Highlassies fall at Weatherford
the McLennan Highlassies fell to the Weatherford Lady Coyotes 79-66.
The first quarter was a series of runs. The Highlassies started the game with a 5-0 run including a 3-point bucket from Jade Bradley and a pair of free throws from Jaidyn Fontenette. Weatherford got on the board with a bucket from Ashawntae Brown that started an 8-0 run putting the Lady Coyotes up by three, 8-5. A Ny'Asia Goldman free throw and Bradley layup tied the game at 8 with 5:20 to play in the first quarter. Weatherford used another run, this one 11-0 to begin pulling away. The Lady Coyotes led 22-10 after one quarter of play. Weatherford opened the second period on a 4-0 run to extend the lead to 16. McLennan's Raija Todd and Bradley combined to score the next four points to pull the Highlassies within 12, 26-14. Weatherford controlled the remainder of the quarter, extending the lead to 21 at the half, 44-23.
Weatherford took its largest lead at 48-23 with 8:51 to play in the third quarter. McLennan didn't give in and began to chip away at the lead. Mele Kaloni Kailahi scored 14 points in the quarter as the Highlassies cut the Weatherford advantage to 18 after three quarters, 61-43. The Lady Coyotes extended the lead back to 23, 72-49, with 6:29 to play but McLennan wasn't done. Raija Todd drained a 3-pointer to start a 12-0 Highlassie run that would pull the Highlassies within 11, 72-61. Weatherford's Adela Valkova for Weatherford added a pair of free throws but a Jaidyn Fontenette 3-pointer put McLennan within 10, 74-64, with 1:22 on the clock. That would be as close as the Highlassies would get before they ran out of time.
Jade Bradley led McLennan with 20 points and Mele Kaloni Kailahi added 16, all coming in the second half.
Weatherford 79, McLennan 66
McLennan: Raija Todd 3 0-0 8; Ny'Asia Goldman 0 2-4 2; Kenidi White 1 0-0 3; Jaidyn Fontenette 2 2-2 7; Jade Bradley 7 4-7 20; Mele Kaloni Kailahi 5 3-3 16; Annya Moss1 2-2 5; Elizabeth Critton 3 1-2 7; Seynabou Thiam 0 0-0 0; Totals: 22 14-20 66.
Weatherford: Anna Jefferson 1 1-1 3; Destiny McAfee 10 3-6 24; Monika Faerber 2 2-3 6; Kay-Hauata Phillips 2 0-0 4; Faith Norman 2 0-0 4; Marina Marti-Colomer 2 1-1 5; Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim 3 0-0 7; Laney Dixon 1 0-0 2; Ashawntae Brown 2 0-2 4; Diamond Sweats 4 1-3 9; Adela Valkova 3 4-4 10; Totals: 32 12-20 79.
3-pointers: McLennan 9 (Kailahi 3, Bradley 2, Todd 1, White 1, Fontenette 1, Moss 1), Weatherford2 (McAfee 1, Abdur-Rahim 1); Total fouls: McLennan 17, Weatherford 15; Halftime score: Weatherford 44, McLennan 23; Record: McLennan 15-7 (5-3).