvia Hurtado 0 0-0 0; Tia Shelling 7 2-4 16; Mariam Sanogo 2 0-0 4; Maria Braga 0 0-0 0; Kimora Daly 0 0-0 0; Sarengbe Sanogo 3 2-4 8; Juliet Escomchukwu 0 0-0 0; Ivana Krajina 13 2-2 31; Chelsy Bautista 4 1-2 9; Jocylen Coleman 0 0-0 0; Mireia Mustaros 1 0-0 2; Destinee Barnes 5 6-7 16; Totals: 35 13-19 86.
First Quarter score: Odessa 33, McLennan 14; Halftime score: Odessa 45, McLennan 42; Third Quarter score: McLennan 65, Odessa 55; 3-pointers: McLennan 6 (Bevley 4, Ingram 1, Nephew 1), Odessa 3 (Krajina 3); Total fouls: McLennan 19, Odessa 25; Fouled out: Nephew (McLennan), Bautista (Odessa); Record: McLennan 7-3.
