The 10th-ranked McLennan Highlassies bounced back into the win column with a 74-54 win over the Temple Leopards tonight at The Highlands
The two teams traded baskets for the first four minutes of play. With the score tied at 6, the Highlassies put together an 8-0 run highlighted by a pair of Saneea Bevley 3-pointers to build an eight-point lead at 14-6 with 3:27 to go in the first quarter. Temple rallied later in the quarter, pulling with one at 14-13 with 1:38 on the clock. Miannah Little grabbed a rebound and put it back to give McLennan the 16-13 lead going into the second.
Aaliyah Holmes' 3-pointer to start the second pushed the Highlassie lead to six, 19-13. McLennan led 21-16 with 8:40 to play before the half. Tia Mitchell's second 3-pointer of the quarter started a Temple 8-0 rally to give the Leopards their first lead of the game at 24-21. Temple led by four 28-24 with four and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. The Highlassies took control from that point with a 14-0 run including seven points from Jaydyn Bullard and five from Chelsea Wooten to give McLennan the 38-28 advantage at intermission.
McLennan pulled away in the third quarter. The Highlassies opened on a 6-0 run and held Temple to just seven points as they extended the lead to 20 points, 55-35. McLennan led by as many as 25 in the final period. Temple made a run late in fourth, pulling within 15, but couldn't overcome the deficit.
Miannah Little and Jaydyn Bullard led McLennan with 16 points each. Saneea Bevley added 10.
Temple: Evelyn Lorenzo 0 4-4 4; Mochieyeveon Hobbs 0 0-0 0; Tia Mitchell 4 1-2 11; Imani Mitchell 9 3-4 23; Kyiah Hicks 0 0-0 0; Leilani Wimbish-Gay 1 7-8 9; Camille Pritchard 0 2-4 2; Erika Suarez 0 0-0 0; Kira Bass 3 0-0 6; Totals: 17 17-22 54.
McLennan: Alicia Mills 0 0-0 0; Aysia Ward 1 2-2 4 ;Chelsea Wooten 3 0-0 7; Miannah Little 7 2-5 16; Kennedi Rowland 1 0-0 2; Saneea Bevley 3 2-2 10; Jaydyn Bullard 7 1-2 16; Niamh Heath 0 0-0 0; Bineta Diatta 2 2-2 6; Aniya Williams 0 0-0 0; Cynaye Bobbitt 2 5-6 9; Aaliyah Holmes 1 0-0 3; Bailee St. Romain 0 0-0 0; Capri Garrett 0 0-0 0; Totals: 27 14-19 73.
3-pointers: Temple 4 (I. Mitchell 2, T. Mitchell 2), McLennan 5 (Bevley 2, Wooten 1, Bullard 1, Holmes 1); Total fouls: Temple 12, McLennan 23; Halftime score: McLennan 38, Temple 28; Record: McLennan 16-2 (4-1).
