McLennan Highlassies drop both games in Shoot-out

In a Region-V matchup on opening day of the McLennan Shoot-out, the McLennan Highlassies fell to the Odessa Lady Wranglers 68-58.

Both teams started slowly as they worked to brush off the cobwebs from the holiday break. Nadia Hayes put McLennan on the board with a jumper in the lane with 8:38 to play in the first quarter. Odessa responded with an Amanda Soderqvist 3-pointer less than a minute later to take the early one-point lead. The Highlassies regained the lead on a Colandria Haynes drive in the lane 30 seconds later, 4-3. The Lady Wranglers pulled away, using a 13-1 run to build an 11-point lead. Jaylonn Walker drained a free throw with six seconds remaining in the first to trim the Odessa lead to 10, 18-8, going to the second period. The Lady Wranglers led 22-11 with 5:58 to play in the second quarter. McLennan stepped up with an 11-0 run comprised of two buckets from Raveen Blue and seven points from Velma Mitchell, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key, to tie the game at 22 with just over a minute remaining in the first half. The Lady Wranglers ended the period on a 6-3 run to take the 28-25 advantage into the break.

Odessa extended their lead to nine, 39-30, with six minutes to play in the third quarter. Once again the Highlassies stepped up, rallying to trim the lead to two, 39-37, with 3:16 on the clock in the third. The Lady Wranglers pulled away down the stretch and led by 12, 51-39, going into the final quarter. Odessa extended their lead to 16 early in the fourth. McLennan pulled within eight a couple of times midway through the quarter but was unable to get any closer.

Velma Mitchell led the Highlassies with 14 points. Jaylonn Walker and Nadia Hayes added 11 and 10, respectively.

The Highlassies and San Jacinto Gators closed out the 2018 edition of the McLennan Shoot-out with the Gators coming away with the 61-40 victory.

The first quarter was a series of runs. San Jacinto opened the game on an 8-0 run. McLennan's Jaylonn Walker kept the Highlassies in the game with a 5-0 run of her own to cut the Gators lead to three, 8-5, midway through the quarter. San Jacinto responded with a 7-0 run to extend the lead to double digits for the first time in the contest, 15-5, and led by 11 going into the second quarter, 20-7. The Gators continued to hold the Highlassies at bay in the second quarter, extending their lead to 18 at the half, 36-18.

McLennan rallied to start the third. The Highlassies held San Jacinto to one basket and a free throw in the first five-plus minutes of the quarter and scored nine points of their own to trim the lead to 12, 39-27. The Gators pulled away once again, leading by as many as 20 in the period. San Jacinto led by 16 going into the fourth, 47-31, and led by as many as 23 in the final period.

Jaylonn Walker led the way for McLennan with eight points.

Odessa 68, McLennan 58
Odessa: Kassie Ybarra 1 0-0 2; Aaliyah Walker 1 0-0 2; Tanaka Gapare 7 0-0 14; Cameryn Wilson 1 0-0 3; Amanda Soderqvist 5 0-0 14; Sydni Tears 3 0-0 6; Julan McDonald 4 0-0 9; Chinna Fair 1 1-2 3; Wytalla Motta 3 0-4 6; Leticia Soares 4 1-2 9; Totals: 30 2-8 68.

McLennan: Colandria Haynes 1 0-0 2; JonNá McDonald 0 0-0 0; Shekenia Green 0 0-0 0; Velma Mitchell 5 2-2 14; KeeKee Nowlin 0 0-0 0; Jaylonn Walker 3 2-4 11; Raveen Blue 3 0-0 6; Shankia Clark 2 0-0 4; Nadia Hayes 3 4-4 10; Chiqueria Cook 3 1-1 7; Anndrea Lloyd 1 2-4 4; Totals: 21 11-15 58.

3-pointers: Odessa 6 (Soderqvist 4, Wilson 1, McDonald 1), McLennan 5 (Walker 3, Mitchell 2); Total fouls: Odessa 16, McLennan 14; Halftime score: Odessa 28, McLennan 25; Record: McLennan 6-6.

San Jacinto 61, McLennan 40
San Jacinto: Alexus Jones 6 1-1 16; Princess Clemons 3 2-2 9; Eryka Sidney 5 2-2 17; Maddison Glass 0 2-2 2; Carrington Small 1 0-0 2; Alexis Bryant 2 3-5 7; Baylee Leiter 2 0-0 4; Victoria Blankenship 2 0-0 4; Totals: 21 10-12 61.

McLennan: Patrickia Daily 0 0-0 0; Colandria Haynes 1 1-1 3; JonNá McDonald 2 0-0 6; Shekenia Green 0 0-0 0; Velma Mitchell 3 0-0 6; KeeKee Nowlin 2 0-0 4; Jaylonn Walker 3 0-0 8; Raveen Blue 0 0-0 0; Shankia Clark 0 0-0 0; Nadia Hayes 2 2-2 6; Chiqueria Cook 3 1-2 7; Anndrea Lloyd 0 0-0 0; Totals: 16 4-5 40.

3-pointers: San Jacinto 9 (Sidney 5, Jones 3, Clemons 1), McLennan 4 (McDonald 2, Walker 2); Total fouls: San Jacinto 6, McLennan 12; Halftime score: San Jacinto 36, McLennan 18; Record: McLennan 6-7.