It was a back-and-forth battle between two NTJCAC foes with McLennan falling to Collin 72-58 on the road.
Collin scored first, taking the early lead on a floater by Kennedi Holmes. McLennan got on the board with a fee throw by Tajenae Gooden. That single free throw ignited a 7-0 McLennan run giving the squad the five-point lead at 7-2 with 6:36 to go in the first quarter. McLennan continued to lead by five at 9-4 a minute later but the Cougars stepped up. Collin ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to lead by one going into the second, 11-10.
The second quarter was a close battle. McLennan regained the lead early on a Danai Leis bucket and pushed it to three early in the period, 16-13. Collin tied the game with a Julianna Dada 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets and the lead for the next four minutes with McLennan leading 24-23. A Hannah Mouton free throw followed by a layup by Jalayah Ingram give McLennan the three-point cushion last but Collin rallied to cut the lead to one at the break, 29-28.
The Cougars held the momentum coming off the intermission, opening the third quarter on an 8-0 run. Collin took the first double-digit lead at 45-35 with 2:28 to play in the third. McLennan made a late rally, cutting the lead back to six at the end of the quarter on a Mouton jumper, 49-43.
Collin's Alisha Nunley hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth to put the Cougars up by nine, 52-43. A pair of Amerie Flowers free throws for McLennan pulled the team back to within seven before Collin pulled away, leading by 11 multiple times down the stretch. The Cougars led 60-49 with 6:48 to go. A 5-0 run including a layup by Charnelle Hoof and 3-pointer from Gooden cut the lead back to six, 60-54. That would be as close as it would get.
Charnelle Hoof led the McLennan scorers with 11, and Hannah Mouton added 10.
McLennan: Hannah Mouton 3 2-3 10; Jalayah Ingram 2 5-6 9; Andrea Johnson2 0-0 4; Daija Mitchell 0 0-0 0; Kennedi Ard 0 0-0 0; Charnelle Hoof 4 3-4 11; Tajenae Gooden 2 2-4 7; Taylor Craver 2 5-6 9; Tyla Roberts 0 0-0 0; Amerie Flowers 0 2-2 2; Danai Lewis 2 2-2 6; Totals: 17 21-23 58.
Collin: Kenzie Willis-Gusters 4 5-6 14; Julianna Dada 1 2-2 5; Olivia Grgicevich Lassey 2 0-0 5; Ella Macleod 0 0-0 0; Alisha Nunley 9 2-4 23; Sara Basaran 0 2-2 2; Jayden Smallwood 0 2-2 2; Kennedi Holmes 4 0-0 8; Taliah Martin 5 3-6 13; Totals: 27 16-20 72.
First Quarter score: Collin 11, McLennan 10; Halftime score: McLennan 29, Collin 28; Third quarter score: Collin 49, McLennan 43; 3-pointers: McLennan 2 (Mouton 1, Gooden 1), Collin 6 (Nunley 3, Willis 1, Dada 1, Lassey 1; Total fouls: McLennan 17, Collin 16; Record: McLennan 22-3 (11-2).
